Intercession Cathedral of Gatchina

The Intercession Cathedral of Gatchina (Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary) is the highest church in Gatchina. Its white walls and blue domes rise above the surrounding houses. The Intercession Cathedral was built in the classic style typical of most Russian churches. 

The place for the construction of the Intercession Monastery near the Gatchina Palace Park was allocated by the merchant Kozma Karpov in 1896. Initially, a temporary church was built here, then architects Leonid Kharlamov and Alexander Baryshnikov began to prepare a project for the main temple of the monastery. 

The construction of the Intercession Cathedral in Gatchina began in 1904. During the construction process, the architects redesigned the project in search of the most beautiful, in their understanding, style of Russian churches. As a result, the cathedral was completed by 1914. The builders whitewashed only the upper part of the cathedral under the domes. Work on the interior decoration and plastering of the walls of the cathedral had to be interrupted due to the outbreak of the WWI. 

 The Intercession Monastery was closed in 1929, but the city authorities did not destroy the great Intercession Cathedral, but used it as a warehouse. In 1990, the Intercession Cathedral was returned to the Orthodox Church. The exterior walls remained brick for a long time without finishing. In 2011, the cathedral was plastered and whitewashed.