From Russia with Love

One of the best part of St Petersburg travel is that you get to some many great cathedrals. St. Petersburg is one of the beautiful cities of Russia. There you can find many wonderful cathedrals dating back to the 18th century.

The Smolny Cathedral is one of the attractions in St. Petersburg that is popular among tourists. The cathedral was built in 1748 by the most famous architect Rastelli. The Smolny Cathedral is one of the most fabulous his works along with the Winter Palace, the residence of Russian tsars. The construction of the Cathedral was finished in 1764. The interior of the cathedral differs a lot from that of the façade: the interior was done in neo-classical style, while he façade is  blue and white. The Cathedral was built as a main church in the convent, where future Russian Empress Elisabeth wanted to live and become a nun. But she changed her decision and accepted the offer of Russian throne.

Nowadays the Cathedral is used as a concert hall and different local government institutions occupy some chambers of the convent.

Kazan Cathedral was one of the best cathedrals in St. Petersburg. Even today the building of this marvelous cathedral attracts the attention and interest of the tourists making tours in Russia. Kazan Cathedral was built at the beginning of 19th century during the period from 1801 to 1811. after the war in 1812 the cathedral became the monument to the Russian victory over Napoleon. Kazan Cathedral was named after a “miracle-making” icon of Our Lady of Kazan.

In 1929 the Cathedral was closed by local government for services. Already from 1932 the Cathedral housed the collections of the Museum of History of Religion and Atheism.

Only in the end of the 20th century, the services in the cathedral were restored. This wonderful cathedral is again open for all the believers. You can visit on most of St Petersburg tours when you travel to Russia.