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Series 08 |
Peterhof
[Nov 15]
St. Isaac's
Cathedral |
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| Date: November 15, 2007 | |||
| Notes: Peterhof | |||
| History:
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| Notes: St. Isaac's Cathedral | |||
| History:
The Cathedral construction was begun in
1818 and completed in 1858. The architect, Auguste Montferrand was
French and the cathedral contains elements of this French heritage.
The height of the cathedral (101.5 meters) towers above the low
profile of the city of St. Petersburg and the gilded dome is a guide
to those finding their way in the city. The scale of the building is
impressive, but it is the second largest cathedral in Russia. The
Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow is larger. St. Isaac's is no
longer used for worship except on very special occasions and when
necessary, can hold up to 14,000 worshipers. Today it serves as a
state museum.
The large red granite columns, carved from single blocks of stone, were put in place before the construction of the main structure began using a series of wooden frames. Many of the column bear the scars of war and have nicks and chunks on the surface of some of the columns. The rather austere Neoclassical exterior is unlike the very rich and somewhat Baroque interior. The intricate mosaics in the interior were to replace the paintings of Carlo Brullo that did not hold up well in the damp climate of St. Petersburg. The cathedral is located at Isaakievskaya Ploschad 1 and faces St. Isaac's Square where the monument to Nicholas I sits on an ornate base of Red Finnish granite. |
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| Peterhof - Outside St. Petersburg | |||
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St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg |
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Monument to Nicholas I, full view on Saint Isaac's Square (Russian: Исаа́киевская пло́щадь; known as Vorovsky Square. Constructed between 1923 and 1944. Marinsky in background. |
Monument of Nicholas I, full view | Monument of Nicholas I | Monument of Nicholas I |
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| Monument of Nicholas I, horse from rear. | Monument of Nicholas I. A section of the bas-relief sculpture on the base of the monument. Depicts the "Delivery of the Codification of Law to Count Michael Speransky." Speransky and his associate's code, devised during the reign of Nicholas I (1835) is important to Russian law. | Monument of Nicholas I, detail. | |
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| Bronze doors influenced by Lorenzo Ghiberti's doors for the Baptistry of San Giovanni in Florence. | Bronze doors influenced by Lorenzo Ghiberti's doors for the Baptistry of San Giovanni in Florence. | ||
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| Bronze doors influenced by Lorenzo Ghiberti's doors for the Baptistry of San Giovanni in Florence. | "Transfiguration" by N.S. Pimenov. Many of the gilded angels in the Cathedral are constructed of a lighweight plastic called galvanoplastic. | ||
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| Mosaic, reproducing the painting of Carlo Brullo. | Mosaic, reproducing the painting of Carlo Brullo. | ||
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