St. Issac's Cathedral, St. Petersburg, Russia

In 1710, a wooden church was built on this site, but it was not popular or attractive, so there were several attempts over the years to redesign it at the request of the emperor.  The problem was that the altar could not be removed because it had been consecrated.  The church would have to be built around it.

It was finally built as it now appears in 1818.  The 112 marble columns each weigh tons and are single pieces rather than segments as was the common practice.

The placement of each column was completed individually by the construction crew.  It took nearly an hour to stand up each column by the crew.  It was such a production that crowds would gather to watch the placement of the columns.  The crowd included the imperial family as times.  Because of the weight of the columns, they were placed before the walls of the cathedral was even raised.

The gilding on the dome has survived for hundreds of years because of the method used to attach it.  Copper sheets were coated with gold amalgam and mercury that was then evaporated.  This process was repeated three times.  While it is permanent, it is also dangerous to the workers because the mercury was toxic.

The doors are so heavy that it takes more than one person to open them.

The interior is covered in gold and painting from floor to ceiling.  During World War II, it was used as a morgue because it was cool enough to store those who had died.  It was necessary because during the Siege of Leningrad (the name of St. Petersburg after the Bolshevik Revolution) that began in September 1941 and lasted for 900 days, one and a half million city citizens died - mostly of starvation.

The iconoclast includes a stained glass window that includes an image of Jesus.  It is not lit from the outside.  Rather, it is lit from lamps for effect.  The lamps would illuminate the glass after the people came in for services.

Constant air raids and artillery bombardments left their mark on the city.  In most cases, the buildings were repaired or rebuilt.  In some cases, like the column above, the marks were left as a reminder of the siege.

St. Issac's Square is where I stayed while I was in St. Petersburg.  My hotel is behind the trees to the right of the cathedral.  The building on the right is the Astoria Hotel.  It is famous and exclusive hotel.  Not shown to the left, was the German Embassy building.  After World War II, allies found unsent invitations to a celebration to be held at the Astoria and hosted by Hitler.  He planned to celebrate Nazi victory over in the siege.  The Nazis never took the city in the siege.  In fact, my tour guide was proud to share that the people of St. Petersburg know that they live in the only city in Europe that has never been occupied by a foreign power.

The view of St. Issac's Cathedral from my hotel room.