Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral is the most famous attraction of Kronstadt. It was founded in 1903 as the main temple of the Russian Navy. Its golden dome rises to 70.6 meters. It is clearly visible from both shores of the Gulf of Finland and serves as a landmark for naval ships.
The first St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral in St. Petersburg was built in 1753. The priests prayed there for the sailors of the Russian Navy. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of travelers and sailors. However, the Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral of Kronstadt was decided to be built not only as the main naval cathedral, but also as a monument to the sailors who died in the battles for Russia.
More than 130 memorial plaques made of black marble are attached on the walls of the cathedral. The first plaque is dated 1695. This year Peter the Great created the Russian Navy for the first time. He was preparing for the Azov campaigns against Turkey, and built the first warships at the Admiralty in Voronezh. They took part in naval battles in the Sea of Azov, marked on the memorial plaques of the Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral.
The memorial plaques of the cathedral mark the battles from 1695 to 1910. The names of about 1 thousand heroes who distinguished themselves in battles are written on them. They are commemorated during church services in the Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral. Some of the plaques are empty. The names of future heroes will be written on them later.
Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral in Kronstadt was built as a copy of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. The Naval Cathedral uses the architectural style of semi-domes, which descend in cascades around the main dome. The author of the project, Vasily Kosyakov, specially traveled to Istanbul to make accurate sketches of the cathedral and take its exact dimensions.
The architect Kosyakov changed the proportions of the main nave: 75x72 meters at St. Sophia and 83x64 meters at the Naval Cathedral. The height of the cathedrals: 75 meters of Hagia Sophia and 70.6 meters of the Naval Cathedral. The diameter of the dome: 31 meters at St. Sophia and 26 meters at the Naval Cathedral. St. Sophia Cathedral in Istanbul looks very massive because of the late additions and minarets. Looking at the Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral of Kronstadt, one can imagine how Hagia Sophia Cathedral looked during the time of Emperor Justinian in the 7th century.
The interior of St. Nicholas Cathedral is made in a luxurious Byzantine style. The walls and domes of the temple are decorated with Byzantine mosaic panels and frescoes. Once the mosaic decorated St. Sophia Cathedral. However, after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Turks turned it into a mosque, and the mosaic images were removed from the walls. The largest mosaic panels have been preserved in St. Mark Cathedral in Venice and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg.
The maritime theme is felt in the details of the interior of the Naval Cathedral. The floor is lined with marble slabs depicting fish and seaweed. They symbolize the seabed. St. Andrew`s flags and standards of the Russian fleets are fixed on the walls. Chandelier chains are made in the image of anchor chains. The iconostasis is made of Ural marble; many elements are made of porphyry and lapis lazuli.
As in Hagia Sophia Cathedral, there are galleries with balconies on the sides of the main nave of St. Nicholas Cathedral. You can climb the stairs to see the luxurious interior of the temple from above through the arcades with marble columns. On the upper tier of the cathedral there are huge stained glass windows typical of Catholic churches.
St. Nicholas Cathedral is not only a temple, but also a branch of the Museum of the Navy of St. Petersburg. There are many exhibits dedicated to warships and the battles where they took part. There are models of ships in the cathedral.
