Imagine Peter the Great gazing out. He envisioned a cathedral fit for Russia’s highest order. This is Saint Andrew’s Cathedral. It stands as the last Baroque cathedral erected in Saint Petersburg.
The cathedral’s story began with Peter the Great. He desired a church to honor Saint Andrew. Saint Andrew was the patron saint. He established Russia’s first chivalric order in 1698. Peter sought a design mirroring London’s St Paul’s Cathedral. It had to exceed 430 feet. Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, a Nordic architect, accepted the challenge.
Tessin submitted plans. However, the Tsar’s death halted the ambitious project. A modest wooden church arose two years later. Giuseppe Trezzini, a city architect, constructed it. Feofan Prokopovich consecrated it in 1732. Empress Anna donated furnishings. The icon screen came from the Menshikov Palace.
The wooden church proved too small. Trezzini designed a stone church nearby. Its foundation was set in 1740. Construction took five years. Decoration delayed consecration until 1760. Mikhail Lomonosov and Vasily Trediakovsky became professors here in 1745. The Three Holy Men church still exists.
Lightning struck the wooden cathedral. It burned down in 1761. Alexander Whist was tasked with designing a new stone cathedral. Founded in 1764, it took 22 years to finish. The cupola collapsed in 1766. Whist was briefly imprisoned. The pastel pink, five-domed cathedral was consecrated in 1780.
Emperor Paul re-emphasized its role. It was the chapter church of the oldest Russian knighthood. He had the entrance adorned with an angel relief. It displayed the order carried by angels. A special spot was reserved for the Tsar until 1813 in Saint Andrew’s Cathedral.
The bell-tower has two tiers built in 1784-86. It held ten bells including one exceeding four tons. The belfry’s top was remodeled in 1850. The interior was renovated in 1857. The icon screen was enhanced too. The first permanent Neva bridge gained a cathedral-affiliated chapel.
After the 1917 Revolution, the Bolsheviks seized valuables. Worshippers clashed with expropriation members in 1924. The cathedral was given to renovationists. This state-sponsored sect tried blending Christianity and Communism.
The cathedral shut down in 1938. Priests were arrested and bells destroyed. The baroque iconostasis survived. A 17th-century icon featuring Patriarch Nikon and Tsar Alexis was moved to the Russian Museum. Cannons defended against bombing during the Siege of Leningrad.
In 1992, Saint Andrew’s Cathedral and Three Holy Men church returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. An obelisk was unveiled in 2001. It marked the tercentenary of Saint Andrew’s restored order. Today, Saint Andrew’s Cathedral stands as a symbol of resilience. It mirrors faith amidst St. Petersburg’s vibrant history.