Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg

The Kazan Cathedral (Russian Казанский собор ) is a cathedral located on Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg. The Russian Orthodox church building, which was built from 1801 to 1811, following the example of the Roman St. Peter's Basilica, one of the most striking buildings of St. Petersburg. It housed from 1932 to 1990, the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism, since 1990, the Museum of Religious History. A side wing is used again for worship. On the square in front of the church, the first social revolutionary demonstration on Russian soil was held on December 6, 1876, which was organized among others by Georgi Plekhanov whales. By 1904, when this was the icon of Our Lady of Kazan.

Emperor Paul I gave shortly before his assassination, the mandate to build a church in the style of St. Peter's Basilica. However, the architect Andrei Voronikhin modified this strongly with elements of Russian architecture, so that today only remember the colonnade, and the dome on the Roman model. A special feature here is that the colonnade is not about at the front of the church - located in Russian Orthodox churches, the altar in the east, the main entrance, consequently, on the west - the decorated side of Nevsky Prospect and back is but the north side. The interior reminded before the October Revolution, more like a palace than a church - a rich and varied jewelry adorn the church also captured flags and trophies of Russian military campaigns. The cathedral also houses the grave of the victorious Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov Illarionovich - allegedly at the point where he prayed before the war against Napoleon Bonaparte.