Transfiguration Square (Preobrazhenskaya Ploshchad) is one of the most typical and well-preserved parts of old St. Petersburg. Originally, this territory was given to the Guards, and barracks of Cavalry Guards Regiment and Preobrazhensky Regiment were located in the neighborhood. The center of the square became the Transfiguration Cathedral of All Guards.

It was designed by Mikhail Zemtsov and Pietro Trezzini and constructed in 1743-1754 by order of Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great, as a tribute to soldiers and officers of the Guards who had assisted her in coming to the Russian throne. This Cathedral became the main church of Preobrazhensky Regiment.

On August 20, 1825, the Cathedral was ruined by fire. To replace it, a new Cathedral was designed by Vasily Stasov – one of the most famous Russian architects, an expert in "the Empire style". This magnificent new Transfiguration Cathedral was consecrated in 1829.

The Cathedral commemorated the victory of the Russian army in the war against Turkey.

Among the objects kept in the Cathedral were Preobrazhensky Regiment uniforms of Russian Emperors and trophy banners taken by the Russian army in the 1828-1829 war against Turkey.

The Cathedral was surrounded by a cast iron fence made of 102 trophy Turkish cannons taken by the Russian army at the fortresses of Varna, Silistria and Tulcha.

The Trnsfiguration Cathedral is a five-dome church with a portico at its western side. The portico consists of four Ionic columns. The walls of the Cathedral are decorated with stucco panels showing military emblems.

The interior of the church is modest and serene. The dome is placed upon four huge pylons and painted sky-blue.

The symbol of the connection between Old Russia and New Russia, the old capital and the recently founded new capital of Russia, became the icons Our Lady of Kazan and Joy of All Who Sorrow . The icon Our Lady of Kazan was placed in the Kazan Cathedral which was constructed specially for that icon and became the principal Cathedral of St. Petersburg.

The icon Joy of All Who Sorrow is kept in the Transfiguration Cathedral. Magnificent decorations were added to this icon by Princess Natalia, Empress Catherine the Great, Countess Golovkina, Count Sheremetev and other noble people. Among the relics of the Cathedral is also the Vernicle – a 17-th century icon belonging to Peter the Great.

Assembly.M Tour Company