The St. Samson’s Cathedral is the oldest church in St. Petersburg that survived today. The cathedral’s name comes after a saint citizen in Rome who committed his life to the poor and weak of the city. Besides the architectural and historical role that the cathedral plays in St. Petersburg history, there are some rumors about Catherine the Great and the Russian military leader, Grigory Potemkin secret marriage occurred in this cathedral in 1774.
The old St. Sampson's cathedral locates at the northern division of St. Petersburg in the Kalininsky district. The original wooden church was built by order of Peter the Great in 1710 to honor the Russia grand victory over Swedes in the Battle of Poltava.
There isn’t enough information about the architect of the cathedral; however, it seems that Domenico Trezinni is responsible for this work. He built the stone cathedral above the original wooden church's location in 1740 by order of Empress Anna. He designed the cathedral following the Baroque architecture with only one dome at the center. The additional four smaller sub-domes installed later in 1761.
In the 200th anniversary of the battle of Poltava, the cathedral went under restoration, and during that time, the cathedral’s chapel, and Peter the Great statue constructed on cathedral’s territory. The plaque of Peter the great’s speech on the morning of the famous battle was also placed on the bell-tower wall.
Like many other cathedrals and churches in Russia, the St. Sampson’s Cathedral was also looted and closed during the Soviet era. The mentioned plaque and Peter the Great’s statue were also demolished in 1930. However, the cathedral’s doors were opened once again after a while, and this time as a warehouse for vegetables and foods.
The cathedral gave to the St. Isaac museum in 1970 to be a part of the museum’s branch. The St. Isaac Cathedral completely restored the cathedral and utilized it as exhibitions to display the art and works regarding the church and religion. Currently, the collection of the museum includes a few icons from 17th and 18th centuries, one remarkable iconostasis from the 18th century, and an astonishing craved altar which was hidden behind the marbles and only found during the restoration.
The cathedral began its religious services again in 2002, but still under the St. Isaac Cathedral Museum administration. However, the keys to the cathedral gave back to the Orthodox Church in 2017, but the museum and the Orthodox Church kept their relationship ongoing.
The plaque of Peter I’s speech and a copy of Peter the Great statue were installed on the cathedral's territory again, in 2006. The bell-tower and the chapel were also gone under reconstruction during that time.
The icons and painting inside the cathedral which some of them dates back to the 1730s are one of the most favorite parts of the church for tourists and visitors.
The small graveyard around the cathedral is another interesting part for tourists since several important people and architects buried there such as Le Blond, Volynsky, Domenico Trezzini, and Pyotr Yeropkin.
The St. Sampson’s Cathedral deserves an individual visit, to be honest, but since it's far away from the city center usually doesn’t include in St. Petersburg tour services. Still, the architecture, icons, paintings, and museum exhibitions are good reasons for anyone to visit this place in their travel to Russia.
