This is a magnificent monument. A great piece of work. A sight not to miss if you visit Saint Petersburg. The working hours are misleading in yandex maps. During summer the entry is also open from 18:00 to 21:00

Камерон Гардинер

Level 28 Local Expert

There are two options for Saint Isaac's Cathedral (Исаа́киевский собор). The first option is to climb up onto the roof to the level of the dome. The second is the Museum tour, which is the inside of the Cathedral. Some important points: 1. You can buy tickets online, from a cashier with long queues or from self-service kiosks that are on the left hand side of the cashier booth. 2. Tickets for the Museum cost 450 roubles 3. The audio tour in various languages costs 200 roubles and is really worth it 4. For those that are interested it would be worth studying in advance: - the lengthy construction - 40+ years. The interior decoration took 13 years - Soviet period and World War 2. - The paintings and icons. To fully understand every - many biblical scenes are shown - The French Architect is interesting and he is responsible for many other impressive structures in St. Petersburg. 5. There are multiple stores inside selling icons, Faberge eggs, books (mostly in Russian) and fridge magnets. 6. Quite a lot of signs and information in Russian, English, French and German. The restoration and maintenance is much better than Sophia in Istanbul, much more complete than Sagrada Família in Barcelona and more interesting than various European Cathedrals like Notre Dame. A must visit if you are in St. Petersburg. Some things to note: 1. Photos don't capture how impressive the interior is. It is worth to allocate at least 1 hour 2. The wooden model shows how the enormous pillars where raised (entirely by hand using winches) 3. Another model shows how the dome is constructed 4. The top of the dome depicts the Virgin Mary, below here are the 12 Apostles and beneath the 12 Apostles on the 4 quadrants are the 4 Evangelists 5. Adam & Eve can be seen depicted along with an Ostrich, Camel, Elephant, Lion, Deer, Sheep, Goat, Horse, Cow, Peacock and a Heron. 6. Several Old Testament scenes are shown. Ezekiel makes an appearance, but fortunately most of the painting show more optimistic scenes. 7. The South Door has interesting low relief sculpture. Peter the Great is shown on a boat. The Slavs being Baptised in the Dnieper River is shown, Pagan icons can be seen being thrown into the river in the background. It is especially interesting to visit with someone who knows both the history and biblical stories. There were many large groups of school children and other tours, but everyone was well mannered despite the crowds.

Incognito 3932

Level 6 Local Expert

It’s amazing super beautiful building.I would say it’s art of the world .Each tourist must visit this cathedral.

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