77. Religion in Russia
Recent surveys have shown over 70% of Russians now affiliate with the Russian Orthodox church, but most do not regularly go to church. Although the "babushka" contingent is always well represented in each church I've visited, every generation is present and men and women are there in roughly equal proportions. I have seen only a few people praying in some of the smaller churches, but dozens of worshipers have been present in some of the larger churches (not counting the obvious tourists). Common sights among the faithful whenever I've gone inside any of these impressive buildings include quiet prayer as well as bowing, kissing icons displayed on walls or on lecterns, and purchasing/lighting prayer candles.
In Russia (like most places, I would assume), visitors are welcome to take as many pictures as they'd like in churches that are now primarily tourist destinations, or at least, during times in which worshipers are not present. In churches still in active use, photography is often limited or even prohibited. Most of these churches usually have more worshipers than tourists inside, even when an official service is not in progress.
I have been inside a variety of places of worship in central St. Petersburg that aren't as welcoming to cameras as Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood or St. Isaac's Cathedral. Some of them have been smaller chapels, but many are monumental churches and cathedrals. Kazan Cathedral, Vladimiriskaya Church, and the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral have been among the most noteworthy.
Kazan Cathedral was built in the first decade of the 19th century and is a strong presence along Nevsky Prospekt. It is considered an architectural landmark in the city. This is primarily due to the rather unusual feature of the semi-circle of columns that spread from either side of the main building. I only took one discreet interior shot here, from the back of the nave and far removed from the numerous faithful lined up in the transept in front of the iconostasis.
The Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is an 18th century church just across the street from my supermarket and the closest Metro station to the Tolstoy House. It's the neighborhood church that Fyodor Dostoevsky attended, and in fact is only a block from the Dostoevsky House museum. The golden domes are currently being renovated and restored. The interior (located on the second floor) is deceptively small compared with the imposing edifice, but there are beautiful icons throughout. A matching tower is located just to the north.
The St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral (also known as the Sailor's Cathedral) dates to the 1760s and is visible from a few places in the southwest part of the city center. It's not quite on a major tourist route, but is close to the well-known Mariinsky Theater. For such a large church, this has a rather small interior for the first floor church - the ceiling is not of an especially noteworthy height, so I don't know why the architect bothered to design such an impressively tall edifice. There is apparently a second floor church as well, but I did not see where the access point was. It seems that the Naval Cathedral may be more active than other churches, because just inside the entrance was a rope preventing tourists from progressing further inside and disturbing the prayers of the faithful.
In Russia (like most places, I would assume), visitors are welcome to take as many pictures as they'd like in churches that are now primarily tourist destinations, or at least, during times in which worshipers are not present. In churches still in active use, photography is often limited or even prohibited. Most of these churches usually have more worshipers than tourists inside, even when an official service is not in progress.
I have been inside a variety of places of worship in central St. Petersburg that aren't as welcoming to cameras as Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood or St. Isaac's Cathedral. Some of them have been smaller chapels, but many are monumental churches and cathedrals. Kazan Cathedral, Vladimiriskaya Church, and the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral have been among the most noteworthy.
Kazan Cathedral was built in the first decade of the 19th century and is a strong presence along Nevsky Prospekt. It is considered an architectural landmark in the city. This is primarily due to the rather unusual feature of the semi-circle of columns that spread from either side of the main building. I only took one discreet interior shot here, from the back of the nave and far removed from the numerous faithful lined up in the transept in front of the iconostasis.
The Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is an 18th century church just across the street from my supermarket and the closest Metro station to the Tolstoy House. It's the neighborhood church that Fyodor Dostoevsky attended, and in fact is only a block from the Dostoevsky House museum. The golden domes are currently being renovated and restored. The interior (located on the second floor) is deceptively small compared with the imposing edifice, but there are beautiful icons throughout. A matching tower is located just to the north.
The St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral (also known as the Sailor's Cathedral) dates to the 1760s and is visible from a few places in the southwest part of the city center. It's not quite on a major tourist route, but is close to the well-known Mariinsky Theater. For such a large church, this has a rather small interior for the first floor church - the ceiling is not of an especially noteworthy height, so I don't know why the architect bothered to design such an impressively tall edifice. There is apparently a second floor church as well, but I did not see where the access point was. It seems that the Naval Cathedral may be more active than other churches, because just inside the entrance was a rope preventing tourists from progressing further inside and disturbing the prayers of the faithful.
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