Transfiguration Cathedral (Saint Petersburg)
Encyclopedia
Transfiguration Cathedral (official name: , The Cathedral of the Lord's Transfiguration of all the Guards) is an Eastern Orthodox
cathedral
belonging to the Diocese of St. Petersburg. It is located on Transfiguration Square , just off Liteyny Prospekt
near the Chernyshevskaya
metro station. Unlike most Russian places of worship, this archictural monument has never been closed for worship. The church has provided both Transfiguration Square and a nearby lane, which was formerly known as Church Lane, and is now known as Radishchev Lane with their names.
. The cathedral was built in the place of an old barracks, that of the grenadier division of the Preobrazhensky regiment
in honor of the Empress's ascension onto the throne with the help of some of the soldiers and officers of that regiment. The cornerstone was laid on June 9, 1743. After the death of Mikhail Zemtsov, Pietro Antonio Trezzini
headed construction. Trezzini slightly changed the project, changing the style to Baroque
. The cathedral was blessed by archbishop Sylvester in the presence of the empress, on the eve of the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ. The iconostasis
and the altar
canopy were completed by Kobilinsky woodcutters from Moscow
from the drawings of architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
. The figures were painted by M. L. Kolokolnikov.
On the November 12, 1796, during the reign of the emperor Paul I
, the regimental Transfiguration Cathedral received the honorary title "of all the Guards."
On August 8 (August 20, New Style), 1825, a fire started and the first Transfiguration Cathedral burned down, although all of the essential sacred objects were saved. All that remained of the cathedral were the walls.
Between 1825 and 1829 it was rebuilt by the architect Vasily Stasov
in the Empire style, just as it can be seen today. The rebuilt cathedral was dedicated by Metropolitan
Serafim on the August 5 (August 17, New Style), 1829. The main altar was dedicated in honor of the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ, the right (southern) side chapel in honor of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh
, and the left (northern) side chapel in honor of the martyrs Pope Clement I
and Pyotr Aleksandriysky, both of whose feast day is marked on November 25 (Old Style).
Starting in 1871 a parish charitable society was active at the cathedral, maintaining an almshouse
, a children's shelter, a cafeteria, a school for children of soldiers, and free living quarters. Starting in 1912 a Brotherhood of Sobriety and Chastity operated out of the cathedral. On the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ (popular name - the Apple Savior), falling on the 6th of August (Old Style), a fruit bazaar has traditionally been held there.
After the 1917 October Revolution
the cathedral remained open for worship. In 1918 it became a parish church, and the banners, ordnance, and war trophies being kept there were removed and transferred to the Artillery Museum; since 1950 those relics have been part of the Hermitage
collection. Also during the 1920s many valuable icons were removed.
From 1922 to 1926 (under Antonin Granovsky's Union of Church Regeneration) and from 1935 to the spring of 1944 the cathedral was in the hands of the Renovationists
; and from 1939, after the closing of the Church of the Savior on the Sennaya, it was the main Renovationist church in Leningrad. During the Siege of Leningrad
an air-raid shelter
capable of holding 500 people was constructed in its basement, where first aid was given to the wounded.
A restoration of the facades and the interior was carried out between 1946 and 1948.
.jpg)
.jpg)
From 1832-1833 under Stasov's direction a fence was built around the cathedral commemorating the victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, the basis of which was formed by the barrels of Turkish cannons taken from Turkish fortresses in Izmail
, Varna
, Tul'chi, Isakchi, and Silistra
, and from the battle at Kulevchi. Preserved on the barrels is the engraved coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire
, and on some of the barrels can be seen the names given to the cannons: "The Wrath of Allah", "Sacred Crescent", "Spewing Thunder", "I Give Only Death." Trophy cannons shooting 18- and 24-pound balls were set aside as a gift to the cathedral by the order of Emperor Nicholas I
.
The fence consists of 102 bronze cannon barrels, set on thirty-four granite bases, three barrels per base. They are set with the muzzles facing downwards to signify that they will never again be used in combat. All of the middle barrels are decorated with double-headed eagles
with crowns. All the groups of barrels are linked by massive decorative chains. The two sides of the main gate are decorated with shields with bronze depictions of the medals presented for the war. Also, around the cathedral stand twelve cannons and two Unicorn (long-barreled) cannons, which are the property of the Preobrazhensky regiment. It is a cathedral.
In 1886 a chapel was built in the fence by the architect Ivan Blazheyevich Slupsky. In 1916, construction of a burial-vault for the burial of officers fallen in World War I
was planned by the architect Sergei Osipovich Ovsyannikov, but the project was never realized.
Transfiguration Cathedral (official name: , The Cathedral of the Lord's Transfiguration of all the Guards) is an Eastern Orthodox
cathedral
belonging to the Diocese of St. Petersburg. It is located on Transfiguration Square , just off Liteyny Prospekt
near the Chernyshevskaya
metro station. Unlike most Russian places of worship, this archictural monument has never been closed for worship. The church has provided both Transfiguration Square and a nearby lane, which was formerly known as Church Lane, and is now known as Radishchev Lane with their names.
. The cathedral was built in the place of an old barracks, that of the grenadier division of the Preobrazhensky regiment
in honor of the Empress's ascension onto the throne with the help of some of the soldiers and officers of that regiment. The cornerstone was laid on June 9, 1743. After the death of Mikhail Zemtsov, Pietro Antonio Trezzini
headed construction. Trezzini slightly changed the project, changing the style to Baroque
. The cathedral was blessed by archbishop Sylvester in the presence of the empress, on the eve of the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ. The iconostasis
and the altar
canopy were completed by Kobilinsky woodcutters from Moscow
from the drawings of architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
. The figures were painted by M. L. Kolokolnikov.
On the November 12, 1796, during the reign of the emperor Paul I
, the regimental Transfiguration Cathedral received the honorary title "of all the Guards."
On August 8 (August 20, New Style), 1825, a fire started and the first Transfiguration Cathedral burned down, although all of the essential sacred objects were saved. All that remained of the cathedral were the walls.
Between 1825 and 1829 it was rebuilt by the architect Vasily Stasov
in the Empire style, just as it can be seen today. The rebuilt cathedral was dedicated by Metropolitan
Serafim on the August 5 (August 17, New Style), 1829. The main altar was dedicated in honor of the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ, the right (southern) side chapel in honor of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh
, and the left (northern) side chapel in honor of the martyrs Pope Clement I
and Pyotr Aleksandriysky, both of whose feast day is marked on November 25 (Old Style).
Starting in 1871 a parish charitable society was active at the cathedral, maintaining an almshouse
, a children's shelter, a cafeteria, a school for children of soldiers, and free living quarters. Starting in 1912 a Brotherhood of Sobriety and Chastity operated out of the cathedral. On the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ (popular name - the Apple Savior), falling on the 6th of August (Old Style), a fruit bazaar has traditionally been held there.
After the 1917 October Revolution
the cathedral remained open for worship. In 1918 it became a parish church, and the banners, ordnance, and war trophies being kept there were removed and transferred to the Artillery Museum; since 1950 those relics have been part of the Hermitage
collection. Also during the 1920s many valuable icons were removed.
From 1922 to 1926 (under Antonin Granovsky's Union of Church Regeneration) and from 1935 to the spring of 1944 the cathedral was in the hands of the Renovationists
; and from 1939, after the closing of the Church of the Savior on the Sennaya, it was the main Renovationist church in Leningrad. During the Siege of Leningrad
an air-raid shelter
capable of holding 500 people was constructed in its basement, where first aid was given to the wounded.
A restoration of the facades and the interior was carried out between 1946 and 1948.
From 1832-1833 under Stasov's direction a fence was built around the cathedral commemorating the victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, the basis of which was formed by the barrels of Turkish cannons taken from Turkish fortresses in Izmail
, Varna
, Tul'chi, Isakchi, and Silistra
, and from the battle at Kulevchi. Preserved on the barrels is the engraved coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire
, and on some of the barrels can be seen the names given to the cannons: "The Wrath of Allah", "Sacred Crescent", "Spewing Thunder", "I Give Only Death." Trophy cannons shooting 18- and 24-pound balls were set aside as a gift to the cathedral by the order of Emperor Nicholas I
.
The fence consists of 102 bronze cannon barrels, set on thirty-four granite bases, three barrels per base. They are set with the muzzles facing downwards to signify that they will never again be used in combat. All of the middle barrels are decorated with double-headed eagles
with crowns. All the groups of barrels are linked by massive decorative chains. The two sides of the main gate are decorated with shields with bronze depictions of the medals presented for the war. Also, around the cathedral stand twelve cannons and two Unicorn (long-barreled) cannons, which are the property of the Preobrazhensky regiment. It is a cathedral.
In 1886 a chapel was built in the fence by the architect Ivan Blazheyevich Slupsky. In 1916, construction of a burial-vault for the burial of officers fallen in World War I
was planned by the architect Sergei Osipovich Ovsyannikov, but the project was never realized.
Transfiguration Cathedral (official name: , The Cathedral of the Lord's Transfiguration of all the Guards) is an Eastern Orthodox
cathedral
belonging to the Diocese of St. Petersburg. It is located on Transfiguration Square , just off Liteyny Prospekt
near the Chernyshevskaya
metro station. Unlike most Russian places of worship, this archictural monument has never been closed for worship. The church has provided both Transfiguration Square and a nearby lane, which was formerly known as Church Lane, and is now known as Radishchev Lane with their names.
. The cathedral was built in the place of an old barracks, that of the grenadier division of the Preobrazhensky regiment
in honor of the Empress's ascension onto the throne with the help of some of the soldiers and officers of that regiment. The cornerstone was laid on June 9, 1743. After the death of Mikhail Zemtsov, Pietro Antonio Trezzini
headed construction. Trezzini slightly changed the project, changing the style to Baroque
. The cathedral was blessed by archbishop Sylvester in the presence of the empress, on the eve of the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ. The iconostasis
and the altar
canopy were completed by Kobilinsky woodcutters from Moscow
from the drawings of architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
. The figures were painted by M. L. Kolokolnikov.
On the November 12, 1796, during the reign of the emperor Paul I
, the regimental Transfiguration Cathedral received the honorary title "of all the Guards."
On August 8 (August 20, New Style), 1825, a fire started and the first Transfiguration Cathedral burned down, although all of the essential sacred objects were saved. All that remained of the cathedral were the walls.
Between 1825 and 1829 it was rebuilt by the architect Vasily Stasov
in the Empire style, just as it can be seen today. The rebuilt cathedral was dedicated by Metropolitan
Serafim on the August 5 (August 17, New Style), 1829. The main altar was dedicated in honor of the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ, the right (southern) side chapel in honor of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh
, and the left (northern) side chapel in honor of the martyrs Pope Clement I
and Pyotr Aleksandriysky, both of whose feast day is marked on November 25 (Old Style).
Starting in 1871 a parish charitable society was active at the cathedral, maintaining an almshouse
, a children's shelter, a cafeteria, a school for children of soldiers, and free living quarters. Starting in 1912 a Brotherhood of Sobriety and Chastity operated out of the cathedral. On the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ (popular name - the Apple Savior), falling on the 6th of August (Old Style), a fruit bazaar has traditionally been held there.
After the 1917 October Revolution
the cathedral remained open for worship. In 1918 it became a parish church, and the banners, ordnance, and war trophies being kept there were removed and transferred to the Artillery Museum; since 1950 those relics have been part of the Hermitage
collection. Also during the 1920s many valuable icons were removed.
From 1922 to 1926 (under Antonin Granovsky's Union of Church Regeneration) and from 1935 to the spring of 1944 the cathedral was in the hands of the Renovationists
; and from 1939, after the closing of the Church of the Savior on the Sennaya, it was the main Renovationist church in Leningrad. During the Siege of Leningrad
an air-raid shelter
capable of holding 500 people was constructed in its basement, where first aid was given to the wounded.
A restoration of the facades and the interior was carried out between 1946 and 1948.
From 1832-1833 under Stasov's direction a fence was built around the cathedral commemorating the victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, the basis of which was formed by the barrels of Turkish cannons taken from Turkish fortresses in Izmail
, Varna
, Tul'chi, Isakchi, and Silistra
, and from the battle at Kulevchi. Preserved on the barrels is the engraved coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire
, and on some of the barrels can be seen the names given to the cannons: "The Wrath of Allah", "Sacred Crescent", "Spewing Thunder", "I Give Only Death." Trophy cannons shooting 18- and 24-pound balls were set aside as a gift to the cathedral by the order of Emperor Nicholas I
.
The fence consists of 102 bronze cannon barrels, set on thirty-four granite bases, three barrels per base. They are set with the muzzles facing downwards to signify that they will never again be used in combat. All of the middle barrels are decorated with double-headed eagles
with crowns. All the groups of barrels are linked by massive decorative chains. The two sides of the main gate are decorated with shields with bronze depictions of the medals presented for the war. Also, around the cathedral stand twelve cannons and two Unicorn (long-barreled) cannons, which are the property of the Preobrazhensky regiment. It is a cathedral.
In 1886 a chapel was built in the fence by the architect Ivan Blazheyevich Slupsky. In 1916, construction of a burial-vault for the burial of officers fallen in World War I
was planned by the architect Sergei Osipovich Ovsyannikov, but the project was never realized.
, and the emperor Saint Constantine
. The icon was given to the regiment's field hospital in 1900 by the commander of the regiment at the time, the general-major Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich
. On a lectern (bookstand) in the right kliros
of the church is an icon of the Image of Edessa
, brought there in 1938 from the Trinity Church on Stremyannaya Street. It was painted by the famous Moscow icon-painter Simon Ushakov
for Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich
and was the favorite icon of Peter the Great
: it was with him at the founding of Saint Petersburg, at the Battle of Poltava
, on his deathbed and at his funeral. On the lectern in the left kliros is another celebrated icon, that of the Mother Mary, Joy of All Sinners. It is a copy of a miracle-working icon from the Church of Christ's Transfiguration on Bolshaya Ordynka Street, made in 1711 by the order of the sister of Peter the Great, the tsarevna Natalya Alekseyevna to commemorate the saving of the Russian army during the Prutskiy campaign in the Russo-Turkish War of 1710-1711. It was brought to the Transfiguration Cathedral in 1932 from the closed Church of Christ's Resurrection on Shalyernaya Street.
In the cathedral are kept the regimental relics and war trophies, and on the walls are bronze plaques with the names of officers of the Preobrazhensky regiment fallen in battle. Under glass in separate cases are the Preobrazhensky uniforms of Alexander I
, Nicholas I
, and Alexander II
, as well as a saber that Alexander II was wearing during an attempt on his life on March 13, 1881 (March 1, O.S.), which still has some of his blood on it.
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
belonging to the Diocese of St. Petersburg. It is located on Transfiguration Square , just off Liteyny Prospekt
Liteyny Prospekt
Liteyny Avenue is a wide avenue in the Central District of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The avenue runs from Liteyny Bridge to Nevsky Avenue....
near the Chernyshevskaya
Chernyshevskaya
Chernyshevskaya is a station on the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line of Saint Petersburg Metro, opened on June 1, 1958. It is a deep underground pylon station at 70 m depth with a short central hall. The station is named after Chernyshevsky Prospekt, which is in turn named after Russian materialist...
metro station. Unlike most Russian places of worship, this archictural monument has never been closed for worship. The church has provided both Transfiguration Square and a nearby lane, which was formerly known as Church Lane, and is now known as Radishchev Lane with their names.
History
The cathedral was ordered to be built by empress Elizabeth of Russia and was built from 1743 to 1754, and was designed by architect Mikhail ZemtsovMikhail Zemtsov
Mikhail Grigorievich Zemtsov was a Russian architect who practiced a sober, restrained Petrine Baroque style, which he learned from his peer Domenico Tresini...
. The cathedral was built in the place of an old barracks, that of the grenadier division of the Preobrazhensky regiment
Preobrazhensky regiment
The Preobrazhensky Regiment was one of the oldest and elite regiments of the Russian army. Along with the Semenovsky regiment also served as a gendarmie unit for the state Secret Chancellery in the 18th century, headed by the Prince Fyodor Romodanovsky.It was formed by Peter the Great in the late...
in honor of the Empress's ascension onto the throne with the help of some of the soldiers and officers of that regiment. The cornerstone was laid on June 9, 1743. After the death of Mikhail Zemtsov, Pietro Antonio Trezzini
Pietro Antonio Trezzini
Pietro Antonio Trezzini was a Swiss architect from the Trezzini family who worked primarily in St. Petersburg. After several years of training in Milan, Trezzini arrived in St...
headed construction. Trezzini slightly changed the project, changing the style to Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
. The cathedral was blessed by archbishop Sylvester in the presence of the empress, on the eve of the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ. The iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
and the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
canopy were completed by Kobilinsky woodcutters from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
from the drawings of architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli was an Italian architect naturalized Russian. He developed an easily recognizable style of Late Baroque, both sumptuous and majestic...
. The figures were painted by M. L. Kolokolnikov.
On the November 12, 1796, during the reign of the emperor Paul I
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
, the regimental Transfiguration Cathedral received the honorary title "of all the Guards."
On August 8 (August 20, New Style), 1825, a fire started and the first Transfiguration Cathedral burned down, although all of the essential sacred objects were saved. All that remained of the cathedral were the walls.
Between 1825 and 1829 it was rebuilt by the architect Vasily Stasov
Vasily Stasov
Vasily Petrovich Stasov was a Russian architect.-Biography:Stasov was born in Moscow....
in the Empire style, just as it can be seen today. The rebuilt cathedral was dedicated by Metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
Serafim on the August 5 (August 17, New Style), 1829. The main altar was dedicated in honor of the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ, the right (southern) side chapel in honor of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh
Sergius of Radonezh
Venerable Sergius of Radonezh , also transliterated as Sergey Radonezhsky or Serge of Radonezh, was a spiritual leader and monastic reformer of medieval Russia. Together with Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, he is one of the Russian Orthodox Church's most highly venerated saints.-Early life:The date of...
, and the left (northern) side chapel in honor of the martyrs Pope Clement I
Pope Clement I
Starting in the 3rd and 4th century, tradition has identified him as the Clement that Paul mentioned in Philippians as a fellow laborer in Christ.While in the mid-19th century it was customary to identify him as a freedman of Titus Flavius Clemens, who was consul with his cousin, the Emperor...
and Pyotr Aleksandriysky, both of whose feast day is marked on November 25 (Old Style).
Starting in 1871 a parish charitable society was active at the cathedral, maintaining an almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
, a children's shelter, a cafeteria, a school for children of soldiers, and free living quarters. Starting in 1912 a Brotherhood of Sobriety and Chastity operated out of the cathedral. On the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ (popular name - the Apple Savior), falling on the 6th of August (Old Style), a fruit bazaar has traditionally been held there.
After the 1917 October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
the cathedral remained open for worship. In 1918 it became a parish church, and the banners, ordnance, and war trophies being kept there were removed and transferred to the Artillery Museum; since 1950 those relics have been part of the Hermitage
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
collection. Also during the 1920s many valuable icons were removed.
From 1922 to 1926 (under Antonin Granovsky's Union of Church Regeneration) and from 1935 to the spring of 1944 the cathedral was in the hands of the Renovationists
Living Church
The Living Church , also called Renovationist Church or Renovationism was a schism in the Russian Orthodox Church in 1922–1946...
; and from 1939, after the closing of the Church of the Savior on the Sennaya, it was the main Renovationist church in Leningrad. During the Siege of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
an air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
capable of holding 500 people was constructed in its basement, where first aid was given to the wounded.
A restoration of the facades and the interior was carried out between 1946 and 1948.
Fence
Izmail
Izmail is a historic town near the Danube river in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Izmail Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
, Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, Tul'chi, Isakchi, and Silistra
Silistra
Silistra is a port city of northeastern Bulgaria, lying on the southern bank of the lower Danube at the country's border with Romania. Silistra is the administrative centre of Silistra Province and one of the important cities of the historical region of Southern Dobrudzha...
, and from the battle at Kulevchi. Preserved on the barrels is the engraved coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, and on some of the barrels can be seen the names given to the cannons: "The Wrath of Allah", "Sacred Crescent", "Spewing Thunder", "I Give Only Death." Trophy cannons shooting 18- and 24-pound balls were set aside as a gift to the cathedral by the order of Emperor Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
.
The fence consists of 102 bronze cannon barrels, set on thirty-four granite bases, three barrels per base. They are set with the muzzles facing downwards to signify that they will never again be used in combat. All of the middle barrels are decorated with double-headed eagles
Double-headed eagle
The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and...
with crowns. All the groups of barrels are linked by massive decorative chains. The two sides of the main gate are decorated with shields with bronze depictions of the medals presented for the war. Also, around the cathedral stand twelve cannons and two Unicorn (long-barreled) cannons, which are the property of the Preobrazhensky regiment. It is a cathedral.
In 1886 a chapel was built in the fence by the architect Ivan Blazheyevich Slupsky. In 1916, construction of a burial-vault for the burial of officers fallen in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was planned by the architect Sergei Osipovich Ovsyannikov, but the project was never realized.
Transfiguration Cathedral (official name: , The Cathedral of the Lord's Transfiguration of all the Guards) is an Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
belonging to the Diocese of St. Petersburg. It is located on Transfiguration Square , just off Liteyny Prospekt
Liteyny Prospekt
Liteyny Avenue is a wide avenue in the Central District of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The avenue runs from Liteyny Bridge to Nevsky Avenue....
near the Chernyshevskaya
Chernyshevskaya
Chernyshevskaya is a station on the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line of Saint Petersburg Metro, opened on June 1, 1958. It is a deep underground pylon station at 70 m depth with a short central hall. The station is named after Chernyshevsky Prospekt, which is in turn named after Russian materialist...
metro station. Unlike most Russian places of worship, this archictural monument has never been closed for worship. The church has provided both Transfiguration Square and a nearby lane, which was formerly known as Church Lane, and is now known as Radishchev Lane with their names.
History
The cathedral was ordered to be built by empress Elizabeth of Russia and was built from 1743 to 1754, and was designed by architect Mikhail ZemtsovMikhail Zemtsov
Mikhail Grigorievich Zemtsov was a Russian architect who practiced a sober, restrained Petrine Baroque style, which he learned from his peer Domenico Tresini...
. The cathedral was built in the place of an old barracks, that of the grenadier division of the Preobrazhensky regiment
Preobrazhensky regiment
The Preobrazhensky Regiment was one of the oldest and elite regiments of the Russian army. Along with the Semenovsky regiment also served as a gendarmie unit for the state Secret Chancellery in the 18th century, headed by the Prince Fyodor Romodanovsky.It was formed by Peter the Great in the late...
in honor of the Empress's ascension onto the throne with the help of some of the soldiers and officers of that regiment. The cornerstone was laid on June 9, 1743. After the death of Mikhail Zemtsov, Pietro Antonio Trezzini
Pietro Antonio Trezzini
Pietro Antonio Trezzini was a Swiss architect from the Trezzini family who worked primarily in St. Petersburg. After several years of training in Milan, Trezzini arrived in St...
headed construction. Trezzini slightly changed the project, changing the style to Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
. The cathedral was blessed by archbishop Sylvester in the presence of the empress, on the eve of the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ. The iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
and the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
canopy were completed by Kobilinsky woodcutters from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
from the drawings of architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli was an Italian architect naturalized Russian. He developed an easily recognizable style of Late Baroque, both sumptuous and majestic...
. The figures were painted by M. L. Kolokolnikov.
On the November 12, 1796, during the reign of the emperor Paul I
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
, the regimental Transfiguration Cathedral received the honorary title "of all the Guards."
On August 8 (August 20, New Style), 1825, a fire started and the first Transfiguration Cathedral burned down, although all of the essential sacred objects were saved. All that remained of the cathedral were the walls.
Between 1825 and 1829 it was rebuilt by the architect Vasily Stasov
Vasily Stasov
Vasily Petrovich Stasov was a Russian architect.-Biography:Stasov was born in Moscow....
in the Empire style, just as it can be seen today. The rebuilt cathedral was dedicated by Metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
Serafim on the August 5 (August 17, New Style), 1829. The main altar was dedicated in honor of the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ, the right (southern) side chapel in honor of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh
Sergius of Radonezh
Venerable Sergius of Radonezh , also transliterated as Sergey Radonezhsky or Serge of Radonezh, was a spiritual leader and monastic reformer of medieval Russia. Together with Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, he is one of the Russian Orthodox Church's most highly venerated saints.-Early life:The date of...
, and the left (northern) side chapel in honor of the martyrs Pope Clement I
Pope Clement I
Starting in the 3rd and 4th century, tradition has identified him as the Clement that Paul mentioned in Philippians as a fellow laborer in Christ.While in the mid-19th century it was customary to identify him as a freedman of Titus Flavius Clemens, who was consul with his cousin, the Emperor...
and Pyotr Aleksandriysky, both of whose feast day is marked on November 25 (Old Style).
Starting in 1871 a parish charitable society was active at the cathedral, maintaining an almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
, a children's shelter, a cafeteria, a school for children of soldiers, and free living quarters. Starting in 1912 a Brotherhood of Sobriety and Chastity operated out of the cathedral. On the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ (popular name - the Apple Savior), falling on the 6th of August (Old Style), a fruit bazaar has traditionally been held there.
After the 1917 October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
the cathedral remained open for worship. In 1918 it became a parish church, and the banners, ordnance, and war trophies being kept there were removed and transferred to the Artillery Museum; since 1950 those relics have been part of the Hermitage
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
collection. Also during the 1920s many valuable icons were removed.
From 1922 to 1926 (under Antonin Granovsky's Union of Church Regeneration) and from 1935 to the spring of 1944 the cathedral was in the hands of the Renovationists
Living Church
The Living Church , also called Renovationist Church or Renovationism was a schism in the Russian Orthodox Church in 1922–1946...
; and from 1939, after the closing of the Church of the Savior on the Sennaya, it was the main Renovationist church in Leningrad. During the Siege of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
an air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
capable of holding 500 people was constructed in its basement, where first aid was given to the wounded.
A restoration of the facades and the interior was carried out between 1946 and 1948.
Fence
Izmail
Izmail is a historic town near the Danube river in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Izmail Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
, Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, Tul'chi, Isakchi, and Silistra
Silistra
Silistra is a port city of northeastern Bulgaria, lying on the southern bank of the lower Danube at the country's border with Romania. Silistra is the administrative centre of Silistra Province and one of the important cities of the historical region of Southern Dobrudzha...
, and from the battle at Kulevchi. Preserved on the barrels is the engraved coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, and on some of the barrels can be seen the names given to the cannons: "The Wrath of Allah", "Sacred Crescent", "Spewing Thunder", "I Give Only Death." Trophy cannons shooting 18- and 24-pound balls were set aside as a gift to the cathedral by the order of Emperor Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
.
The fence consists of 102 bronze cannon barrels, set on thirty-four granite bases, three barrels per base. They are set with the muzzles facing downwards to signify that they will never again be used in combat. All of the middle barrels are decorated with double-headed eagles
Double-headed eagle
The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and...
with crowns. All the groups of barrels are linked by massive decorative chains. The two sides of the main gate are decorated with shields with bronze depictions of the medals presented for the war. Also, around the cathedral stand twelve cannons and two Unicorn (long-barreled) cannons, which are the property of the Preobrazhensky regiment. It is a cathedral.
In 1886 a chapel was built in the fence by the architect Ivan Blazheyevich Slupsky. In 1916, construction of a burial-vault for the burial of officers fallen in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was planned by the architect Sergei Osipovich Ovsyannikov, but the project was never realized.
Transfiguration Cathedral (official name: , The Cathedral of the Lord's Transfiguration of all the Guards) is an Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
belonging to the Diocese of St. Petersburg. It is located on Transfiguration Square , just off Liteyny Prospekt
Liteyny Prospekt
Liteyny Avenue is a wide avenue in the Central District of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The avenue runs from Liteyny Bridge to Nevsky Avenue....
near the Chernyshevskaya
Chernyshevskaya
Chernyshevskaya is a station on the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line of Saint Petersburg Metro, opened on June 1, 1958. It is a deep underground pylon station at 70 m depth with a short central hall. The station is named after Chernyshevsky Prospekt, which is in turn named after Russian materialist...
metro station. Unlike most Russian places of worship, this archictural monument has never been closed for worship. The church has provided both Transfiguration Square and a nearby lane, which was formerly known as Church Lane, and is now known as Radishchev Lane with their names.
History
The cathedral was ordered to be built by empress Elizabeth of Russia and was built from 1743 to 1754, and was designed by architect Mikhail ZemtsovMikhail Zemtsov
Mikhail Grigorievich Zemtsov was a Russian architect who practiced a sober, restrained Petrine Baroque style, which he learned from his peer Domenico Tresini...
. The cathedral was built in the place of an old barracks, that of the grenadier division of the Preobrazhensky regiment
Preobrazhensky regiment
The Preobrazhensky Regiment was one of the oldest and elite regiments of the Russian army. Along with the Semenovsky regiment also served as a gendarmie unit for the state Secret Chancellery in the 18th century, headed by the Prince Fyodor Romodanovsky.It was formed by Peter the Great in the late...
in honor of the Empress's ascension onto the throne with the help of some of the soldiers and officers of that regiment. The cornerstone was laid on June 9, 1743. After the death of Mikhail Zemtsov, Pietro Antonio Trezzini
Pietro Antonio Trezzini
Pietro Antonio Trezzini was a Swiss architect from the Trezzini family who worked primarily in St. Petersburg. After several years of training in Milan, Trezzini arrived in St...
headed construction. Trezzini slightly changed the project, changing the style to Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
. The cathedral was blessed by archbishop Sylvester in the presence of the empress, on the eve of the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ. The iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
and the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
canopy were completed by Kobilinsky woodcutters from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
from the drawings of architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli was an Italian architect naturalized Russian. He developed an easily recognizable style of Late Baroque, both sumptuous and majestic...
. The figures were painted by M. L. Kolokolnikov.
On the November 12, 1796, during the reign of the emperor Paul I
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
, the regimental Transfiguration Cathedral received the honorary title "of all the Guards."
On August 8 (August 20, New Style), 1825, a fire started and the first Transfiguration Cathedral burned down, although all of the essential sacred objects were saved. All that remained of the cathedral were the walls.
Between 1825 and 1829 it was rebuilt by the architect Vasily Stasov
Vasily Stasov
Vasily Petrovich Stasov was a Russian architect.-Biography:Stasov was born in Moscow....
in the Empire style, just as it can be seen today. The rebuilt cathedral was dedicated by Metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
Serafim on the August 5 (August 17, New Style), 1829. The main altar was dedicated in honor of the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ, the right (southern) side chapel in honor of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh
Sergius of Radonezh
Venerable Sergius of Radonezh , also transliterated as Sergey Radonezhsky or Serge of Radonezh, was a spiritual leader and monastic reformer of medieval Russia. Together with Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, he is one of the Russian Orthodox Church's most highly venerated saints.-Early life:The date of...
, and the left (northern) side chapel in honor of the martyrs Pope Clement I
Pope Clement I
Starting in the 3rd and 4th century, tradition has identified him as the Clement that Paul mentioned in Philippians as a fellow laborer in Christ.While in the mid-19th century it was customary to identify him as a freedman of Titus Flavius Clemens, who was consul with his cousin, the Emperor...
and Pyotr Aleksandriysky, both of whose feast day is marked on November 25 (Old Style).
Starting in 1871 a parish charitable society was active at the cathedral, maintaining an almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
, a children's shelter, a cafeteria, a school for children of soldiers, and free living quarters. Starting in 1912 a Brotherhood of Sobriety and Chastity operated out of the cathedral. On the holy day of the Transfiguration of Christ (popular name - the Apple Savior), falling on the 6th of August (Old Style), a fruit bazaar has traditionally been held there.
After the 1917 October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
the cathedral remained open for worship. In 1918 it became a parish church, and the banners, ordnance, and war trophies being kept there were removed and transferred to the Artillery Museum; since 1950 those relics have been part of the Hermitage
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
collection. Also during the 1920s many valuable icons were removed.
From 1922 to 1926 (under Antonin Granovsky's Union of Church Regeneration) and from 1935 to the spring of 1944 the cathedral was in the hands of the Renovationists
Living Church
The Living Church , also called Renovationist Church or Renovationism was a schism in the Russian Orthodox Church in 1922–1946...
; and from 1939, after the closing of the Church of the Savior on the Sennaya, it was the main Renovationist church in Leningrad. During the Siege of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
an air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
capable of holding 500 people was constructed in its basement, where first aid was given to the wounded.
A restoration of the facades and the interior was carried out between 1946 and 1948.
Fence
Izmail
Izmail is a historic town near the Danube river in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Izmail Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
, Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, Tul'chi, Isakchi, and Silistra
Silistra
Silistra is a port city of northeastern Bulgaria, lying on the southern bank of the lower Danube at the country's border with Romania. Silistra is the administrative centre of Silistra Province and one of the important cities of the historical region of Southern Dobrudzha...
, and from the battle at Kulevchi. Preserved on the barrels is the engraved coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, and on some of the barrels can be seen the names given to the cannons: "The Wrath of Allah", "Sacred Crescent", "Spewing Thunder", "I Give Only Death." Trophy cannons shooting 18- and 24-pound balls were set aside as a gift to the cathedral by the order of Emperor Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
.
The fence consists of 102 bronze cannon barrels, set on thirty-four granite bases, three barrels per base. They are set with the muzzles facing downwards to signify that they will never again be used in combat. All of the middle barrels are decorated with double-headed eagles
Double-headed eagle
The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and...
with crowns. All the groups of barrels are linked by massive decorative chains. The two sides of the main gate are decorated with shields with bronze depictions of the medals presented for the war. Also, around the cathedral stand twelve cannons and two Unicorn (long-barreled) cannons, which are the property of the Preobrazhensky regiment. It is a cathedral.
In 1886 a chapel was built in the fence by the architect Ivan Blazheyevich Slupsky. In 1916, construction of a burial-vault for the burial of officers fallen in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was planned by the architect Sergei Osipovich Ovsyannikov, but the project was never realized.
Relics and Holy Objects
By the north wall of the church in the left side-chapel is a hinged icon with depictions of the Transfiguration of Christ, the martyr PantaleonSaint Pantaleon
Saint Pantaleon , counted in the West among the late-medieval Fourteen Holy Helpers and in the East as one of the Holy Unmercenary Healers, was a martyr of Nicomedia in Bithynia during the Diocletian persecution of 303 AD...
, and the emperor Saint Constantine
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
. The icon was given to the regiment's field hospital in 1900 by the commander of the regiment at the time, the general-major Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich
Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich of Russia
Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich of Russia was a grandson of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, and a poet and playwright of some renown...
. On a lectern (bookstand) in the right kliros
Kliros
The kliros is the section of an Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic church dedicated to the choir...
of the church is an icon of the Image of Edessa
Image of Edessa
According to Christian legend, the Image of Edessa was a holy relic consisting of a square or rectangle of cloth upon which a miraculous image of the face of Jesus was imprinted — the first icon ....
, brought there in 1938 from the Trinity Church on Stremyannaya Street. It was painted by the famous Moscow icon-painter Simon Ushakov
Simon Ushakov
Simon Fyodorovich Ushakov was a leading Russian graphic artist of the late 17th-century. Together with Fyodor Zubov and Fyodor Rozhnov, he is associated with the comprehensive reform of the Russian Orthodox Church undertaken by Patriarch Nikon.-Biography:We know almost nothing about the early...
for Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich
Alexis I of Russia
Aleksey Mikhailovich Romanov was the Tsar of Russia during some of the most eventful decades of the mid-17th century...
and was the favorite icon of Peter the Great
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
: it was with him at the founding of Saint Petersburg, at the Battle of Poltava
Battle of Poltava
The Battle of Poltava on 27 June 1709 was the decisive victory of Peter I of Russia over the Swedish forces under Field Marshal Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld in one of the battles of the Great Northern War. It is widely believed to have been the beginning of Sweden's decline as a Great Power; the...
, on his deathbed and at his funeral. On the lectern in the left kliros is another celebrated icon, that of the Mother Mary, Joy of All Sinners. It is a copy of a miracle-working icon from the Church of Christ's Transfiguration on Bolshaya Ordynka Street, made in 1711 by the order of the sister of Peter the Great, the tsarevna Natalya Alekseyevna to commemorate the saving of the Russian army during the Prutskiy campaign in the Russo-Turkish War of 1710-1711. It was brought to the Transfiguration Cathedral in 1932 from the closed Church of Christ's Resurrection on Shalyernaya Street.
In the cathedral are kept the regimental relics and war trophies, and on the walls are bronze plaques with the names of officers of the Preobrazhensky regiment fallen in battle. Under glass in separate cases are the Preobrazhensky uniforms of Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
, Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
, and Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
, as well as a saber that Alexander II was wearing during an attempt on his life on March 13, 1881 (March 1, O.S.), which still has some of his blood on it.