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)