🏛 Kronstadt Naval Cathedral

Якорная пл., Кронштадт

A huge Neo-Byzantine church with a dome and a marble floor decorated with naval motifs.

It is the last and largest of the Russian Empire's naval cathedrals, a memorial to all sailors lost at sea.
It was built on Anchor Square, where old anchors used to be stored; Vasily Kosyakov's design was approved in 1901.
The dome was calculated to be tall enough to serve as a landmark from the sea.
The cathedral was consecrated on 10 (23) June 1913 in the presence of the emperor; construction cost 1,876,000 roubles.
In 1930 the bells and crosses were thrown down and the building became the Gorky cinema — known locally as "Maksimka".
The restoration, finished in 2013, kept the trace of an unexploded German bomb that had pierced the dome.
The first liturgy in 75 years was held here on 19 December 2005; since 2013 it has been the main church of the Russian Navy.