Saint Petersburg Mosque

Why go

Saint Petersburg Mosque rewards attention to scale, orientation, and setting. The Saint Petersburg Mosque (Санкт-Петербу́ргская мече́ть), when opened in 1913, was the largest mosque in Europe, its minarets attaining 49 meters in height and the impressive dome rising 39 meters high. Before leaving, compare one close detail of Saint Petersburg Mosque with its broadest public view.

What to look for

• Saint Petersburg Mosque: Follow the longest facade or landscape axis with your eye.
• Saint Petersburg Mosque: Compare monumental elements with details at human scale.
• Saint Petersburg Mosque: Change sides to reveal a less familiar relationship with the city.

The full story

The Saint Petersburg Mosque (Санкт-Петербу́ргская мече́ть), when opened in 1913, was the largest mosque in Europe, its minarets attaining 49 meters in height and the impressive dome rising 39 meters high. The mosque is situated in downtown St Petersburg, so its azure dome is perfectly visible from the Trinity Bridge across the Neva. It can accommodate up to five thousand worshippers. The founding stone was laid in 1910 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the reign of Abdul Ahat Khan in Bukhara. By that time, the Muslim community of the Russian capital exceeded 8,000 people. The projected structure was capable of accommodating most of them. Its construction was completed by 1921. Worshippers are separated by gender during a worship service; females worship on the first floor, while the males worship on the ground floor. The Mosque was closed to worshippers from 1940 to 1956.

Useful to know

• Check the current admission calendar for Saint Petersburg Mosque before building an interior visit around it.

Your next visit

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