Kazan Cathedral was built by the architect Andrei Voronikhin Nikiforovich from 1801 to 1811 . It was built on the site of Nevsky Prospekt , where the modest Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. This church has one of the major shrines of St. Petersburg - the miraculous icon of Our Lady of Kazan .Cathedral was built by order of Emperor Paul I, just for the icon, as the cathedral of St. Petersburg. At the request of Paul I, the external shape reminiscent of the cathedral church of St. Peter in Rome.
In 1800, established the \
V 1800 godu byla sozdana \u0026laquo;Komissiya o postroenii Kazanskoĭ tserkvi\u0026raquo; vo glave s grafom A. S. Stroganovym.In 1801 she reported to the emperor about the need to build a tower and houses for the clergy. At the request Paul I refused : \Na etu prosʹbu Pavel I otvetil otkazom: \u0026laquo;V Rime u Petra net kolokolʹni, a nam i podavno ni k chemu! Chto kasaet·sya tserkovnosluzhitelyeĭ, eti bez zhilʹya ne ostanut·sya\u0026raquo;.Pozzhe svyashchennosluzhitelyam dostalsya zhiloĭ dom na uglu Nevskogo prospekta i Kazanskoĭ ulitsy.Bell was not built, the bell placed in the openings in the colonnade of the cathedral.
At the ceremony of laying the Kazan Cathedral , Paul I have not attended since he was killed in March 1801. On August 27, the tab was involved new emperor - Alexander I.
The construction of the cathedral were employed thousands of workers.Most of them were rent-paying serfs. Among them were many talented masons, graver , blacksmiths. The cathedral was built from materials exclusively domestic, mainly Karelian, origin. Working conditions were extremely difficult , the technique is practically nonexistent.
However, during the ten years he was elevated to the largest temple at the time of St. Petersburg. Kazan cathedral has the tallest temple early XIX century. Its height is 71.5 meters. The fate of the cathedral changed Patriotic War of 1812 . Built originally for the icon, it has become a repository of relics of the war.This was taken to the spoils of war , including army regimental flags and banners of Napoleon's troops , the keys of conquered cities , a marshal's baton . June 13, 1813 in the cathedral was buried Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov . In 1837, close to the cathedral , monuments Mikhail Kutuzov and Mikhail B. Barclay de Tolly.
The construction of the Kazan Cathedral was an important milestone in the history of the St. Petersburg city planning. It was with him begins the golden period of Russian architecture , and St. Petersburg finally becomes the capital of a great empire.
After 1917 the dome was removed from the cross in its place installed the gold-plated ball with spire.In 1932, there opened a museum of atheism. years from the dome was lifted a cross in its place installed a gilded ball with spire. In 1932 the museum was opened here the history of religion . Icon of Kazan Mother of God was transferred to the Prince Vladimir Cathedral .
Since 1991, the Kazan Cathedral re-opened for worship, he returned to the icon of Kazan Mother of God.
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