The Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan is an outstanding example of the early 19th-century Russian architecture. It was constructed on the site of a small stone church to hold the marvelous icon of Our Lady of Kazan, and was named after the icon.
In 1800, Emperor Paul I issued an order for the cathedral to be built after the model of St. Peter's cathedral in Rome. The design was entrusted to architect Voronikhin, who had formerly been Count Stroganov's serf and who later became the professor of architecture in the Academy of Arts.
It took ten years to build the cathedral, which is not long for such a sizable building. Thousands of workers, basically the serfs, participated in the construction works. Among those workers there were many talented bricklayers, cutters and smiths. The materials for the cathedral were extracted in Russia, especially in Karelia. The conditions of labor were very hard, as there was almost no special technique to help the workers. Still, in short terms the architects, masters and workers managed to put up the cathedral, which was the largest in Saint Petersburg at that time. The height of Kazan Cathedral equals 71,5 meters. The building is decorated with unique inner and outer columns cut from the giant granite monoliths. Each column weighs 30 tons.
Kazan Cathedral was planned in the shape of the Latin cross. Voronikhin had a difficult task to solve: in keeping with the church canons, the altar of the cathedral was to face eastwards, hence the main entrance and the facade faced westwards. Thus the main street of the city, Nevsky Prospect, was to front the side facade of the cathedral, and not the main one. Voronikhin solved the problem supplying the cathedral with a grand semicircular colonnade facing onto the Nevsky Prospect. The wings of the colonnade that form a square in front of the cathedral have monumental portals at the ends, simultaneously serving as passageways. Voronikhin intended to put up a similar colonnade facing south; however, the Patriotic War of 1812 broke out and interfered with his plans.
The building of the cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan started the golden age of Russian architecture. Saint Petersburg once and for all was recognized as one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the capital of Russian Empire. The Nevsky Prospect was no longer just a thoroughfare connecting the Alexander Nevsky Monastery with the city center, but it was turned into the main prospect of the capital.
The interior of the cathedral is decorated with semiprecious stones. Such stones as marble, porphyry, jasper and Finnish granite were generously used. The works with marble and granite were performed under patronage of talented self-taught master Samson Suhanov, famous for his works in Petersburg, Tsarskoe Selo and Pavlovsk. All the basic marble works of the cathedral of our Lady of Kazan, including delicate carvings of the tsar place, were performed by Suhanov himself.
Kazan Cathedral is one of the top achievements of high classical architecture and a brilliant example of the arts synthesis. Inside and outside the cathedral is decorated with the sculptures by the best Russian masters. The outside bronze sculptures, representing Saint Vladimir, Andrey Pervozvanniy, John the Precursor and Alexander Nevsky were made by famous sculptors Pimenov, Martos and Demyt-Malinovsky. The sculptures were molded by master Ekimov, the one who molded the bronze doors for the cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, which are replicas of the doors for the Florence baptizing house, performed by sculptor Giberti in the 15th century. The relief sculptural compositions were created by sculptors Gorgeev, Rashette, Prokofiev and others.
The essential part of the cathedral decorations is painting. The outstanding artists of the end of the 18th century - the beginning of the 19th century painted the iconstand, the walls and the pylons. Among the artists are Brullov, Bruni, Basin, Kiprensky, Shebyev, Borovikovsky, Ygrumov, Bessonov and others. They painted in academic manner, imitating the style of the artists of the Italian Renaissance.
The Patriotic War of 1812 changed the fate of the Cathedral of our Lady of Kazan. The cathedral, built to hold the marvelous icon, was turned into the storehouse of the relics of the victorious war. It became the place for storing the war trophies, including flags and standards of Napoleon troops, keys from the hard-won cities and marshals' batons. The importance of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan as a memorial to the heroes of the Patriotic War was emphasized when it was decided to bury there the national hero and the liberator of Russia Mikhail Kutuzov. In 1837 in front of the cathedral the monuments to Field Marshals Michael Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolli were put up.
The public garden set up there in 1935-1936 is decorated with a granite fountain designed by Thomas de Thomon and brought to the square in 1935. Originally, the fountains stood at the side of the road leading to Tsarskoye Selo. Today this park is one of the favorite places of the citizens of Saint Petersburg, where it is nice to walk and have a rest.