Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas Bell Tower - St. Petersburg, Russia
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 59° 55.331 E 030° 17.916
36V E 348996 N 6645825
Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas Bell Tower is a freestanding structure about 240' west of the cathedral and overlooking the Kryukov Canal.
Waymark Code: WMF9JP
Location: Russia
Date Posted: 09/15/2012
Views: 8
The Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas Bell Tower is a Baroque structure which matches the nearby Russian Orthodox cathedral. It is located near Kryukov Canal in the Admiralty area of St. Petersburg.
Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas is known locally as the Sailors' Cathedral. The area was originally settled by sailors and the church was used by them during the reign of Peter the Great.
Construction of this cathedral and bell tower was commissioned in 1753, by Empress Elizabeth, who was very fond of Baroque architecture. Admiralty architect Savva Chevinskiy was chosen to designed and build the cathedral. The ground where the is built was raised by six feet to protect the building from floods. The cathedral was consecrated in 1760 and officially became a naval cathedral in July 1762 by order of Catherine II.
The four storey bell tower is painted blue and white to match the church and has a golden Baroque spire which rises above the surrounding canal. The tower has a door at the ground level two openings for bells, on the second and third storeys. The second storey contains a single large church bell. The third storey appears to have about 5 smaller bells.
St. Nicholas Cathedral is one of a very few cathedrals in the city that was not closed during the Soviet era. Many, especially our local guides, consider the church and bell tower to be the most beautiful in St. Petersburg.
Address of Tower:
Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas
Nikol'skaya Ploshchad
St. Petersburg, Russia
Still Operational: yes
Number of bells in tower?: 6
Relevant website?: [Web Link]
Rate tower: 
Tours or visits allowed in tower?: Unknown
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Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the tower taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this tower and any other interesting information you learned about it while there.