# Kazan Cathedral, St Petersburg > St Petersburg’s main working cathedral, set behind a sweeping curved colonnade on Nevsky Prospekt. **Entry is free** — there are no tickets. It opens at 9:00 (6:30 on Sundays) and closes after the evening service, around 20:00, every day of the week. Allow 30 minutes. Inside: the revered Kazan icon and the tomb of Field Marshal Kutuzov. Web page: https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/kazan-cathedral - City: [St Petersburg](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg), Russia - YesGo score: 72/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 30 min - Opening hours: Mon–Sat from 9:00, Sundays and church holidays from 6:30; closes after the evening service (around 20:00). Open daily - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free — it’s a working church with no tickets - Opens: Mon–Sat 9:00, Sunday 6:30 - Closes: After the evening service, usually around 20:00 - Liturgy: Mon–Sat 10:00; Sundays and holidays 7:00 and 10:00 - Evening service: Daily at 18:00 - Cathedral’s own tours: Daily 12:00–17:00, in Russian; groups book by phone - Dress code: Women: headscarf and a skirt below the knee; men: no hats; shoulders covered, no shorts - Photos: Phone only, no flash, no tripods or selfie sticks; none during services - Bags: Max 30 × 20 × 15 cm; no food, drinks or ice cream - Metro: Nevsky Prospekt / Gostiny Dvor, ≈ 3 min walk - Coordinates: 59.93423, 30.32459 - Facts checked: 29.10.2026 ## Key facts - **Free** — to enter — it is the working mother cathedral of the St Petersburg diocese (source: Official website of Kazan Cathedral; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1813** — Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, who fought Napoleon, was buried here (source: Official website of Kazan Cathedral; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1801–1811** — built to Andrey Voronikhin’s design for the city’s copy of the Kazan icon (source: Official website of Kazan Cathedral; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **71.5 m** — high to the top of the cross (source: Official website of Kazan Cathedral; English Wikipedia gives 71.6 m) - **96 columns** — in four rows form the curved colonnade facing Nevsky (source: Russian Wikipedia; the cathedral’s own site counts 94, or 136 with the side porticoes) - **1837** — Boris Orlovsky’s statues of Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly put up in front (source: Official website of Kazan Cathedral; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1932** — closed and turned into the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1579** — the Kazan icon of the Mother of God was found in the city of Kazan — hence the name (source: Official website of Kazan Cathedral; Russian Wikipedia) - **17.7 m** — across, the iron dome sits over two brick inner domes (source: Russian Wikipedia; official website of Kazan Cathedral) ## Is Kazan Cathedral free to enter? **Yes, completely.** Kazan Cathedral is a working Orthodox church, not a museum, so there is no ticket desk and no entry fee. Candles are sold at the church shop by the door; buying one is optional. That makes it the easiest of St Petersburg’s big cathedrals to drop into. The only paid option is a tour. The cathedral’s own guides work daily from 12:00 to 17:00, in Russian, and some tours include the small museum in the crypt. Outside guides aren’t allowed to lead groups inside without permission, so tours by outside companies often tell the story on the square in front. Where payment does matter — tours, candles, cafés nearby — remember that Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad have not worked in Russia since March 2022. Carry roubles in cash. ## Kazan Cathedral opening hours The cathedral is **open every day**. Doors open at **9:00 Monday to Saturday** and at **6:30 on Sundays** and church holidays, for the early liturgy. It closes once the evening service ends — usually around 20:00 — so don’t count on getting in after 19:30. For a quiet look around, go on a weekday between 12:00 and 17:00: the morning liturgy (10:00) is over and the evening service (18:00) hasn’t started. Sunday mornings and big feast days are the busiest, above all the feast of the Kazan icon on 4 November, a public holiday in Russia. Services are part of the visit, not a reason to stay away. You can stand quietly at the back — just don’t take photos and don’t walk around during the liturgy. > **Dress code: stricter than most tourist churches** The cathedral’s rules ask women to cover their hair and men to take off hats. Shoulders and cleavage must be covered. Shorts, short skirts — and, by the written rules, women’s trousers — are not acceptable. Bring a scarf and a light wrap skirt; that solves everything in a few seconds. ## Is Kazan Cathedral worth visiting? Yes — as a stop of 20–30 minutes on your walk down [Nevsky Prospekt](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/nevsky-prospect), it is excellent value: free, central and open daily. The colonnade alone is one of the defining views of the city, and the interior, lined with granite columns, feels more like a Roman basilica than a typical Russian church. What it isn’t: a museum. You won’t find mosaics like at the [Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/church-of-the-savior-on-spilled-blood) or a viewing deck like at [St Isaac’s Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/st-isaacs-cathedral). If you only have time for one paid church, pick one of those — and still step into Kazan Cathedral on the way, because it costs nothing. ## What to see inside and outside - **The colonnade** — 96 columns in four rows curving towards Nevsky. It hides a clever trick: an Orthodox altar must face east, so the cathedral stands side-on to the avenue, and Voronikhin turned that side into the grand entrance. - **The Kazan icon of the Mother of God** — the city’s most revered icon, to the left of the main iconostasis doors. You’ll see people queuing to light candles in front of it. - **Kutuzov’s tomb** — in the north chapel, under captured French banners. Kutuzov commanded the Russian army against Napoleon in 1812; Pushkin wrote a poem standing here. - **The interior** — four rows of monolithic granite columns divide the space into three naves, a layout borrowed from Rome. - **Statues of Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly** at the ends of the colonnade — bronze by Boris Orlovsky, 1837. - **Bronze saints in the colonnade niches** — Vladimir, Andrew, John the Baptist and Alexander Nevsky, by Martos, Pimenov and Demut-Malinovsky. - **The little garden with a granite fountain** by the west front — the quietest bench on Nevsky. ## How to get to Kazan Cathedral 1. Take the metro to **Nevsky Prospekt** (Line 2, blue) or **Gostiny Dvor** (Line 3, green) — they are one interchange. Use the Griboyedov Canal exit, cross Nevsky and you are at the colonnade in about 3 minutes. 2. From **Palace Square**, walk east along Nevsky away from the Admiralty spire: about 900 m, 12–15 minutes. The cathedral is on your right, past the pink Stroganov Palace and the Moika bridge. 3. From **Admiralteyskaya** (Line 5, purple), walk down Malaya Morskaya to Nevsky and turn right — about 10 minutes. 4. From the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, follow the [Griboyedov Canal](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/griboyedov-canal) south to Nevsky, 7–8 minutes; from St Isaac’s Cathedral, about 15 minutes on foot. 5. Signs and announcements are in Cyrillic: Nevsky Prospekt is «Невский проспект», Gostiny Dvor «Гостиный двор», Admiralteyskaya «Адмиралтейская». Skip the car — central parking is paid and almost always full. ## A short history Emperor Paul I wanted a cathedral on Nevsky that would echo St Peter’s in Rome, with a single dome and a sweeping colonnade. The design went to **Andrey Voronikhin**, a former serf of Count Stroganov. Built between **1801 and 1811** almost entirely from Russian stone, it was consecrated on 15 (27) September 1811 and was then the largest church in the city. A year later Napoleon invaded. Kutuzov prayed here before leaving for the army, and in June **1813** he was buried inside. Captured banners and the keys of taken towns and fortresses were hung on the walls, turning the church into a war memorial; the statues out front followed in **1837**. In **1932** the Soviets closed the cathedral and opened a Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism here. Services returned in the 1990s, and the building is again the cathedral of the St Petersburg diocese. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Headscarf for women; shoulders and knees covered - [ ] Wrap skirt or scarf instead of shorts or trousers - [ ] Bag no bigger than 30 × 20 × 15 cm - [ ] No coffee, water bottle or ice cream in hand - [ ] Phone on silent, flash off - [ ] Arrive before 19:30 — it closes after the evening service - [ ] Roubles in cash — foreign Visa and Mastercard don’t work in Russia ## Kazan Cathedral vs St Isaac’s vs Spilled Blood | | Kazan Cathedral | St Isaac’s Cathedral | Savior on Spilled Blood | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Working church, Kutuzov’s tomb | Museum and church, the city’s largest | Memorial church-museum, mosaics | | Entry | Free | 700 ₽, colonnade another 700 ₽ | 700 ₽ | | Closed | Never | Wednesday | Wednesday | | View from the top | No | Yes, from the colonnade | No | | Time needed | 30 min | 1–1.5 h | 45 min–1 h | Kazan Cathedral is free and on your way, so see it regardless. For the interior of a lifetime choose Spilled Blood; for the city view, St Isaac’s. On a Wednesday it’s the only one of the three that’s open. ## St Petersburg’s churches compared Every church and cathedral in St Petersburg rated by YesGo. - [Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/church-of-the-savior-on-spilled-blood) — YesGo score 75/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · 700 ₽, under 7 free - [Peter and Paul Fortress](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/peter-and-paul-fortress) — YesGo score 74/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Grounds free, cathedral 1,000 ₽ - [Kazan Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/kazan-cathedral) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [St Isaac's Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/st-isaacs-cathedral) — YesGo score 69/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · 700 ₽, colonnade 700 ₽ - [Kronstadt](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/kronstadt) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Free, museums extra - [Alexander Nevsky Lavra](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/alexander-nevsky-lavra) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free, necropolises 200–400 ₽ ## Three cathedrals in half a day Start at St Isaac’s and climb the colonnade, walk to Palace Square, down Nevsky to Kazan Cathedral, then along the canal to the Savior on Spilled Blood. 1. [St Isaac's Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/st-isaacs-cathedral) — YesGo score 69/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · 700 ₽, colonnade 700 ₽ 2. [Palace Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/palace-square) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free 3. [Kazan Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/kazan-cathedral) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free 4. [Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood](https://yesgo.io/russia/saint-petersburg/church-of-the-savior-on-spilled-blood) — YesGo score 75/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · 700 ₽, under 7 free > **The best photo is from across Nevsky** To get the whole colonnade in one frame, cross the avenue and stand by the Singer House with its glass globe on the roof. After dark the colonnade is floodlit — come back in the evening if you can. ## Good to know Locals call it Kazansky Sobor (Казанский собор). It has nothing to do with the city of Kazan except the icon, which was found there in 1579. Don’t confuse it with the much smaller Kazan Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow. ## Tips - In 30 minutes: the colonnade from outside → the Kazan icon left of the iconostasis doors → Kutuzov’s tomb → the two statues on the square. - Walking Nevsky Prospekt? Step in for 10 minutes even if churches aren’t your thing — it’s free and right on your route. - The building makes far more sense with a guide: the serf architect, the war trophies and the icon turn “a nice colonnade” into a story. - For coffee with a view of the colonnade, try the café in the Singer House across the road. - On Wednesdays, when St Isaac’s and Spilled Blood are closed, Kazan Cathedral keeps its usual hours. ## Questions ### Is Kazan Cathedral in St Petersburg free? Yes. It’s a working church, so there are no tickets and no entry fee. Only guided tours are paid. ### What are Kazan Cathedral’s opening hours? It’s open daily: from 9:00 Monday to Saturday and from 6:30 on Sundays and church holidays, closing after the evening service, around 20:00. ### What is the dress code at Kazan Cathedral? Women cover their hair and wear a skirt below the knee; men remove hats. Shoulders must be covered and shorts aren’t allowed. Bring a scarf and a wrap skirt. ### Can you take photos inside Kazan Cathedral? Yes, with your phone and without flash. No photos during services, no shots of the clergy without permission, and no tripods or selfie sticks. ### Who is buried in Kazan Cathedral? Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, who led the Russian army against Napoleon. He was buried in the north chapel in 1813, beneath captured French banners. ### How long do you need at Kazan Cathedral? About 30 minutes is enough for the interior, the icon, Kutuzov’s tomb and the colonnade. With a guided tour, allow an hour. ### What is the nearest metro to Kazan Cathedral? Nevsky Prospekt (Line 2) and Gostiny Dvor (Line 3), one interchange about 3 minutes away. Admiralteyskaya (Line 5) is about a 10-minute walk. ### Who designed Kazan Cathedral? Andrey Voronikhin, a former serf of Count Stroganov. It was built in 1801–1811, modelled on St Peter’s in Rome. ### Can you climb Kazan Cathedral? No — there is no viewing deck. For a view over Nevsky and the cathedral’s dome, climb the colonnade of St Isaac’s Cathedral. ## How we checked Opening times, the service schedule, dress, photo and bag rules and tour hours come from the cathedral’s official website; its October 2026 timetable matches the regular schedule. The site gives no fixed closing time — only “after the evening service”; around 20:00 comes from travel guides, so that row is marked as being checked. Sources differ on numbers: the cathedral’s site gives a height of 71.5 m, English Wikipedia 71.6 m; Russian Wikipedia counts 96 columns in the Nevsky colonnade, the cathedral’s site 94 (136 with the south and west porticoes). The year the church was returned to the Orthodox Church differs too (1996 or 2000), so we say “the 1990s”. Sources give different counts of the fortress keys, so we leave the number out. On the viewing deck: the cathedral’s site offers no climb and no guide mentions one. Walking times are our estimate from the map. ## Sources - Official website of Kazan Cathedral, St Petersburg: about the cathedral, service schedule, visitor rules, tours, contacts, 29.10.2026 - Official website of Kazan Cathedral: construction history, architecture, war memorial, the Kazan icon - English Wikipedia: Kazan Cathedral, Saint Petersburg; Russian Wikipedia: Kazan Cathedral (Saint Petersburg); Wikidata Q404571 - Visa and Mastercard statements on suspending operations in Russia, March 2022 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.