187. Transfiguration Cathedral
The Transfiguration Cathedral is located on the north side of the city center, a 10-15 minute walk up from Nevsky Prospekt. It is not in the part of town frequented by tourists, but is located just off Liteyniy Prospekt, one of the busier streets in this area.
The original Baroque church building in this spot was constructed between 1743 and 1754, but it mostly burned down in 1825. It was reconstructed from 1827-1829, and that is the Transfiguration Cathedral building that stands today. The fence surrounding the church is one of its most impressive features. It was installed in 1832-1833 as a monument to Russia's victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, and includes 102 Turkish cannons captured during that conflict. They are linked together by large chains, and iron and gold double-headed eagles stand watch atop the largest cannons (although, as a symbol of Tsarist rule in Russia, they were removed after the Revolution and not returned until almost a century later). Unlike most other places of worship in St. Petersburg, the Transfiguration Cathedral operated as a church continuously throughout the Soviet period.
Not counting the numerous "regular" churches I've visited in St. Petersburg, I believe it is the ninth cathedral that I've visited in the city (after seeing the Cathedrals of Saints Peter and Paul, Saint Isaac's, Kazan, Smolny, Trinity, Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas, and the Stavropegial Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt). The main difference between the two categories is that cathedrals are where a bishop is seated, so a cathedral serves as the central church of a diocese. As such, the design and decorations tend to be larger and more impressive than churches without bishops in residence, but that is not always strictly the case.
When I first visited this church in the middle of November, the entire upper part of the building was covered in scaffolding. When I came back for a second visit a month later, the renovation project was complete and all the scaffolds had been removed. This was one of the first renovation projects that I saw completed in 2017; many more scaffolds went up than came down in central St. Petersburg last year.
The original Baroque church building in this spot was constructed between 1743 and 1754, but it mostly burned down in 1825. It was reconstructed from 1827-1829, and that is the Transfiguration Cathedral building that stands today. The fence surrounding the church is one of its most impressive features. It was installed in 1832-1833 as a monument to Russia's victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, and includes 102 Turkish cannons captured during that conflict. They are linked together by large chains, and iron and gold double-headed eagles stand watch atop the largest cannons (although, as a symbol of Tsarist rule in Russia, they were removed after the Revolution and not returned until almost a century later). Unlike most other places of worship in St. Petersburg, the Transfiguration Cathedral operated as a church continuously throughout the Soviet period.
Not counting the numerous "regular" churches I've visited in St. Petersburg, I believe it is the ninth cathedral that I've visited in the city (after seeing the Cathedrals of Saints Peter and Paul, Saint Isaac's, Kazan, Smolny, Trinity, Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas, and the Stavropegial Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt). The main difference between the two categories is that cathedrals are where a bishop is seated, so a cathedral serves as the central church of a diocese. As such, the design and decorations tend to be larger and more impressive than churches without bishops in residence, but that is not always strictly the case.
When I first visited this church in the middle of November, the entire upper part of the building was covered in scaffolding. When I came back for a second visit a month later, the renovation project was complete and all the scaffolds had been removed. This was one of the first renovation projects that I saw completed in 2017; many more scaffolds went up than came down in central St. Petersburg last year.
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