The Kazan Cathedral (the Cathedral of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan) is one of the most beautiful churches of St. Petersburg. Its main facade faces Nevsky Prospect and contributes to the excellent panorama of the city's main street. Previously, a small brick church designed by Mikhail Zemtsov and constructed in 1733-1737 was in this part of Nevsky Prospect, near Yekaterininsky Canal. When the construction of the Cathedral began, the small church was demolished, as well as some other adjoining buildings, and a spacious square appeared in this part of the city.

A render was announced among architects for the best design of the new Cathedral, and it was Andrei Voronikhin who won the tender. In 1799, his design was officially approved for implementation. The construction of the building began on August 27, 1801. It took ten years to build the Cathedral.

The building resembles the buildings of European Classicism and, in particular, St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. At the same time, traces of the early 19-th -century Russian architecture, with its elements of eclectics and Classicism, can be seen. The Cathedral is famous for its huge semicircular colonnade consisting of 96 thirteen-meter high Corinthian columns. These columns were made of huge blocks of stone brought from the Gatchina quarry located in the environs of St. Petersburg.

Sculptures play an important part in the outdoor decoration of the Cathedral. The relief panel above the eastern entrance was made by Ivan Martos, the relief panel above the western entrance – by Ivan Prokofyev. The frieze of the attic of the church conch was made by Jean Rachette.

In 1812, after the victory in the war against Napoleon, the Cathedral became the place where trophy banners and keys of the cities conquered by the Russian army were kept. Field marshal Mikhail Kutuzov was buried here, in the Cathedral. His statue can be seen near the Kazan Cathedral, as well as the statue of Barkly de Tolli who had commanded the Russian army before Mikhail Kutuzov. Both statues are by the sculptor Boris Orlovsky.

After the 1917 revolution, the Divine service in the Cathedral was forbidden and the Cathedral became the State property.

In 1932, the Museum of History of Religion and Atheism at the USSR Academy of Sciences was founded in the Cathedral. It became the center of atheist propaganda, but also a major museum with rich collections, including authentic relics, works of art, documents.

In 1999, by order of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, the Kazan Cathedral was consecrated again and was restored in its status of a major Cathedral. It is one of the most popular and most important churches of St. Petersburg. The Divine service in this Cathedral is often conducted by the highest clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church.

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