So, some might (or might not) remember the photos I took of a certain building with a very impressive dome and columns, which I had no idea what it was called.
(To jog your memory, I'm talking about this:
See? Impressive dome and columns.)
As it turns out, this is none other than Kazan Cathedral, which houses the oldest and most sacred relic in Saint Petersburg. The building on the outside is quite pretty; the inside, however, is absolutely stunning.
Here is my disclaimer: Any and all pictures I use of the cathedral from this point are not photos that I have taken-- unfortunately, like the Museum of the History of Religion (and the metro), the church doesn't allow photography. However, other people have taken pictures of what I cannot; and thus, everything that I saw can be shown (instead of having me pathetically try to describe things that are just too beautiful and intricate for words).
So, this is a general shot of the inside of the cathedral:
At the very front left-hand side (you can follow the line of people), there is a copy of the famous icon that I mentioned before; and the icon itself is in the center, directly under the chandelier. Everything is painted gold, and there are icons scattered EVERYWHERE.
However, I should really clarify and say that this is what it looks like when illuminated; when I went there, even with it being the middle of the day, the cathedral actually looked more like this:
Additionally, there is always (it seems) a huge line of people waiting to kiss the icon. I'd say it was unique, except that it was possible to pull up a photo of a line within one scroll of a google search:
Overall, however, I would highly recommend visiting the Kazan Cathedral: it is open and free for everyone (not just us who have magical student IDs), and while you can't take actual photos inside, it is still worth seeing for yourself. (I've noticed that there are certain things that you really have to see to believe.)
Whether or not you kiss the icon is entirely up to you; but even if it's to wander in for five minutes, mourn that you can't take pictures, and then scour Google for images to save (not like I just did that or anything), it's an extremely satisfying and beautiful site.
(All outside and inside photos of this cathedral can be found here.)
(To jog your memory, I'm talking about this:
 |
| For those who are curious, this photo is literally called "mysterious building panorama". |
As it turns out, this is none other than Kazan Cathedral, which houses the oldest and most sacred relic in Saint Petersburg. The building on the outside is quite pretty; the inside, however, is absolutely stunning.
Here is my disclaimer: Any and all pictures I use of the cathedral from this point are not photos that I have taken-- unfortunately, like the Museum of the History of Religion (and the metro), the church doesn't allow photography. However, other people have taken pictures of what I cannot; and thus, everything that I saw can be shown (instead of having me pathetically try to describe things that are just too beautiful and intricate for words).
So, this is a general shot of the inside of the cathedral:
At the very front left-hand side (you can follow the line of people), there is a copy of the famous icon that I mentioned before; and the icon itself is in the center, directly under the chandelier. Everything is painted gold, and there are icons scattered EVERYWHERE.
However, I should really clarify and say that this is what it looks like when illuminated; when I went there, even with it being the middle of the day, the cathedral actually looked more like this:
Additionally, there is always (it seems) a huge line of people waiting to kiss the icon. I'd say it was unique, except that it was possible to pull up a photo of a line within one scroll of a google search:
Overall, however, I would highly recommend visiting the Kazan Cathedral: it is open and free for everyone (not just us who have magical student IDs), and while you can't take actual photos inside, it is still worth seeing for yourself. (I've noticed that there are certain things that you really have to see to believe.)
Whether or not you kiss the icon is entirely up to you; but even if it's to wander in for five minutes, mourn that you can't take pictures, and then scour Google for images to save (not like I just did that or anything), it's an extremely satisfying and beautiful site.
(All outside and inside photos of this cathedral can be found here.)
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