Kazan Cathedral

Why go

Kazan Cathedral rewards attention to scale, orientation, and setting. Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor (Каза́нский кафедра́льный собо́р) is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg. Before leaving, compare one close detail of Kazan Cathedral with its broadest public view.

What to look for

• Kazan Cathedral: Take in the whole composition before choosing a focal detail.
• Kazan Cathedral: Observe repeated windows, columns, arches, or garden axes.
• Kazan Cathedral: Frame the site together with its nearest public space.

The full story

Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor (Каза́нский кафедра́льный собо́р) is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg. It is dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan, probably the most venerated icon in Russia. The construction was started in 1801 and continued for ten years. It was modelled by Andrey Voronikhin after St. After Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, and the commander-in-chief Mikhail Kutuzov asked Our Lady of Kazan for help, the church's purpose was to be altered. The Patriotic War over, the cathedral was perceived primarily as a memorial to the Russian victory against Napoleon. Kutuzov himself was interred in the cathedral in 1813; and Alexander Pushkin wrote celebrated lines meditating over his sepulchre. In 1815, keys to seventeen cities and eight fortresses were brought by the victorious Russian army from Europe and placed in the cathedral's sacristy.

Useful to know

• Check the current admission calendar for Kazan Cathedral before building an interior visit around it.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.