St. Isaac's Square

St. Isaac's Square is one of the most impressive and majestic in St. Petersburg. By the number of architectural and historical monuments, it can even compete with Dvortsova.

The name she received from the cathedral of the same name, erected in honor of St. Isaac. It was on the day of the commemoration of this saint that Peter was born. By his order, the construction of the church was begun. The construction of the stone cathedral on the banks of the Neva River was completed in the early 19th century. But the building was dismantled, and in 1818-1858, according to the drawings of O. Montferrand, the present structure was erected.

Isaakievskaya Square 1 began to be built in the 1730s - 1740s. The final layout and appearance, however, were formed only together with the completion of the construction of the cathedral of Montferrand.

In its center stands the St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is considered a symbol of the city. The volume and scale of the construction are striking even today, since the cathedral can accommodate simultaneously more than 12 thousand people, and its total area is about 10 thousand square meters.

Architect Auguste Montferrand during the construction of the cathedral began to think about the fact that the Isaac Square should be transformed. It was to harmoniously fit into the architectural ensemble of St. Petersburg.

By the 1850s, the finishing work of the cathedral was over. In 1860, work began on the creation and further improvement of St. Isaac's Square.

In 1818 the Blue Bridge was built, which became the widest in the city. He connected the square and the place where after the Mariinsky Palace will be built. Now it is located in the southern part of the square. The author of the project was A. Shtakenschneider. The palace in the style of classicism is decorated with elements of eclecticism. Now it meets the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly.

In 1859, St. Isaac's Square in the center was decorated with a monument to Nicholas I. His sketch was created by Montferrand, and sculptor Robert Zaleman executed it. The ensemble of the monument included unusual torch-lamps, made by master Roman Veigelt. High relief images of the emperor's rule were created by Peter Klodt, Robert Zaleman and Nikolai Ramazanov. The ensemble was very original and solemn. Near the monument there was a watch post. The monument to Nicholas 1 on St. Isaac's Square is still one of the most remarkable and unusual in the city.

The final formation of the square was completed by 1912 by the construction of two buildings opposite each other: the German Embassy (architect P. Berens) and the Astoria Hotel (architect F.Lidval). The latter was considered the best in the city and has not lost this fame in our days.

In 1846, architect Adrian Robin built the hotel building Angleterre. St. Isaac's Square began to acquire a modern look. Somewhat later, the Astoria Hotel appeared, which completed the appearance of the square, giving it an official, business and historical appearance. Today its appearance is determined by the Mariinsky Palace, the monument to Nicholas I and the Orthodox St. Isaac's Cathedral.

In the 19th century, St. Isaac's Square was renamed to Nikolaevskaya in honor of the monument to Nicholas I. It was later renamed Mariinskaya, but the name did not take root again. It continued to be called in honor of St. Isaac's Cathedral.