Our first visit on this tour will be to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan. The Kazan Cathedral is centrally located on the Nevsky Prospekt and attracts the attention of visitors with its stately aspect, elegantly proportioned dome and impressive colonnades.

The Kazan Cathedral was built over the period 1801-1811 and consecrated on 15th September 1811. The Icon of Our Lady of Kazan, which protected the house of the Romanovs, was placed inside the cathedral. When the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism was opened here in 1932, the icon was consequently transferred to another church following believers’ requests.

The Kazan Cathedral is also a reminder of the Russian victory over Napoleon’s Grande Army, in 1812. The grave of Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, who was Russia’s greatest general of that time, can be found here. Moreover, the keys and banners of vanquished cities are kept here. In 2000, the cathedral was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and divine liturgies have been held here ever since.

Our next stop will be at the majestic St Isaac’s Cathedral - a landmark of St Petersburg with its enormous golden dome. The church functioned until 1928 and was then converted into a Museum in 1931. During World War II the interior suffered extensive frost and moisture damage, but was restored from 1947 to 1963. Today it is still a museum, but since 1992 religious services have been held here for special occasions. The vast interior really is a sight to behold. There is enough standing room for 14,000 worshippers (nobody sits in an Orthodox Church). The intricate details include huge monolithic columns of red Finnish granite (almost 18 metres (60 feet) high and weighing a mighty 114 tonnes), three great doors of oak and bronze (each with carved reliefs and weighing 20 tonnes), walls of spectacular coloured marble inlaid with semi-precious stones and minerals and floors of marble too. Many fine mosaic icons which, from only a short distance, appear as paintings and a silver dove hanging from the centre of the dome as a symbol of the Holy Spirit will also enthral us.

We now drive to the Peter and Paul Fortress, located on a small island in the Neva River delta. The Peter and Paul Fortress was the nucleus around which St Petersburg grew. The Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul was constructed between 1712 and 1733 following the design of architect Domenico Trezzini. Peter the Great decreed that the church should remain the city’s tallest structure and even today only the television tower exceeds it in height. The Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul is the burial place of the Romanov dynasty from Peter I onwards.

TOUR NOTES: This tour involves a lot of walking, stairs and standing. Passengers should dress conservatively for the church visits (shorts are not permitted, and shoulders should be covered). Permits can be purchased to take photographs in St Isaac’s Cathedral. The itinerary may operate in a different order to that described. It should be noted that there is only likely to be toilet facilities at the Peter and Paul Fortress.

DESCRIPTION CORRECT FOR 2009 SCANDINAVIA & BALTIC CRUISES