St Petersburg Mosque

7 Kronverksky Prospekt

Moslems have lived in St Petersburg since the foundation of the city on the mouth of the Neva River. Tatars from Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Kasimov were first brought to the city by the order of Peter the Great. The Tatars worked on the construction of the city and in half a year some of them earned enough money to build their own houses. This is how the Tatar Sloboda (settlement) and Tatar Market emerged opposite the Kronverk of Peter and Paul Fortress.

Despite the presence of Moslems in St. Petersburg, the permission to build the city's first mosque was not granted until July of 1907 when Emperor Nikolay II gave permission for the construction of the mosque. The following autumn the construction project was approved. The building of St. Petersburg's mosque was planned by both the architect Nickolay Vasiliev and engineer Stepan Krichinsky and supervised by the academic, Alexander von Gogen. According to the plans the inside and outside decoration of the Mosque would repeat the original style of The Central Asian Mosque of the Tamerlan epoch. The facade would combine both gorgeous asian ornaments and turquoise mosaic.

The opening ceremony of the building took place on February 3, 1910. The mosque has been visited by prominent Moslem figures such as Emir of Bukhara, ambassadors of Turkey and Persia, the head of Moslem party in the State Duma, and others.

The Synagogue

2 Lermonovsky Prospekt

The Big Choral Synagogue is one of the most beautiful Synagogues in Russia and Europe. It is located in the picturesque city district next to The Mariinsky Theatre and State Conservatory. Situated in the historic center of St.Petersburg, it is an architectural monument of federal importance and a major tourist attraction. The Synagogue has a number of qualified guides on staff and inside the building there is a photo exhibition dedicated to its history. Those who are interested in the past and present lives of St.Petersburg Jews are welcome to go on a tour.

The Synagogue is 47 meters high, with the total area equaling 3200 square meters. It was built in the Moresque style, and its characteristic features are the grand horseshoe arch of the main portal, the lattice window crosses, and the elegant minarets. The Synagogue's hall accommodates 1200 parishoners. From three sides it is encircled by women's galleries and above the main entrance there is an organ balcony. In the eastern part of the hall there is the Ark of the Covenant (Aron Codesh) where the Pentateuch scrolls are kept. An eternal candle (Neir Tomid) shimmers in the altar arch. The ornamented wooden balustrade fences in the Bima-dais from which the Tora is read during divine services.

The Buddhist Temple

91 Primorsky Prospekt

There is a building located in the Staraya Derevnia area that will immediately catch your eye. It stands out because of its architecture, dimensions, and symbolism. It is the Buddhist Temple, the only one in all of Russia that fully corresponds to the Tibetan canon. Its northern wall is a monolith, and the southern facade is decorated with a four-pillar portico. The granite coating along with glazed bricks and gilding, integrate the severe beauty of Tibetan architecture and the elegance of the European modernist style of the beginning of the 20th century. The entrance to the temple is at its southern side based on traditional placrment. Visitors who enter the building first finds themselves in the main hall which is naturally lit through the special glassed-in bay in the ceiling. The northern part of the temple (Gonkam) is where the altar is situated. The Gonkam is considered to be the most sacred place. In front of the altar there is a throne for the Head Lama; the seats for the rest of the religious leaders are between columns along the walls. All of the elements depicting traditional buddhist symbolism were made in East Tibet and given to the temple in 1915. The construction of the temple was completed in 1913. The same year the first service took place, it was dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. The ceremony of the temple's concecration was held in 1915. It was attended by Dalai Lama XIII, the King of Siam Pama IV Vachirowooda, and representatives of the Russian government. The ceremony was conducted by the temple's senior, lama Agwan Dorjiev.