The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in St. Petersburg

The first church of the Northern capital was built by the personal order of the emperor at the very beginning of the eighteenth century. And after eight years of construction, the temple Was consecrated. Later his status was raised, as a result of the Holy Trinity Cathedral became the main one in the city on the Neva. The Holy Trinity was the first heavenly patron of the Northern capital, therefore it was dedicated to this temple. In the history of our state it was very significant, since it was here that the first emperor Peter the Great ascended to the throne, hence all the tsar's decrees sounded.

The first years of the cathedral

Today this cathedral, which gave the name of the square, does not exist. And once it was the center of urban life, because it was surrounded by major commercial and government institutions.

The first Russian emperor personally cared for him, even personally participated in its arrangement. That is why there was a commemorative plaque in the wooden church , saying that it was built by the emperor in honor of the victory at Vyborg over the Swedes.

The church was built by the architect Domenico Trezzini. Before this temple for a long time were arranged masquerades, mass festivities, parades and military screenings. The clock was mounted on the bell tower, which they removed from the Moscow Sukharevskaya tower.

The significance of the temple

Here, in the presence of the tsar's family, all significant state solemn divine services (the peace treaty with the Swedes and the end of the Northern War) were held, and the emperor was granted the title of emperor. There was also the funeral of Alexei and the announcement of the heir to the throne of Tsarevich Peter. In the cathedral for a long time there was the main shrine of the city - the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

Erection of a new cathedral

Being wooden, the Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg quite quickly deteriorated. As a result, twenty-one years after the construction of the Office from construction, it was decided to remove clocks and hour bells. And after six years because of the impossibility of repair, a broken and bent cross due to weather conditions was removed. At the same time, a decree was issued on erecting a stone church, but, unfortunately, this project was not implemented.

According to the will of Elizabeth, the cathedral was dismantled, and in its place was erected a new temple designed by Hermann van Boles. Consecrated in May 1746 Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg was not like the one that was in Peter's time. He was two logs in two logs with a lime-pouring between them. The building was sheathed outside. It was painted with oil paint and plastered inside. The roof was covered with iron sheets, and the two-tiered bell tower was crowned with an onion head. Another dome crowned the main volume of the temple, whose diameter was equal to its area.

Later, on the orders of the Chancery, the Trinity Cathedral was surrounded by a fence, which prevented the cattle walking around the area. But a year and a half after consecration, the temple burned to the ground.

Recovery after fire

Five years after the fire, the Empress Elizabeth ordered the transfer of the temple from the Summer Garden (the material was used) to the place of the burnt church. As a result, according to the drawing of Van Boles, the cathedral was again restored.

The construction was carried out according to Volkov's project, but despite the desire to recreate the building in its original form, according to the internal layout and dimensions, and also the appearance of the Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg, it was significantly different from the old one. He was much smaller than the church in Petrine.

Major repairs

A hundred years after the construction of the main temple of the Northern Capital, he again needed restoration. It was held under the guidance of the architect Ruska, thanks to which the cathedral was warm, with double log walls, the spaces between them were filled with lime. And twenty years after that Filippov had to eliminate the damage caused by the flood.

New overhaul

The Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg was restored once again by the order of Emperor-reformer Alexander II. Under the temple was laid the foundation of stone, as well as a new bell tower. But, at the behest of the ruler, the cathedral should forever remain wooden.

Another fire and construction competition

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the temple was again damaged by a fire, which arose from the failure of the chimneys. As a result, the bell tower and the porch, the dome, the attic, the roof, the altar part remained untouched. Because of the strong fire, the bells melted. After this, the services were held in a temporary temple, standing until the very end of the restoration.

Famous architects of the time urged the authorities to inadvisability restoration of the cathedral in pre-fire condition. As a result, it was decided to implement the plans that had arisen in the past centuries, the construction of a stone church. The construction committee for its erection was headed by Prince John Konstantinovich, and the Empress personally patronized him. Before the masters was set incredibly difficult political and artistic task - to erect a large temple, which in the country has not yet been.

In the announced competition for the best project, six architects working in the Neo-Russian style participated. As a result, the best judges recognized the work of Pokrovsky. But the final decision was still for the empress, who brought the projects of all authors to the Tsarskoe Selo Alexander Palace.

Funds for the restoration of the temple were allocated under the supervision of the Restoration Workshop of the Leningrad Branch of the Glavnauka. And the restoration project was made by Katonin on the basis of historical documents.

For greater monumentality, the Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg received thirteen chapters, nine of which illuminated the temple, and four were allocated for the placement of the bells. The main dome with the cross had a height of thirty-five fathoms. The facade was divided into seven strands on each side.

As for the surviving remnants of the pre-fire temple, they, according to the decision of the Synod, should be transferred to the courtyard of the Shamordinsky Kazan Ambrose Monastery, which is in Strelna. This was done against the opinion of the Archaeological Commission of the Emperor, but because of the poverty of this body his opinion was not taken into account.

But six months before the revolution, Ivan Konstantinovich refused to hold the post of chairman of the committee. A few days later, an unknown person made a request to the Provisional Government with a request to return the project of restoration of Katonin. As a result, according to these documents, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was restored as it was before the last fire.

Demolition of the Temple

This beautiful building with squat dome for a long time was a landmark of the city on the Neva and a monument of its social and spiritual life. Despite the recent restoration, the temple was closed, and a few years later, by decision of the Oblast Executive Committee, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was dismantled. St. Petersburg with its Trinity Square over time were re-planned, and on the site of the once-standing temple built a new building with the surrounding lawn.

About twenty years ago the idea of restoring the temple was actively discussed, but a number of reasons prevented its implementation. At the very beginning of this century on the corner of the square was built a small chapel in honor of the Holy Trinity.