Kazan Cathedral

Kazan Cathedral

Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor ( _ru. Казанский кафедральный собор) is a name of several Russian churches dedicated to "Our Lady of Kazan", an icon that the Russian Orthodox Church probably venerates the most. The principal of these are the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow (1638, 1932, 1993) and the Kazan Cathedral on the Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg (1810–1811).

The latter church was modelled by Andrey Voronikhin after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Some art historians assert that Emperor Paul intended to build a similar church on the other side of the Nevsky that would mirror the Kazan Cathedral but his plans failed to materialize. Although the Russian Orthodox Church strongly disapproved of the plans to create a replica of the Catholic cathedral in the Russian capital, several courtiers supported Voronikhin's Empire Style design. The construction was started in 1801 and continued for ten years.

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. In 1837, Boris Orlovsky designed two magnificent bronze statues of Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly in front of the cathedral.

In 1876, the first political demonstration in Russia took place in front of the church. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the cathedral was closed. In 1932, it was reopened as the pro-Marxist "Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism." [For a perspicacious account of the "Museum" written a few years before the fall of Soviet communism, see http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE0D9163BF930A1575BC0A961948260 (retrieved 2008 January 28).] Services were resumed in 1992; and four years later the cathedral was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. Now it is the mother cathedral of the metropolis of St. Petersburg. The cathedral's interior, with its numerous columns, echoes a ponderous outward colonnade and reminds one of a sumptuous palatial hall (69 metres in length, 62 metres in height). The interior features numerous sculptures and icons executed by the best Russian artists of the day. A wrought iron grille, separating the cathedral from a small square behind, is sometimes cited as one of the finest ever created.

References

ee also

*Our Lady of Kazan
*Kazan Cathedral, Moscow


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kazan Cathedral, Moscow — Kazan Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox church located on the northeast corner of Red Square in Moscow. The current building is a reconstruction of the original church which was destroyed at the direction of then Premier of the Soviet Union, Joseph …   Wikipedia

  • Kazan demonstration — The Kazan demonstration of 1876 ( Казанская демонстрация 1876 года in Russian) was the first political demonstration in Russia. It took place on December 6, 1876 in front of the Kazan Cathedral in St.Petersburg. The demonstration was organized… …   Wikipedia

  • Kazan — This article is about the capital city of Tatarstan. For other uses, see Kazan (disambiguation). Kazan (English) Казань (Russian) Казан …   Wikipedia

  • Kazan Kremlin — Infobox World Heritage Site WHS = Kazan Kremlin State Party = Type = Cultural Criteria = ii, iii, iv ID = 980 Region = Europe and North America Year = 2000 Session = Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/980The Kazan Kremlin ( ru. Казанский… …   Wikipedia

  • Kazan — /keuh zan , zahn /; for 2 also Russ. /ku zahn /, n. 1. Elia /i luy euh, eel yeuh/, born 1909, U.S. film and stage director and novelist, born in Turkey. 2. a city in and capital of the Tatar Autonomous Republic in the SE Russian Federation in… …   Universalium

  • Dormition Cathedral, Moscow — Cathedral of the Dormition redirects here. For other uses, see Cathedral of the Dormition (disambiguation). Assumption Cathedral Успенский Собор The Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin, (south façade, viewed from Cathedral Square,… …   Wikipedia

  • Cathedral of the Archangel — The Cathedral of the Archangel (Russian: Архангельский собор , or Arkhangelsky sobor ) is the name of several cathedrals in Russia.One particular cathedral by this name stands on the Cathedral Square in the Moscow Kremlin. It was constructed… …   Wikipedia

  • Our Lady of Kazan — A copy of the image of Our Lady of Kazan (16th century). Our Lady of Kazan, also called Theotokos of Kazan (Russian: Казанская Богоматерь tr. Kazanskaya Bogomater), was a holy icon of the highest stature within the Russian Orthodox Church,… …   Wikipedia

  • Saint Isaac's Cathedral — or Isaakievskiy Sobor ( ru. Исаакиевский Собор) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is the largest cathedral ( sobor ) in the city and was the largest church in Russia when it was built (101.5 meters high). It was dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a… …   Wikipedia

  • Peter and Paul Cathedral — The Peter and Paul Cathedral is located inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, Russia. The fortress, originally built under Peter the Great and designed by Domenico Trezzini, is the first and oldest landmark in St. Petersburg,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”