Kronstadt Naval Cathedral

The Naval cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Kronstadt is a beautiful Russian Orthodox church. It was built between 1903 and 1913. The church was made to honor brave sailors who lost their lives at sea. It was the most important church for the Russian Navy.

During a hard time, the cathedral was closed in 1929. After that, it was used for other things, like a cinema and a museum. In 2002, the Russian Orthodox Church put the cross back on top. In 2005, they held a special church service there for the first time in many years.

In 2013, an important event happened. The Patriarch of Russia, together with Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev and his wife, led a big ceremony. They officially opened the cathedral again after it was fully restored. Today, the Naval Cathedral of Saint Nicholas reminds us of faith, history, and the courage of sailors.

Background

The first Orthodox church in Kronstadt was built between 1728 and 1731. It was the main place of worship for Russia's largest naval base until 1840. That year, the church’s bell tower broke because the floor was rotting, and Emperor Nicholas I ordered it closed. It was torn down in 1841.

For the next 50 years, people worshipped in hospitals, barracks, and even rented houses. A small wooden church built in 1861 wasn’t big enough for the thousands of sailors. Many requests for money to build a new church were ignored, even though it would have cost less than a tenth of a pre-dreadnought battleship (RUB4 to 6 million).

Later, control over building projects changed. In 1896, Admiral Pavel Tyrtov started serious plans to build a cathedral in Kronstadt. He wanted it built on the same spot Peter I had chosen long before, and he hoped it wouldn’t cost more than the new Kharkov cathedral (200,000 roubles).

The contests

In 1897, the Navy held an international contest to design the Kronstadt cathedral. People could donate money to help build it. Sailors in the Baltic Fleet also gave part of their pay to help. Later, the government paid for most of the building.

The rules said the cathedral should hold one thousand people. This was smaller than some other cathedrals but big enough for a garrison church. The rules also said to keep costs low and not use expensive things like mosaics. The first contest did not work well, and only three architects tried, but all were rejected.

A second contest in 1897 also did not work. In 1898, the rules changed to allow a bigger building that could be seen from far away. Antony Tomishko won with a design in the Russian Revival style, but the new commander thought it was too small. After delays, the Emperor agreed to choose a new design in June 1900.

Design

Makarov chose Vasily Kosyakov to design the cathedral. Vasily was a skilled architect who worked in Neo-Byzantine architecture. He had designed a church in Saint Petersburg before. His brother Georgy, also an artist, helped design the inside. They needed to build a cathedral for 5,000 people in a traditional Byzantine style.

Vasily visited Istanbul and Greece to see old Byzantine buildings. In 1901, he showed two designs to navy leaders, and the king chose one. Vasily changed his plan to make the main dome wider but not very tall, like a famous building called Hagia Sophia. We do not know why he made this change.

The final designs were finished in 1903. They included plans for the outside and inside of the cathedral. The brothers mixed new artistic styles, called Art Nouveau, with traditional Byzantine designs. The cathedral also had two bell towers by the main entrance, which was unusual for Russian churches.

Construction

On October 27, 1901, soldiers and workers in Kronstadt began building the Naval Cathedral. They worked for many years, and the main walls were finished in 1903 when the Emperor visited.

Even though there were big problems in Russia, the building was mostly done by 1907. Inside, artists painted beautiful pictures and made special decorations. The outside was finished in 1909, with black stone and yellow bricks.

The cathedral was finally ready in June 1913, when the Emperor and his family came to celebrate. It had its own heating system and even a special cleaning system with many pipes and lights!

Operation

The Naval Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Kronstadt was an important church for the Russian Navy. It was only open for 16 years before it closed in 1929. During that time, some of its valuable items were taken and its decorations were damaged.

Later, the building was used for different purposes. It became a cinema, then a community center, and later part of a navy museum. In 2002, a new cross was placed on the dome. In 2005, religious services started again after many years. After more repairs, the cathedral officially reopened in 2013.