st isaac`s cathedral

The gleaming golden dome of St Isaac`s Cathedral soars majestically over St Isaac`s Square and is visible for miles around.

The cathedral is the fourth version of the Church of St Isaac of Dalmatia, built on this spot to honour the Byzantine monk whose feast day was the birthday of peter the Great.

It is still one of the most breathtaking structures in the city, famous for the gorgeous interior, amazing mosaic works, and granite, lapis lazuli and marble decorations.

The iconostasis of the Cathedral holds images of Russian saints executed in mosaic technique.

 The dome, which rises 101 metres above the city, is plated with about 100 kg of pure gold. No wonder its construction cost ten times that of the Winter Palace.

The colonnade around the dome, the third largest cathedral dome in Europe, offers spectacular views of the city centre.

Since 1931, the Cathedral has been a museum but reopened for a Grand Easter Service in 1989.