“Safe voyage”. That’s what 18th-century sailors heard as they headed out to sea from Saint Petersburg. Today we stand before the magnificent St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral. It is also known locally as the Sailors’ Cathedral. This Baroque Orthodox cathedral is closely linked to the Russian Navy. It served as its main shrine until the Russian Revolution.
The St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral boasts golden Baroque spires and domes. They rise among the trees near Glinki Street. The cathedral shines above the area’s residential and commercial buildings. Its beautiful bell tower overlooks the Kryukov Canal.
Originally sailors settled this area during Peter the Great’s time. They built a wooden chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas the Miracle-Worker. As the area grew Empress Elizabeth ordered a stone church built for the regiments. Savva Chevakinsky a naval architect designed it. Construction began in 1753. The main altar was consecrated in 1760. Empress Elizabeth attended. Catherine II officially declared it a naval cathedral in July 1762.
The St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral actually consists of two churches. There is an upper church and a lower church. The Saint Nicholas Church is located at ground level. The Epiphany Church is on the floor above. The main shrine is in the lower church. It is a Greek icon of St. Nicholas. It contains a portion of his relics.
Inside the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral admire the scenes from Russian Navy history that decorate the walls. The cathedral houses ten spectacular icons in gold frames. Catherine the Great gifted these. The icons portray saints celebrated at Russian Navy events. A revered image is Nicholas the Miracle-Worker. Greek sailors gave this icon to the church. The French took it in 1812. The Prussians returned it to Nicholas I in 1835.
Two marble plaques honor sailors who died in the Russo-Japanese War. A memorial stands near the cathedral. It honors sailors of the battleship Alexander III who died in 1905. In 1989 a plaque was installed to remember 42 sailors lost off Norway’s coast. It reads “In eternal memory of the sailors of the Russian Float who were taken by the sea on April 7 1989.”
Notably St. Nicholas Cathedral remained open during Soviet times. From 1941 to 1944 Metropolitan Alexey served here during the 900-day siege of Leningrad.
Take a walk in the small park garden. There is an obelisk dedicated to sailors of the Emperor Alexander III warship. They fought against the Japanese in 1905. Also a chapel was consecrated in the lower tier of the bell tower in 2000. The upper church has memorial plaques. These remember crews of sunken submarines including the Komsomolets and the Kursk.
Today the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral remains an active church. Daily worship takes place. Visitors admire the gilded paintings and carved wooden iconostasis. Many consider this cathedral the most beautiful in St. Petersburg. Its history and beauty leave a lasting impression.