Saint Isaac's Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia is the largest cathedral in the city and was the largest church in Russia when it was built. It was dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great who had been born on the feast day of that saint. This photo was taken at the top of the dome, overlooking Saint Petersburg. The severe neoclassical exterior expresses a traditional Russian-Byzantine formula: a Greek-cross groundplan with a large central dome and four subsidiary domes. It is similar to Andrea Palladio's Villa La Rotonda, with a full dome on a high drum substituted for the Villa's low central saucer dome. The exterior, which barely hints at the riotously rich interior, is faced with gray and pink stone, and features a total of 112 red granite columns with Corinthian capitals, each hewn and erected as a single block: 48 at ground level, 24 on the rotunda of the uppermost dome, 8 on each of four side domes, and 2 framing each of four windows. The rotunda is encircled by a walkway accessible to tourists. 24 statues gaze down from the roof, and another 24 from the top of the rotunda. Though I don't have a photo of the interior I found it to be one of the best looking cathedrals I have seen...on the inside. Spacious, well light or at lest better than most cathedrals and richly decorated. If you go to St. Petersburg I highly recommend you see this.
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