6-ya Liniya 11
Tel. 323 3418
Bus 7, 128, K129
Tram: 10
First Saint Andrew's Cathedral was erected in the early 18th century in the orders of the last wife of Peter the Great Empress Catherine I. She also donated 3000 roubles for its construction, huge sum of money at the time of its construction. Current Saint Andrew's Cathedral is a Baroque church that was constructed in 1764- 80 under supervision of Aleksandr Vist. Its most beautiful feature is a magnificent carved iconostasis covered by golden leaflets. It date to construction of the second church while the icons were taken from the original church. Next to Saint Andrew's Cathedral you can see a smaller Church of the Three Saints that was built in 1740- 60 by design of Italian- Russian Giuseppe Trezzini.
Wooden church
In 1724, Peter I ordered the design of St.
Andrew's Church from the Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin Jr., which
was supposed to be built on the spit of Vasilyevsky Island. Tessin was
given a condition: the temple had to resemble St. Paul's Cathedral in
London and be 427 feet (130 m) long. Tessin completed this project and
in 1725, without coming to Russia, he provided design drawings for the
church. Its model was made, but it was not possible to carry out the
plan due to the sudden death of Peter.
General-Admiral Count
Fyodor Apraksin was responsible for the construction part; from the
beginning of the 20s of the 18th century, he opened a collection of
donations.
In 1726, the rector of the old Nativity Church, Priest
Timofey Semyonov and his brethren, as well as the inhabitants of
Vasilyevsky Island, began to insist on the need to build a new church.
They submitted three petitions in which they asked the Synod to expedite
the construction of the church. Excerpt from the last petition:
"on
this island, by the decree of His Imperial Majesty, a lot of houses have
been built, and many already live in a household and from the servants,
and there is no parish church, everything is in a far distance and they
are not worthy (inhabitants) to hear the Christian priesthood, and there
is no one to send spiritual orders ".
Construction preparation
For the construction of St. Andrew's Church, a site was allocated at the
corner of Bolshoy Prospekt and Line 6, where, according to the first
approved plan of 1715, a square was supposed to be arranged.
Residents of Vasilyevsky Island asked the synod for permission to build
a temporary wooden church in the allotted place in order to transfer the
iconostasis and all the necessary utensils from the Nativity Church to
it; the fulfillment of divine services and the fulfillment of the
requirements are to be entrusted to the Christmas priests. The first
petition was rejected by the synod, but the inhabitants of the island
resubmitted a collective request, and the synod replied that it was
possible to build a temporary church, subject to permission from the
police authorities. In 1728, permission from the police chief's office
was obtained.
On January 15 (26), 1727, by personal decree of
Empress Catherine I, it was ordered to release 1,000 rubles from state
funds for the construction of a church in the name of the Apostle Andrew
the First-Called and to allocate materials for 2,000 rubles. In the same
year, 1727, by the highest command, the "Exhortation" was published - an
appeal to the cavaliers of the St. Andrew's Order, in Russian and
German, inviting them to donate for the construction of the order's
church. The effectiveness of this move is unclear - the book for
collecting donations has been lost. The highest granted amount also did
not reach the cathedral: it was issued by the Salt Office to Count
Apraksin, after his death the amount went to the Admiralty Board, where
it remained until 1783 and, by order of the Hof Quartermaster, Pyotr
Moshkov, was used for the construction of the Kazan Church.
Construction of a wooden cold church
On May 7, 1728, the famous
architect Giuseppe Trezzini reported to the synodal office that there
was permission to build a wooden church on the island. The place
overgrown with forest has been cleared for her and all the necessary
materials have been prepared.
In the following year, 1729, the
laying of the church took place, made by His Grace Pitirim, Archbishop
of Nizhny Novgorod. The wooden church was built between 1729 and 1731 by
the architect G. Trezzini.
On January 20 (31), 1731, the synod
received a petition from the priest of the old Nativity Church on
Petersburg Island
"in St. Petersburg on the Preobrazhensky
Island, a wooden church was built again on a stone foundation and
decorated with all sorts of splendor"
In this regard, he asked
the synod to issue an antimension for this church and consecrate it in
the name of the image of the Most Holy Theotokos of Kazan (previously it
was supposed to consecrate its name of the Nativity of the Most Holy
Theotokos). He also petitioned for permission to open a cemetery at the
church and transfer the miraculous image of the Kazan Mother of God, as
well as part of the utensils, to the newly built church. The request was
granted only partially: the antimension was issued, but the rest was
denied to the petitioner.
In September, the parishioners of the
new church again petitioned the synod for the appointment of the priest
of the Rostov diocese, Nikifor Nikiforov, to their parish. This priest
was appointed, but the church was not consecrated until the autumn of
1732.
Church of St. Andrew the First-Called
In September 1732,
the Synod received a petition from the senator, chief secretary Ivan
Kirillov, supported by other residents of Vasilyevsky Island, who
urgently asked for the consecration of the newly built church. The
petition was considered more carefully, and the Holy Synod judged.
"There is no church in St. Petersburg in the name of the Holy Apostle
Andrew the First-Called, and after the Order of that Holy Apostle Andrew
in the Russian Empire there is a cavalry, which Her Imperial Majesty
Empress Anna Ioannovna herself, the Autocrat of All Russia, relying on
herself, please wear, also by her most merciful Imperial Majesty by
decree, many nobles who acquire persons in Russia and in the service of
Her Imperial Majesty, gentlemen ministers, generals and court higher
ranks of that cavalry were awarded the wearing of. On the 30th, there is
a public ceremonial celebration, and it seemed fitting for the most holy
synod to consecrate the aforementioned church in the name of St. Apostle
Andrew the First-Called"
The iconostasis was moved here from the
dilapidated wooden church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
located on Petersburg Island, in Posadskaya Sloboda; Empress Anna
Ioannovna donated funds for vestments and utensils. On October 8, 1732,
it was consecrated in the name of the Holy Apostle Andrew the
First-Called by His Grace Feofan (Prokopovich), Archbishop of Novgorod
and Velikolutsk. In the early years, the temple had a small cemetery,
where, according to legend, Prince Yakov Dolgorukov, Princess Ekaterina
Dolgorukova, Andrey Nartov were buried.
Cathedral of St. Andrew
the First-Called
On January 9 (20), 1744, the clergy of St. Andrew's
Church, which consisted of three priests, filed a petition with Empress
Elizaveta Petrovna, in which he petitioned to rename the church into a
cathedral and to raise the rector, Priest Jacob Tikhonov, to the rank of
protopresbyter (in the petition it was said " in the archpriest"). This
petition was supported by the signatures of eminent parishioners and
even the Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod and received a move. On
February 4 (15), 1744, by decree of Bishop Nikodim, Bishop of St.
Petersburg and Shlisselburg, St. Andrew's Church was renamed the
cathedral. On February 12 (22), priest Yakov Tikhonov was elevated to
the rank of protopresbyter in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
In
1745, a commemorative plate with an inscription in Georgian appeared in
the fence of the cathedral. By 1905, this slab was built into the outer
wall near the main entrance of the Three Saints Church.
Russian-language part of the plate:
My dear brothers, in this
transient world I was the daughter of the Kakhetian prince, Chief
Marshal Nodar Dzhardzhadzev, and received the name of Princess Guka at
holy baptism. By the will of God, I was married to Prince Gruzinsky, the
first rank, Major Edisher Emirakhvarov, and spent my life with him in
cordial harmony. Having lost my fatherland and my estate, I ran to a
foreign land and passed from this world in the capital city of
Petersburg, on March 28 (April 8), 1745, at the age of 37 of my life. A
foreigner, having bought with my money this place for my decent burial,
I was laid in the ground, in the church of St. Andrew the Apostle,
leaving no children to pray for me. Dear fathers and brothers, seeing
the tomb of a foreign sinner and the stone covering me, pray to the Lord
for me, that He will forgive you your sins.
This is followed by
an inscription in Georgian:
"At this place, the Georgian regiment of
Mr. Major Prince Elisk Potapevich Amiliyavarov, his wife, Princess Guka
Nodarovna, who was 38 years old from birth, was buried, and reposed in
the current year 1746 of the month of March on the 29th"
Church
of the Three Saints
The new cathedral was not distinguished by either
the beauty of the building or special amenities. The wooden building was
cold and small, with one chapel. This building did not meet the
spiritual needs of the growing population of Vasilyevsky Island. In
severe winter frosts, it was difficult to conduct worship, and women and
children were deprived of the opportunity to go to church all winter.
Since at that time it was an integral part of life, this state of
affairs forced the parishioners back in 1740 to turn to Empress Anna
Ioannovna with a request for permission to build a warm church at the
cathedral and consecrate it in the name of the Sign of the Most Holy
Theotokos, although the final decision was cast into her good faith
Majesty and Holy Synod.
On April 6 (17), 1740, the highest
permission was received, the execution of the building was entrusted to
the architect Trezzini who built the old cathedral. On July 2 (13),
1740, the laying of the church took place.
Due to lack of funds, construction progressed very slowly. It is
known that the material left over from the repair of the house of the
Persian ambassador in St. Petersburg was even used as material for the
construction. After twenty years of construction, the church was
consecrated on September 17 (28), 1760 in the name of the Three
Hierarchs with a chapel in the choirs in the name of the Annunciation.
The iconostasis in this chapel, the throne, the altar and other church
utensils were transferred from the dismantled church of the 1st Cadet
(gentry) corps, which was once the house church of Prince Menshikov.
On July 4 (15), 1761, the wooden St. Andrew's Cathedral, built in
1728, burned to the ground as a result of a lightning strike.
The
clergy of the cathedral until the autumn of 1763 performed divine
services in the Church of the Three Hierarchs. On October 6 of that
year, Protopresbyter Grigory Timofeev and parishioners submitted a
request to His Grace Gabriel, Archbishop of St. Petersburg and
Shlisselburg, for permission to collect donations for the construction
of a new stone church.
Stone church
A book was issued to the
clergy of the cathedral to collect donations. In addition, there was an
imperial order to levy a fine of 30 rubles each from the holders of
three Russian orders, who for some reason did not appear at the
celebrations on order days, so that this money would go to the
construction of the cathedral.
Construction
The new stone
church was founded on July 18 (29), 1764.
According to one
information, the project was developed by the architect A.F. Vist, and
perhaps the architect A.A. Ivanov took part in the construction process.
According to other sources, the project was developed by the
architect A. A. Ivanov, and the construction was carried out under his
architectural supervision.
During construction, there was a
shortage of material resources to pay for labor and materials. This
forced the rector of the cathedral, Protopresbyter Grigory Timofeev, to
apply in May 1766 to Empress Catherine II with a request to leave
another 6,000 rubles for the final construction of the church on account
of the fines levied on the gentlemen. The authorities made inquiries
about the state of affairs, and it turned out that since the opening of
the cathedral, donations for the construction of 3,872 rubles had been
received. This money came from the following sources:
2,000
rubles were granted by the empress,
200 rubles - from Tsarevich
Pavel,
600 rubles fine money,
1,072 rubles from different persons.
Imperial experts recognized that the money collected was sufficient
to complete the construction, and the petitioner's application was
denied.
During the construction of the vault on August 6 (17),
1766, the dome of the cathedral suddenly collapsed and the architect was
put under arrest. After investigating the reasons for the collapse, the
architect was acquitted, and the construction, which was very
protracted, was continued.
The new three-aisled stone Andreevsky
Cathedral was consecrated on March 21 (April 1), 1780.
Cathedral
from 1780 to 1917
The temple was built in a mixed style, close to the
Renaissance style. The main dome of St. Andrew's Cathedral is framed by
four cupolas, the refectory connects the main volume with a two-tier
hipped bell tower (1784-1786). The walls are finished with pilasters and
cut through by high semi-circular windows. The temple has not only a
very beautiful appearance, but, according to art historians, its best
decoration is a carved gilded three-tiered iconostasis in the style of
Rastrelli, 17 m high (8 fathoms). In one of the periods in the history
of the cathedral, even its roof was painted green (green is the color of
the order mantle).
Of the sights of the church at the beginning
of the 20th century, the altar vestment in the main altar was
distinguished, made in 1861 from pure silver by Fyodor Verkhovtsev,
weighing 115 kg (7 pounds), worth 26,000 rubles, the Gospel in a silver
frame, weighing 14.5 kg (35 pounds), and the altarpiece of the Lord of
hosts (the author is not established), as well as the icon of the
Exaltation of the Holy Cross (XVII century) located in the main altar
above the southern doors with images of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich,
Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna and Patriarch Nikon.
The plafond of the
church until 1897 was picturesque; God the Father was depicted on it.
During the repair of the church, the plafond was painted over and the
painting was lost. In the vaults, as well as in the central apse, a
large number of iron hooks (loops) were fixed, the purpose of which is
unknown. Experts suggest that they were used to hang lamps, citing the
existence of such a custom in many churches.
On April 5 (16), 1797, by decree of Emperor Paul I, St. Andrew's
Cathedral was given the name of "Cavalier Class I". Until 1813, there
was a special royal place in it, in addition, it became the capitular
church of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. In this regard, the
signs of the order were placed above the entrance to the temple,
supported by angels (winged carvings).
In 1848-1850, side aisles
were added (architect Nikolai Grebenka), in 1857-1858 the interior was
finished (architect Alexei Gornostaev).
In the 1870s, a heating
and ventilation system was installed in the cathedral, designed by
Dorimedont Sokolov and Alexander Geshvend.
In 1878-1879, the
architect Alexander Krakau built a chapel and a fence at the cathedral
(not preserved).
The St. Nicholas Chapel on the Nikolaevsky
Bridge was attached to the St. Andrew's Cathedral (since 1918 - the
Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, since 2007 - the Annunciation Bridge)
(1853-1854, architect Andrey Shtakenshneider, not preserved).
Since 1869, a parish charitable society has been operating, containing
an almshouse and an orphanage.
Cathedral after 1917
Since
1923, the cathedral has become one of the main renovation churches in
the city. Archpriest Nikolai Fedorovich Platonov, later (since 1934)
Renovationist Metropolitan of Leningrad, rectored here. In 1938 the
cathedral was closed.
In 1992, the cathedral was returned to the
St. Petersburg diocese along with the Church of the Three Saints. The
iconostasis of the 18th century has been preserved.
In 2001, an
obelisk was opened near the Andreevsky Cathedral in honor of the 300th
anniversary of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (authors: A. A.
Kazakov and Yu. V. Gorevoy). Restoration work was carried out in
2002-2003.