One of the major attractions of Russia tour is its religious sites and cathedrals, especially in St. Petersburg because most of these cathedrals have been built during the height of the Russian Empire’s wealth and power and considered as the glory of the empire. That’s why most of these cathedrals look more like palaces and have magnificent architecture. Some of these cathedrals are considered significant parts of the tour to St. Petersburg, as you will realize when you visit St. Petersburg during your tour to Russia. However, the same as other attractions of St. Petersburg in Russia tour, the number of these places is more than enough to visit all of them during your time in Russia. That’s why some are included on tour to St. Petersburg, but most of them are optional places that you can visit during your journey. Besides, most people prefer only to visit the top attractions of St. Petersburg and use the rest of their time to have fun, which is a logical choice because if you want to spend all of your time on sightseeing and exploring the historical attractions of St. Petersburg, you wouldn’t have the time to see other aspects of St. Petersburg and Russia culture. However, even though the major attractions of St. Petersburg would take most of the tourists’ time to visit Russia, some tourists still want to visit more of these places during their free time. We at Star Travel have gathered some useful information about places that you can visit during your free time on the tour to St. Petersburg. Besides the top five churches in St. Petersburg tour, there are lots of other cathedrals that don’t have a permanent place on the visit list of travel agencies and tourists of Russia tour, but that doesn’t mean they are not worth the time and energy to visit. Here’s the list of eight other cathedrals not included on the trip to Russia, but you can make time to visit them on your own.
Smolny Cathedral
Smolny Cathedral is the last and unfinished works of great Italian architect Francesco Rastrelli in St. Petersburg. It supposed to be the masterpiece of his career, but unfortunately, due to several reasons, he couldn’t finish his work. Smolny Cathedral was part of Empress Elizabeth’s plan to create a convent with a cathedral, a school for girls, and a nunnery. The construction had begun in 1748, and by 1761, Rastrelli was able to complete the Cathedral. However, at the end of that year, Empress Elizabeth had died, and her successor, Empress Catherine the Great, had dismissed Rastrelli’s work, and the construction was left abandoned. About 70 years later, Nicholas I had commissioned Vasily Stasov to reconstruct the decayed building. Smolny Cathedral is one of the beautiful cathedrals in St. Petersburg tour that you can visit and enjoy its architecture. The Cathedral is also visible from various points in the city. One of the most beautiful scenes of this Cathedral is visible from the Neva River, which you can enjoy it during your Neva River sightseeing during your travel to Russia.
Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas
The next Cathedral on our list has a strong connection to the Russian navy. The St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral is one of the few churches that had continued working during the Soviet Union era. The first wooden church was built in 1743 since sailors occupied the area during that time, the church acquired the name of St. Nicholas. It was during the reign of Empress Elizabeth that the wooden church was replaced by a stone church, which was designed by Savva Chevakinsky. St. Nicholas Naval Church is one of the finest and last remaining examples of Baroque architecture churches that you can visit on your tour to Russia. The icons inside this Cathedral, its architecture, and history behind it are good reasons to visit for anyone who wants to see a new cathedral on their Russia tour.
Trinity Cathedral
if you like Classical architecture, the Trinity Cathedral on Izmailovsky Prospect is one of the most excellent examples of Classical architecture that you can visit on your tour to Russia. Trinity Cathedral is one of the regimental churches, which had belonged to one of the oldest guards regiments in the Russian Army, the Izmailovsky regiment. The central blue dome of the Cathedral, which has been decorated with glided stars, is one of the visible features of the Cathedral that draws the attention of tourists on the Russia tour. Since Trinity Cathedral was a regimental Church, you should expect several military monuments in this Cathedral as well as religious items.
Saint Sampson’s Cathedral
The St. Sampson’s Cathedral is one of the oldest churches of St. Petersburg that survived today. This Cathedral is both a running church, in which traditional church ceremonies have been held, and a museum operating under the St. Isaac’s Cathedral. The Saint Sampson’s Cathedral is an excellent place for those who want to see religious artifacts, relics, and decorations on their tour to Russia.
Saint Andrew’s Cathedral
St. Andrew, the first called, was the patron of Peter the Great himself, that’s why he ordered to build the St. Andrew’s Cathedral on Vasiliesvky Island. However, the beautiful pink-and-white Cathedral, which was designed by Alexei Ivanov, was only constructed in 1781. This magnificent Cathedral stands on one of the picturesque locations of Vasiliesvky Island. If you have decided to visit the island on your tour to St. Petersburg, make sure to visit this Cathedral as well.
St. Prince Vladimir’s Cathedral
The next Cathedral on our list locates in a district that is rarely visited by tourists. It can be combined with visiting Peter and Paul Fortress since it’s only a few minutes’ walk away from St. Prince Vladimir’s Cathedral. This Cathedral has a jewel-clad Berlin Bible from 1689 and several historical icons, which are good reasons for anyone to visit them on their St. Petersburg tour. This Cathedral was closed for only a year during the Soviet Union era; it’s one of the best-preserved churches in St. Petersburg that you can visit on your tour to Russia.
The Church of Ss. Simeon and Anna
The Church of Ss. Simeon and Anna is one of the oldest Cathedral in St. Petersburg, which is located on one of the picturesque corners of St. Petersburg. Visitors of Russia tour will eventually pass this beautiful Cathedral, either when they are exploring the historical center of St. Petersburg or participating on the river cruise tour during their tour to Russia. The late early baroque architecture of this church often attracts the attention of the visitors.
Transfiguration Cathedral
Transfiguration Cathedral was another regimental church in St. Petersburg that belonged to the Transfiguration Regiment. This regiment backed the future Empress Elizabeth to seize power from Empress Anna and his two-months-old successor. This Cathedral is another one of the few Cathedral that had never been closed during the Soviet era, which is why it’s so popular today. The extraordinary ornamental fence around the Cathedral, which consists of cannon trunks with muzzles placed on top, is one of the visual attractions of the Cathedral, which you can visit during your travel to Russia.
As you can see, there are several significant churches and cathedrals inside St. Petersburg beside the top five that are commonly visited by tourists of St. Petersburg tour. However, since there is not enough time for anyone to visit all of them, you can choose which one of these churches you like to visit more in your free time during the trip to St. Petersburg. You can learn more about these cathedrals on our weblog as well as various valuable information about other Russia attractive places, including the top five churches of St. Petersburg.
