Feodorovsky Cathedral in St. Petersburg

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Even long before the start of the celebrations associated with the tercentenary of the reigning House of Romanov celebrated in 1913, preparations for this significant event began throughout Russia. In St. Petersburg, it was decided to build a memorial cathedral, with its architectural appearance reproducing the temples of the early 17th century, when Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, the founder of the ruling dynasty, was elevated to the Russian throne. The Cathedral of the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God became such a monument to three centuries of the Russian monarchy.

Project of the cathedral-monument

To implement these plans, in 1909, under the august patronage of the Grand Duke and brother of Emperor Nicholas II - Mikhail Alexandrovich - a special committee was established, headed by one of the prominent statesmen of those years, Major General D. Ya. Dashkov.

The committee began its work by reviewing several dozen architectural projects sent to the capital from all over the country. The work of St. Petersburg architect S. S. Krichinsky, who designed the Feodorovsky Cathedral in the style of Lower Volga temples of the 16th-17th centuries, was recognized as the best. His project andwas accepted for implementation.

Place for future construction

It should be noted that the choice of a place for the construction of the cathedral at the intersection of Mirgorodskaya and Poltavskaya streets was quite random. It was the result of the energetic actions of the rector of the Feodorovsky Gorodetsky Monastery, whose farmstead was located just on this territory. Wanting to expand the land that belonged to the farmstead, and at the same time build a large and spacious church on it at public expense, the rector managed to persuade the members of the commission to the decision he needed.

Subsequently, the choice of the site on which the Feodorovsky Cathedral was erected was criticized by many high-ranking officials, and, in particular, the Moscow Governor-General V. F. Dzhunkovsky, who said that the temple, in his opinion, was built on the outskirts of the city.

One can hardly agree with such a categorical statement. Located in the immediate vicinity of the Nikolayevsky railway station and the square of the same name adjacent to it, even at the beginning of the 20th century, when the city's borders were much narrower than at present, the building was located near its historical center.

Bookmarking of the Cathedral

The solemn laying of the cathedral took place in early August 1911 in the presence of members of the reigning House and the trustee of the building committee. The divine service accompanying this momentous event was led by Archbishop Anthony of Volhynia (Khrapovitsky).

According to ancient tradition, at the end of the prayer service, all honored guests were lowered into pre-prepared recessesmortgage coins. As the newspapers of those years testify, the Grand Duke donated an authentic coin from the time of the first sovereign Mikhail Fedorovich for such a solemn occasion.

Completion of construction and consecration of the cathedral

Despite the fact that in those early years such concepts of the Soviet era as “shock” and “Komsomol construction projects” had not yet come into use, they nevertheless worked quickly and conscientiously. They feared God, they knew that at the Last Judgment, negligence would be severely punished. As a result, less than two years later, the central head of the cathedral still under construction was crowned with a cross. This event, like the laying of the foundation stone of the cathedral, was accompanied by a solemn prayer service, which was celebrated by Patriarch Gregory IV of Antioch, who was in St. Petersburg at that time.

The Feodorovsky Cathedral (St. Petersburg) was completed a year later, when in the January days of 1914, in the presence of the emperor, members of his family and senior state dignitaries, the main chapel of his upper church was consecrated. Under him, a parish was created, to which the Nikolaevsky railway station was assigned with all its institutions and services. At the same time, the Feodorovsky Cathedral was part of the courtyard of the Gorodetsky Monastery, established in honor of the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God. It was this shrine that gave him his name.

Monument to the House of Romanovs

The cathedral, which became a monument to the era of the reign of the Romanov dynasty, was built of reinforced concrete on the basis of a new technology for those times. The funds for its construction amounted to half a million rubles, which was huge for thoseat times, the amount was completely collected from public donations coming from all over Russia. This truly national brainchild, in everyday life became known as the "Romanov Church".

Theodorovsky Cathedral - a majestic building with a height of forty-seven and a half meters and crowned with five domes traditional for Russian temple architecture - simultaneously accommodated more than three and a half thousand people. They could easily fit into its interior space of three hundred and sixty square meters.

The original architectural find was the wall adjacent to the bell tower, and reminiscent of the wall of the Moscow Kremlin. As conceived by the author, it was supposed to symbolize the unity of the main Russian cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow, the two capitals of the great empire.

Decoration of the facades of the cathedral

As it appears from the surviving documents, the Cathedral of the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God had a rich decorative finish on the outside, made in the technique of mosaic and majolica. In particular, on the northern facade, overlooking Mirgorodskaya Street and covered with white old stone, there was a majolica panel depicting the Most Holy Theotokos, spreading Her Protection over the reigning House of the Romanovs.

On the same wall one could see the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God, as well as a tree with portraits of the kings of the last three centuries. Both of these compositions were made in mosaic technique. The domes of the temple were made of gilded copper and, on sunny days rare for St. Petersburg, shoneunbearable brilliance.

The cathedral is in the hands of the renovationists

After the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks, despite their atheistic policy, the Feodorovsky Cathedral (St. Petersburg), as a parish church, remained active for another fifteen years. Since the monastery courtyard, on the territory of which it was located, was abolished in 1920, its inhabitants - one monk, four hierodeacons and six hieromonks - were forced to move to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where a monastic brotherhood was created at that time.

The cathedral itself, until its closing, was in the hands of the Renovationists - followers of the schismatic trend in the Russian Orthodox Church, supported by the Bolsheviks for some time. In fairness, it should be noted that during this entire period, a Sunday school operated within its walls, in which children from six to fifteen years old studied.

Temple turned into a dairy

In 1932, on the basis of a decision of the executive committee of the Leningrad City Council, the Cathedral of the Feodorovskaya Mother of God was closed, and its premises were transferred to the disposal of a nearby dairy. Having thus given preference to bodily food over spiritual food, the inhabitants of the city have lost an outstanding monument of their three-century history.

Having turned the temple of God into a manufacturing facility, the local authorities have completely rebuilt its interior. The domes, which once pleased the eyes of Petersburgers, were also demolished. Leningraders of the older generation obviously remember thisa mutilated building with absurdly towering drums on the roof, hastily demolished in 1970, on the eve of the expected visit to Leningrad by US President Richard Nixon.

New times - new trends

During the years of perestroika, when yesterday's fighters against religious intoxication suddenly began to see the light and began to baptize themselves in front of television cameras, the Cathedral of the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God, or rather, what was left of it, was returned to the bosom of the Church. There was a lot of work to be done to restore it. After decades of domination by the God-fighting authorities, only the walls remained unscathed from the former temple, presciently erected by the pre-revolutionary architect S. S. Krichinsky from new and unusually strong reinforced concrete for those times.

As in the old years for the construction of the temple, and now for its restoration, a board of trustees was established, which included representatives of the leadership of the new democratic state.

The second birth of the cathedral

Work began in 2005 and was completed eight years later. By the 400th anniversary of the House of Romanov, the Feodorovsky "sovereign's cathedral" found its second birth. The rite of the great consecration of the three thrones of his upper church was performed on September 14, 2013 by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Among the guests of honor were: Minister of Culture of Russia V. R. Medinsky, B. V. Gryzlov, and Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation V. I. Matvienko.

Currently, there are two churches inside the cathedral - the lower one, dedicated to the holy noble princeAlexander Nevsky and made in the style of Russian churches of the XIII century, as well as the upper one, stylized in the spirit of the beginning of the XVII century - the period of accession of the first of the Romanov dynasty. Such a decision of the temple interiors is not a fantasy of the restorers, but fully corresponds to the creative idea of the architect, who realized it a century ago. Feodorovsky Cathedral (St. Petersburg) again took on its original appearance.

Cathedral returned to the people

After all the restoration work was completed, the same services began to be held in the cathedral as in other churches in Russia. In addition, here, together with the most active members of the community, extensive work is being carried out on religious education among children and adults.

Sunday school is open, as well as catechesis courses for those wishing to receive holy baptism and anyone who wants to get to know the religion of their fathers. The parish also helps people suffering from alcohol and drug addiction.