With a height of almost 330 feet, St. Isaac’s Cathedral is the city's second tallest building, after the Peter and Paul Cathedral. There is access to the colonnade and the observation deck, one of the most visited tourist attractions. Decoration of the cathedral’s interior required 900 pounds of gold, 16 tons of malachite, 1,100 pounds of lapis lazuli, and 1,000 tons of bronze.
The cathedral's facades are decorated with sculptures and massive granite columns (made of single pieces of red granite), while the interior is adorned with incredibly detailed mosaic icons, paintings and columns made of malachite and lapis lazuli. A large, brightly colored stained glass window of the "Resurrected Christ" takes pride of place inside the main altar. The church, designed to accommodate 14,000 standing worshipers, was closed in the early 1930s and reopened as a museum. Today, church services are held here only on major ecclesiastical occasions.
The lavish decoration inside the cathedral is in keeping with St. Isaac's elegant exterior. Various kinds of marble, malachite, lapis lazuli, jasper and other beautiful rare stones were used to decorate interiors of the building. On the walls there are exquisite paintings and also mosaic icons - a unique feature of St. Isaac's Cathedral. In the depth of the sanctuary, a stained-glass window is placed - quite a rare element for Russian religious architecture. The "Resurrected Christ" is among the largest stained-glass decorations in Europe.
Under the very roof of St. Isaac a white dove soars representing the Holy Spirit. This seemingly fragile silver-plated sculpture is about 2 m wide. Currently, church services are held in only one of the cathedral's chapels, while the main altar has been used for church services only on major religious holidays. Priority has been given to sightseeing tours.
Open: Daily 10.30 am to 6 pm. Last admission is at 5.30 pm. Evening openings of the Cathedral in the summer only (May 1 - September 30): 6 pm to 10.30 pm. Evening openings of the Colonnade in the summer only (May 1 - October 31): 6 pm to 10.30 pm. Night openings of the Colonnade in the White Nights only (June 1 - August 20): 10.30 pm to 4.30 am.
Closed: Wednesday