Hi, nimbushopper! Thank you very much.

2Dragons, I can understand your view. That does not keep me from enjoying the beauty of these religious sites.

yssirk123, Thanks. I appreciate your nice comment.

Stan, you echo the thoughts of some. I don't think it was the clergy who were seeking glory by building these gorgeous structures, but usually the potentates in charge of the location. Always a contest to build the highest or most elaborate church. The icons and stained glass windows did serve a purpose, though--most of the parishioners in those days were illiterate, and those details were used to illustrate the stories in the Bible. (I won't give the same credit to the televangelists.) Thanks for the nice words.

St. Petersburg, Russia in 2008 – St. Isaac’s Cathedral

In 2008 I took a cruise of the Baltic Sea, and one of the ports of call was St. Petersburg, Russia. Our tour group visited St. Isaac’s Cathedral, built in 1858 and dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great. Originally the main Russian Orthodox church in the city, in 1931 it was changed into a museum, a status it has kept to this day, although services are occasionally performed in part of the facility. The neoclassical exterior expresses the traditional Russian-Byzantine formula of a Greek-cross ground plan with a large central dome and four subsidiary domes. Its design, particularly that of the dome, influenced the design of the United States Capitol dome.

Exterior views

Baltic2008_867 by David Casteel, on Flickr (sorry for the reflection – this is the best I have of the whole church)


Baltic2008_873 by David Casteel, on Flickr (entrance doors, similar to those on the Baptistry in Florence, Italy)


Baltic2008_874 by David Casteel, on Flickr (detail above the doorway)

Interior views

Baltic2008_875 by David Casteel, on Flickr (view toward the Iconostasis)


Baltic2008_904 by David Casteel, on Flickr (view approaching the Iconostasis)


Baltic2008_912 by David Casteel, on Flickr (the Iconostasis, with Altar beyond)


Baltic2008_918 by David Casteel, on Flickr (the Altar, and Christ window)


Spilt blood pano-2 by David Casteel, on Flickr (general view of interior)


Baltic2008_888 by David Casteel, on Flickr (one of the arch paintings)


Baltic2008_913 by David Casteel, on Flickr (another arch painting)


Baltic2008_911 by David Casteel, on Flickr (the dome – note the white dove suspended from the center)


Baltic2008_919 by David Casteel, on Flickr (view toward the entrance)


Baltic2008_914 by David Casteel, on Flickr (mosaic of Christ)


Baltic2008_922 by David Casteel, on Flickr


Baltic2008_921-1 by David Casteel, on Flickr (a large painting, processed to give a straight-on view)


Baltic2008_920 by David Casteel, on Flickr (the Pulpit)