The Izmailovsky Cathedral of the Holy Trinity

         This cathedral stands in Izmailovsky Prospect. Both the prospect and the cathedral are called in honour of the Izmailovsky Regiment. In the 18th and 19th centuries on the bank of the River Fontanka there were some settle­ments of the guard regiments, such as Izmailovsky, Preobrazhensky and Semionovsky. Every guard regiment had its own church or cathedral. In these cathedrals the mili­tary relics of the regiments were kept. On the walls of the cathedral the captured Turkish banners were hung as a symbol of valour and bravery of the officers and soldiers of the Izmailovsky Regiment. These Turkish banners were captured during the Russian-Turkish War of 1877 and 1878.

          The cathedral building was started on Trinity Day. Between 1827 and 1835 the Izmailovsky Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was built. The cathedral was constructed next to the old wooden church of the Izmailovsky Regi­ment. The project of the cathedral was made by the ar­chitect Vasily Stasov. It was created in the high classical style. Nicholas I was the chief of the Izmailovsky Regi­ment, that’s why the cathedral was constructed with his private money.

         The white and blue huge monumental cathedral looks stately. It can be seen from far away. The dome of the cathedral rises to the height of 80 metres. The cathedral has the shape of a cross. It is crowned with five domes. There is a main huge dome, and four small ones. The main dome stands on a high drum. The drum is surrounded by- columns and cut windows. The fagade of the cathedral is dec­orated with great six-column porticoes and triangular attics.

         In front of the cathedral there was the Column of Glory. This monument was designed by Dmitry Grishin. It was made of 108 Turkish guns put into five tiers. On the top of the monument there was the figure of Glory. Now we can’t see this monument. In 1930 it was dismantled.

Next to the cathedral there is a monument to the ar­chitect Vasily Stasov. It was erected in 1969. The author of the project is the sculptor Mikhail Litovchenko.

         In 1938 the cathedral was closed. The cathedral was strongly damaged during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. In the second half of the 20th century there was a storehouse. Then the cathedral was restored. Since 1990 the services are held in the cathedral.

Vocabulary           

attic - аттик, стенка под карнизом, завершающая фасад

banner – знамя

bravery – храбрость

capture - захватывать

chief - глава

damage – повреждать

dismantle - демон­тировать

glory – слава

guard - гвардия

Holy Trinity - Святая Троица

regiment - полк

relic – реликвия

restore – восстанавливать

settlement – поселение

soldier – солдат

stately – величаво

storehouse – склад

triangular - треу­гольный

valour - доблесть