35. Исаакиевский Собор – шедевр о. Монферрана/The St Isaac’s Cathedral – the masterpiece of a. Montferrand

Authors: architect – A.R.Montferrand (1818-1858), sculptors – I.P.Vitali, P.K.Klodt, A.V.Loganovskiy, N.S.Pimenov, I.German, A.Lemer (1818-1858)

Address: Isaakiyevskaya ploshchad’On 30 May 1710 Peter I ordered to erect a wooden church named after Isaac of Dalmalia (a Byzantine canonized monarch, Peter 1 was born on Isaac's day) near the Admiralty to give an opportunity to pray to 10 000 craftsmen working there. The construction was supervised by Count F. Apraksin. the spire built by von Boles. The church was 18 m long. 9 m wide. 4 - 4.5 m high. In 1709 Peter 1 ordered to improve the interior of the church for it was quite damp and cold inside. On 19 February 1712 Peter 1 married Catherine 1 in that church.On 6 August 1717 Peter I laid the foundation stone of" a new Si Isaac's Church that was to be built by G. Mattamovi on the spot where nowadays the Bronze Horseman is located. In 1721 the architect died, and N. Hcrbel continued the work. In three years that architect also died and craftsman Y. Neupokoyev completed the construction of the Church (1727). A new St Isaac's Church resembled the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral - it was decorated with a similar spire, the lower clock thai Peier I had once brought from Amsterdam, and a carved gilded iconosiasis made by 1. Zarudny. In 1723 the Emperor signed (he order by which all seamen of the Baltic Flea had to take the oath only in that church. In 1735 the Church was struck with lightning that seriously damaged the edifice.On 15 July 1761 S. Chevakinskiy was commissioned with the erection of a new Si Isaac's Church father from the Neva where the soil was more solid. Soon however the architect applied for retirement and Catherine II appointed A. Rinaldi ihc chief architect of a new edifice. On 8 August 1768 the foundation stone was laid on the place of a modem Si Isaac's Cathedral. The idea to built a church faced with Olonetsk marble was not realized. The erection was stopped only half done, when Catherine II died. A. Rinaldi went abroad, and Paul I ordered lo lake the marble lo decorate his new residence - the Michael Castle. A new Emperor ordered to continue ihe building with the use of brick. The construction was accomplished by V. Rrenna and the Church was consecrated on 30 May 1802. However it looked very ridiculous - the lower part made of marble, Ihc upper of brick, besides the Church turned out to be poorly built that is why nine years later Alexander I announced the competition for the best design of a new St Isaac's Cathedral with ihe only condition - to preserve a consecrated altar. A. Voronikhin. A. Zakharov. Ch. Cameron. G, Quarenghi. L. Ruska, V. Stasov and Th, de Thomon took part in the competition. All the projects were rejected for no architect planned lo use the erected building. Finally the Emperor commissioned engineer A. Bctancourt lo supervise the working out of a design of a new Si Isaac's Cathedral. A. Belancouri suggested the project carried out by a French architect A.-R. Montferrand. that was finally approved by Alexander I on 20 February1816. The architect was practically unknown in Russian but Alexander 1 was impressed by all 24 projects suggested and the fact that A.-R. Montferrand planned to use the church built bv A. Rinaldi and V. Brenna. The ceremony of the Cathedral founding look place on 26 June ISIS. However the erection of a new building was not started for soon Mon if errand's project was criticized by A. Modui who found some mistakes in it. The architect agreed with ihe criticism and worked out a new design having taken into account all critical remarks. A new design was approved on 3 April 1825.The workers put 10 762 piles in the foundation of a future Cathedral. The construction of ihc foundation took 5 years with 125 000 craftsmen involved in the work. Seveniy-two columns (17 m high, 114 tonnes weight each) were put before the erection of the walls: the first being placed on 20 March 1828 (in рге$елсс of the Imperial Family, a platinum medal with the image of Alexander 1 put in the foundation), the last in August 1830 when ihe citizens could sec four 12-columncd porticoes of the Cathedral. The dome was gilded in 1838 - 1841 with more lhan 100 kg high-carat gold (60 craftsmen died of mercury poisoning).The interior was decorated with the mosaic. In 1843 a magnificent stained glass was executed by a Munich craftsmen lo the design by G. von Hesse (the original idea belonged to Leo vim Klenzc) and transported lo Saini-Petersburg by sea. In summer 1844 a stained glass was shown to the Emperor and only after it had been approved by the Tsar it was placed in the altar. The stained glass with a total area of 28.5 square metres represents Jesus Christ at the yellow-blue sky in a purple cloak decorated with a gilded embroidery, green emeralds and lilac amethysts.The St Isaac's Cathedral is 101.5 m high and takes ihe fourth place in the world after the St Peter's Calhedra! in Rome, the Si Paul's Cathedral in London and the Cathedral of St Maria del Flora in Florence. The area of ihe Cathedral is 4000 square metres, the capacity - 12000 people. The Cathedral is decorated with 112 monolith granite columns 17 m high each. Us interior decor is a symphony of gold, marble, lapis lazuli, malachite and porphyry. Prominent painters and sculptors took part in the ornamentation of the Cathedral's interior: C. Bryullov. F. Bruni, I. Vilali, P. Klodi, etc. There are ihrec altars in the Cathedral: the first devoted to Si Isaac's of Dalmatia, the second - to St Catherine, the ihird - to Alexander Nevskiy. The pediment is decorated with twelve statues of Apostles (the pupils of Christ, the authors of the Gospel).

The erection of ihe Cathedral took a lot of years, some people even said lhai ihe architect dragged out the building intentionally - according lo one legend a prophet foretold that A.-R. Montferrand would die as soon as ihe constaiction was completed. The prophesy turned out lo be true: after the consecration of ihe Si Isaac's Cathedral on 30 May 1858 A.-R. Montferrand wenl home being very upset. fell ill and died in a month. Contemporaries pointed to the Emperor's bad altitude to ihc architect ostensibly because of the sculptural decor of the Cathedral: the western pediment is decorated with a group of Saints bowing to Si Isaac of Dalmatia who welcomes Emperor Pheodosius (with the features of Alexander I) and his wife Phlaxilla (resembling Alexander I's wife) - one of ihe Sainis (with ihe features of A.-R. Moniferrand) however doesn't bow to Isaac . Somebody drew the Hmperor's attention lo that detail, and Alexander il passing the architect by at the ceremonial opening of the Cathedral didn't hold out his hand and didn't lhank him for the work.The architect wished to be buried in the Si Isaac's Cathedral that became the major work ol'his life, but Alexander II didn't meet his wish - lhe coffin with the architect's body was carried around the Cathedral, after that Montferrand's widow-took the coffin to Paris.Soon il turned out that the Cathedral had been built with some mistakes. The scaffolding was not dismantled for a long time and lots of money was spent on the Cathedral though it had already became the centre of the city holidays and lhe main Cathedral of the Imperial Family where all the members of the Romanov Dynasty were baptized. Soon a curious legend appeared in the city - people said that the Romanovs would be dethroned when the scaffolding of the Cathedral was dismantled⁴¹ (it happened in 1916. Nicholas II was dethroned in 1917).After the October Revolution the St Isaac's Cathedral was ruined by the bol'sheviks. In 1928 divine services stopped in the Cathedral. During the Second World War lhe Si Isaac's Cathedral became the repository of all the treasures of Saint-Petersburg museums lhai were not evacuated. The Cathedral was chosen as lhe best place of keeping the priceless objects of art because of its strategic importance for the fascists - its cupola became a bombing-point for the German Army. The Cathedral stayed almost untouched with only some traces of bombing that can be seen nowadays on the columns of lhe western portico of the Cathedral.In 1931 the Si Isaac's Cathedral was converted into a museum. In 1990 the first divine service was held there, nowadays they arc held regularly on special religious occasions. A lot of visitors come to the Si Isaac's Cathedral to admire a marvelous panorama of Saint-Petersburg from the height of 43 m.