The first church of the Northern capital was built by personal order of the emperor at the very beginning of the eighteenth century. And after eight years of construction, the temple was consecrated. Later, his status was increased, as a result of the Holy Trinity Cathedral became the main one in the city on the Neva. The Holy Trinity was the first heavenly patron of the Northern capital, so this temple was dedicated to her. In the history of our state, it was very significant, since it was here that the first emperor Peter the Great ascended the throne, from here all the royal decrees sounded.
The early years of the cathedral
Today
this cathedral, which gave the name of the square, does not exist. And once it was the center of city life, because it was surrounded by the main commercial and state institutions.
The first Russian emperor personally took care of him, even personally took part in its arrangement. That is why in the wooden church there was a memorial plaque stating that it was built by the emperor in honor of the victory near Vyborg over the Swedes.
The church was built by architect Domenico Trezzini. In front of this temple, for a long time, masquerades, mass festivals, parades and military shows were held. The clock was mounted on the bell tower, which was removed from the Moscow Sukharev tower.
The significance of the temple
Here, in the presence of the royal family, all significant state solemn services were held (a peace treaty with the Swedes and the end of the Northern War), and the sovereign was awarded the title of emperor. Immediately there was the funeral service of Alexei and the announcement of Tsarevich Peter as heir to the throne. For a long time the main shrine of the city, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, was in the cathedral.
The construction of a new cathedral
Being wooden, the Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg deteriorated fairly quickly. As a result, twenty-one years after the construction by the Chancellery, it was decided to remove the clocks and time bells. And after six years, due to the inability to repair, the cross, which was broken down and bent due to weather conditions, was removed. At the same time, a decree was issued on the construction of a stone church, but, unfortunately, this project was not implemented.
According to the will of Elizabeth, the cathedral was dismantled, and in its place a new church was erected according to the project of Herman van Boles. Consecrated in May 1746, the Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg was not like the one that was during the time of Peter the Great. It consisted of two log houses in two logs with a lime spill between them. The building was sheathed outside. It was painted with oil paint and plastered inside. The roof was covered with iron sheets, and the two-tier bell tower was completed with an onion head. Another dome crowned the main volume of the temple, the diameter of which was equal to its area.
Later, by order of the Chancellery, the Trinity Cathedral was surrounded by a fence that prevented cattle walking across the square. But a year and a half after the consecration, the temple burned to the ground.
Fire Recovery
Five years after the fire, Empress Elizabeth ordered the temple to be moved from the Summer Garden (material was used) to the site of the burned church. As a result, according to a drawing by van Boles, the cathedral was restored again.
The construction was carried out according to the project of Volkov, but, despite the desire to recreate the building in its original form, the Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg was significantly different from the old one in terms of internal layout and size, as well as appearance. He was much smaller than the Peter Church.
Overhaul
A hundred years after the construction of the main temple of the Northern capital, he again needed restoration. It was led by the architect Ruska, thanks to which the cathedral became warm, with double log walls, the gaps between them were filled with lime. And twenty years after this, Filippov had to repair the damage caused by the flood.
New overhaul
The Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg was restored once again on the orders of the reforming emperor Alexander II. The foundation was made of stone under the temple, and a new bell tower was built. But, at the behest of the ruler, the cathedral was to remain wooden forever.
Another fire and construction contest
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the temple again suffered from a fire that arose due to malfunction of chimneys. As a result, the bell tower and the narthex, the dome, the attic, the roof were damaged, only the altar part remained untouched. Because of the strong fire, the bells melted. After this, the services were held in a temporary temple, which stood until the very end of the restoration.
Famous architects of that time convinced the authorities of the inexpediency of rebuilding the cathedral in pre-fire form. As a result, it was decided to implement the plans that arose in past centuries on the construction of a stone church. The construction committee for its construction was headed by Prince John Konstantinovich, and the Empress personally patronized it. The masters were given an incredibly complex political and artistic task - to erect a large temple, which the country still did not have.
Six architects working in the neo-Russian style participated in the announced competition for the best project. As a result, Pokrovsky’s work was recognized as the best judge. But the final decision was still with the Empress, who delivered the projects of all authors to the Tsarskoye Selo Alexander Palace.
The funds for the restoration of the temple were allocated under the supervision of the Restoration Workshop of the Leningrad Branch of Glavnauka. And the restoration project was made by Katonin on the basis of historical documents.
For greater monumentality, the Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg received thirteen chapters, nine of which illuminated the temple, and four were reserved for the placement of bells. The main dome with a cross was thirty-five fathoms high. The facade was divided into seven clearings on each side.
As for the surviving remnants of the pre-fire church, according to the decision of the Synod, they should have been transferred under the courtyard of the Shamordinsky Kazan Amvrosinsky monastery in Strelna. This was done against the opinion of the Archaeological Commission of the emperor, but because of the poverty of this body, his opinion was not taken into account.
But six months before the revolution, John Konstantinovich refused the position of chairman of the committee. And a few days later, an unknown person made a request to the Provisional Government with a request to return the Catonin restoration project back. As a result, according to these documents, Holy Trinity Cathedral was restored in the form it was before the last fire.
Demolition of the temple
This beautiful building with a squat dome has long been a landmark of the city on the Neva and a monument to its social and spiritual life. Despite the recent restoration, the temple was closed, and a few years later, by the decision of the Regional Executive Committee, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was dismantled. St. Petersburg with its Troitskaya Square was re-planned over time, and a new building with a surrounding lawn was built on the site of the once-standing church.
About twenty years ago, the idea of rebuilding the temple was actively discussed, but a number of reasons prevented its implementation. At the very beginning of our century, a small chapel was built on the corner of the square in honor of the Holy Trinity.