The Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral (Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Stavropegial Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral) is an Orthodox church in Kronstadt, the last and largest of the naval cathedrals built in the Russian Empire. It was constructed between 1903 and 1913 in the Neo-Byzantine style according to the design of architect Vasily Kosyakov.

Vasily Kosyakov wrote in 1910: “Since 1902, the construction of the Naval Cathedral—a monument to the ranks of the fleet who died in the line of duty—is underway in the city of Kronstadt… The church is being built according to a project approved by the highest authority and throughout the construction process has been the subject of special attention by Their Imperial Majesties.”

The parish of the church belongs to the Saint Petersburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church and is part of the Kronstadt deanery. The cathedral’s stavropegial status indicates its direct subordination to the Patriarch. The rector of the cathedral is Archimandrite Alexey (Ganjin).

The question of building a capacious cathedral in Kronstadt was raised as early as the 1830s; however, only the petition of Vice-Admiral Nikolay Kaznakov received the highest permission in 1897 to open a subscription for voluntary donations for the construction of the church.

At the initiative of the first protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy, Alexander Zhelobovsky, hundreds of military churches were built. He was the one who initiated the construction of the Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt.

It was decided to erect the church on Anchor Square, where old anchors had previously lain, representing a free space that also allowed for a park around the cathedral and a square for processions. A condition for the project was that the height of the dome would allow the cathedral to serve as a landmark from the sea, and the cross of the naval church would be the first thing a sailor would notice.

In April 1901, the project by architect Vasily Kosyakov was approved, receiving the highest approval on May 21 (June 3), 1901. Civil engineers Vladimir Shavernovsky and Alexander Viksell also participated in the cathedral’s design.

On September 1 (14), 1902, construction of the cathedral began, preceded by a prayer service performed by Archpriest John of Kronstadt in the presence of Vice-Admiral Stepan Makarov.

On May 8 (21), 1903, the solemn laying of the cathedral took place in the presence of Emperor Nicholas II, Empresses Alexandra Feodorovna and Maria Feodorovna, and Grand Dukes Mikhail, Alexey, and Vladimir Alexandrovich. After the prayer service, a 31-gun salute was fired from the fortress guns and ships at the roadstead. On the same day, the emperor and his entourage planted 32 one-year-old oaks in the square around the cathedral. By 1907, the church was roughly completed, and interior finishing began. The cost of construction amounted to 1,876,000 rubles.

The consecration of the cathedral took place on June 10 (23), 1913, in the presence of the highest authorities. The church was consecrated by the protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy, Father Georgy Shavelsky, concelebrating with the rector of the St. Petersburg Admiralty Cathedral, Mitrophore Archpriest Alexey Stavrovsky, and a host of Kronstadt clergy and naval ranks, with thousands of worshippers attending.

The cathedral was part of the parish of the Kronstadt Naval Epiphany Cathedral, and services were held until 1927. On June 1, 1929, the presidium of the Leningrad Regional Executive Committee issued a decree to close the church and transfer the building for “cultural and educational purposes.” The parish council appealed to the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) to leave the church to the faithful. The presidium of the VTsIK rejected the petition and allowed the cathedral to be used “for cultural purposes.” The last meeting of the parish council members was held on September 27, 1929.

On October 14, 1929, the church was finally closed. An act of acceptance-transfer of the building and church property from the parish council was drawn up. The cathedral’s property, according to the inventory, mostly passed under the jurisdiction of the State Fund.

On February 14, 1930, an anti-religious rally was held on Anchor Square. Bells and crosses were removed from the cathedral.

After closure, the cathedral was converted into the Maxim Gorky cinema, and because of this, the church building was nicknamed “Maximka.” The gold leaf was removed from the domes, gilded parts of icons were broken off, the marble iconostasis was dismantled, mosaic icons were plastered over, frescoes were painted over, relics from the naval glory gallery and all church property were taken out. Marble memorial plaques commemorating the fallen Russian naval servicemen and naval clergy were dismantled from the gallery and altar walls and used in the construction of utility buildings. During the Great Patriotic War, an observation and correction post for ship and shore artillery of Kronstadt was placed in the space under the dome. Several artillery shells hit the cathedral during bombardments. During restoration completed in 2013, it was decided to preserve in the northern part of the Naval Cathedral the trace of an unexploded German bomb that pierced the dome and fell onto the granite floor in 1943.

In 1956, a club of the Kronstadt fortress and a concert hall with 1,250 seats and a theatrical stage appeared in the cathedral building.

At that time, visitors entering the church would not see its former splendor and grandeur. After the 1954 reconstruction, the central hall was divided by a suspended ceiling, and only one-third of the volume was used. The arcades of the second-floor galleries reminded of the former magnificence—then they served as the balcony of the concert hall.

The Byzantine ornamentation on the vaults, the colonnade of artificial marble, and the openwork capitals were preserved. A theatrical stage was installed in place of the iconostasis. A narrow staircase led to the space under the dome, but no one went there; it was neglected. Wind blew through broken windows, rain poured in, and the stars visible on the dome could be mistaken for real ones. For many decades, pigeons settled here. Only on the cracked wall was the weather-faded face of a cherub visible…

In 1974, a branch of the Central Naval Museum opened in the cathedral.

The Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral was originally conceived as a memorial church for all sailors who had ever died. Inside, there were black and white marble plaques. The black ones bore the names of naval officers who died in battle and in the line of duty; lower ranks were not named individually but counted collectively, except for those who performed outstanding feats and whose names were recorded separately. The white marble plaques, located in the altar, bore the names of clergy who served on naval vessels and died at sea. The white and black marble plaques, preserving the memory of the feats of Russian sailors of all fleets and flotillas, were removed and used for utility needs—electrical panels, steps, tombstones, and more.

In 2002, an Orthodox cross was installed on the cathedral bell tower. Restoration continued in the Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral. Successful negotiations took place between the naval department and the Russian Orthodox Church regarding the transfer of the Naval Cathedral to church jurisdiction. On December 19, 2005, the first liturgy in 75 years was held.

On April 19, 2012, Patriarch Kirill performed the rite of minor consecration of the cathedral in the presence of President Dmitry Medvedev. Restoration work continued until spring 2013, with plans to hold services on weekends and holidays. However, in June 2013, problems with access to the church remained due to the unclear legal status of the building.

As part of the restoration, masters from Zlatoust—Alexander, Nina, and Denis Lokhtachev—crafted a silver holy water chalice based on Vasily Kosyakov’s sketches. The ornament on the chalice was made considering the style and techniques of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The chalice weighed more than 11 kg.

On May 28, 2013, on the day commemorating the holy blessed Tsarevich Dmitry of Uglich and Moscow, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and Patriarch Kirill performed the rite of great consecration of the Kronstadt Naval Cathedral. As a gift to the cathedral, Patriarch Kirill presented the icon of the Resurrection of Lazarus and the trowel held by Saint Righteous John of Kronstadt when laying the foundation of the Kronstadt Naval Cathedral on September 1 (14), 1902. On behalf of benefactors, relics of St. Nicholas and myrrh from Bari, a copy of the lamp found in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Bari, relics of the twelve apostles, and a fragment of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord were transferred to the cathedral. The next day, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church granted the cathedral stavropegial status, befitting the main church of the Russian fleet.

The St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral is built in the Neo-Byzantine style. Overall, the church repeats the volumetric and planning structure of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople. This is evident in all the main elements of the Kronstadt church—the arrangement of the central dome on a low drum with many windows, supported inside by four arches spanning between giant corner pylons, the presence of side semi-domes to the east and west, one of which (the eastern) flows into three smaller apsidal semi-domes. In a somewhat modified but recognizable form, the two-tier colonnades of the side naves, characteristic of Hagia Sophia, are also present in the Kronstadt church.

The frescoes and mosaics on the facades and interiors of the Naval Cathedral were also executed under the influence of Byzantine art samples. At the same time, the appearance of the Naval Cathedral includes clear quotations from medieval Western European (Romanesque and partly Gothic) architecture: two bell tower towers on the main western facade, a triple perspective portal (also there), large round windows in the center of the side facades. A unique feature of the Naval Cathedral, compared to Byzantine churches, is the extensive basement crypt. The motif of gilded relief decoration of the domes traces back to Russian Baroque temple buildings designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli.

In absolute dimensions, the Kronstadt church is somewhat smaller than its Byzantine prototype. For comparison: the diameter of the dome of Hagia Sophia is 31 meters, while the diameter of the Naval Cathedral dome is 26.7 meters; the height of both buildings is 56 and 52 meters respectively; the length is 81 and 83 meters respectively; the width is 72 and 64 meters. Additionally, note that the side of the under-dome square in the interior is 24 meters; the spans of the main arches are 23 meters; the height to the base of the main dome is 52 meters. The total height of the Naval Cathedral with the cross is 75.3 meters. It is the tallest building in Kronstadt.

The facades of the cathedral are faced with brick and terracotta and decorated with granite plinths and portal columns, as well as, in small amounts, majolica and mosaics. The icons on the facades were made in Frolov’s mosaic workshop:

The central western portal is decorated with mosaic images of the Holy Mandylion (Image of Edessa), two scenes from the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, symbols of the evangelists, and ornaments.

Above the side portals of the main entrance are icons of the saints to whom the chapels are dedicated:

on the left — the holy apostles Peter and Paul;

on the right — St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. John of Rila.

Above the northern portal — an image of the Mother of God;

Above the southern portal — St. Mitrophan.

The main dome and the bell tower domes are decorated with copper relief ornaments gilded by mordant. In the eastern part, there are two more entrances intended for the clergy, with richly decorated bronze ornamented doors. The main internal space is dominated by the central dome with a diameter of about 27 meters. The under-dome space is surrounded by two-tier gallery choirs. Painting was only in the altar, pendentives, and on the vaults of the northern and southern choirs by artist Vasilyev. The design was executed partly as mosaics, partly as frescoes. During restoration, it was decided to complete the painting.

The rest of the church was painted in a uniform color. The choirs are supported by columns topped with capitals and, like the casings of the internal door openings, covered with artificial marble. The cornices are covered with stucco ornaments. The walls in the lower part were surrounded by a high panel of colored marble, where names of fallen naval ranks were supposed to be inscribed on black boards.

The floor was paved with small marble in a thin copper frame and decorated with mosaic figures of fish and jellyfish, images of marine plants and ships. The ornament of the floor is geometric and consists of rhombuses, squares, and triangles. In the eastern part of the choir were the ceremonial sacristy and a place for the choir. Icons from decommissioned ships were also kept there. On the first floor were the sacristy and library.

The huge round windows of the church, reminiscent of portholes, were decorated with stained glass. All glasswork in the church was done by the Northern Glass Industry Society, meaning the stained glass was created by the famous workshop owned by the Frank brothers. It is not yet established who designed and assembled the giant glass panels a hundred years ago. There were five stained glass windows in total; two were of incredible size—each covering 52 square meters—and were proportionate to the entire grand interior. These round windows were undoubtedly the largest stained glass windows in pre-revolutionary Russia at the time of their installation in 1913.

The western window depicting the “Deesis” was recreated based on a surviving black-and-white photograph. Three figures in the canonical composition—Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and John the Baptist—are executed in the spirit of the works of Viktor Vasnetsov, the most popular and sought-after church artist in the early 20th century. Two other windows on the first tier: “Crucifixion with the Saints” on the northern side and “Miraculous Catch” on the southern—were newly created in accordance with the spirit of the era and the stylistics of early 20th-century church wall painting.

The recreation of these huge glass panels in 2011–2012 was carried out by the St. Petersburg workshop of Alexey Yakovlev. The Naval Cathedral is a monument to all ranks of the Russian fleet, whose base in Kronstadt was established by Peter I.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_St._Nicholas_Cathedral_(Kronstadt)