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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



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magnificence at these points arises from local considerations, as 

 facinff more important appioaches ami more imposing public 

 edifices. The bases of the cohimns of these porticoes, as also the 

 CJipitals, are of hron/.e; the shafts 6ft. Gin. in diameter, 11 feet 

 apart, and 45 ft. (i in. hijrli, {livinjf a total lieiglit to tlie columns, 

 including the base and the capital, of 5(i ft. (i in. The entablature 

 is 14 ft. (i in. high: together 71 feet. Each portico is surmounted 

 by a pediment, crowned by statues; and the summit and aeroteria, 

 and the tym))anum, are enriched with bronze groups. This order 

 runs round the whole e.\terior of the church, and has above it a 

 double attic, equal in height to half that of the entire principal 

 order — an enormous disproportion, which renders the building top- 

 heavy, and tends to detract from the vastness of the order beneath. 

 It is most likely that the arcliitect may have adopted this lofty 

 attic to hide the roof; liut the expedient has been more destructive 

 to the eflfect of the building than the apprehended unsightliness of 

 the roof. 



We will now enter the church under the western portico, and 

 immediately we are admitted into a vestibule, similar to the 

 narthex of the ancient Christian temple, with smaller vestibules 

 to the right and left, which are surmounted by the steeples already 

 alluded to. There is a centre nave, 43 feet wide, 175 ft. 6 in. long, 

 upto the iconostasis,and presenting a total length, from the inside of 

 the eastern to the inside of the western wall, of about 278 feet. 

 The greatest width inside between the walls is 153 feet. 



The grand iconostasis, of white marble, rises up and forms the 

 altar-screen, or image-hearer, in front of the large piers which 

 terminate the eastern arm of the cross. It is 150 feet wide and 

 70 feet high. 



Three steps lead up to the level of the altar platform. There 

 are three lofty circular-headed doorways, about 14 feet wide by 

 34 feet high. Tlie ]iriiu'ipal order is 46 feet high, the eight Co- 

 rinthian columns 37 ft. 6 in. high, the shafts and those of the ])ilas- 

 ters are fluted, and consist of exquisitely inlaid malachite from the 

 province of I'erm, discovered in 1831 in a copper mine of M. 

 Demidof, the largest seam ever known, being 17 ft. 6 in. long, 

 8 ft. 2 in. wide, and 4 ft. 6 in. high; the weight of which mass has 

 been calculated at 120,000 lb., or 50 tons. The bases and capitals 

 are of bronze gilt — I should state that there is a cylinder of cast- 

 iron to each column, forming a core, covered by a b:"ass cylinder, 

 to which the malachite is attached, the pieces being fitted with 

 such exquisite skill that the columns and pilasters appear to be of 

 one enormous block. The whole iconostasis has incrustations of 

 porphyry, jasper, malachite, and other jirecious stones of tlie 

 country. An attic 20 feet high rises above the order, which in the 

 centre is again surmounted by a supplementary attic, flanked by 

 two angels, and forming the pedestal upon which is raised the 

 cross, with a group of angels at the base in the attitude of ])rayer, 

 grief, and devotion. Groups re]n-esenting the resurrection of our 

 Saviour, and the ascent of the \'irgin ISIary, flank the circular- 

 headed aperture of the central doorway. There are three tiers of 

 pictures of saints, the Virgin, our Saviour, and the Almighty, who 

 occupy the central compartment, and other sacred personages the 

 side divisions, all painted on a gold ground, clad in rich vestments, 

 and bedecked with jewels. In conformity with the canons of the 

 Greek church, there are no other figures in relief than the angels. 

 The door which closes the centre aperture is of silver, 34 feet high; 

 the side doors are of marble. A profusion of lamps, all of massive 

 silver, are pendant from the ceiling, hanging in front of the 

 pictures. 



Behind the iconostasis are three sanctuaries, the central one 

 with the high altar, which is surmounted by a baldachin, or 

 canopy, supported by eight marble ccdumus. Each of the side 

 chapels has its own iconostasis and altar, dedicated respectively to 

 St. Alexander Newsky and St. Catherine. These secondary icono- 

 stases are 40 feet wide each, and above 25 feet high, b\it a central 

 attic and surmounting group of the Ascension increase the total 

 height of the loftiest part to 40 feet. They are of wliite marble, 

 designed in the cinque-cento style, and elaborately (jrnamented, 

 the panels being filled with gorgeous pictures of saints on a gold 

 ground. But, in truth, all these paintings, although executed 

 with consummate art, are but temjxyrary, as they are ultimately to 

 betaken out and re|ilaced with resplendent mosaics. In fact, this 

 ^ouj) of three sanctuaries, with their iconostases, altars, and side 

 door-screens, dividing tlie central altar-place from the side chapels, 

 composed of the most exquisite marble, profusely enriched with 

 sculptures, paintings, and bronze gilt, make a dazzling group, of 

 which we can form no adequate conception, even if we can in 

 imagination realise the restoration of the sanctuary of the most 

 ornate of our ju'lncipal cathedrals, carved and painted throughout 

 — emblazoned in all the ponij) of the most profuse polychromy, 



and abounding with statues and groups of the Saviour, the Virgin, 

 the Patriarchs, the Prophets, the Apostles, Saints, and Martyrs of 

 the religious calendar of the middle ages. 



The general decoration of the interior of the church consists — 

 first, of a low stylobate or da<bi, nearly 5 feet high, above which is 

 a Corinthian order of columns and pilasters, 42 feet high; and 

 this is again surmounted by a lofty attic, with pilasters and cor- 

 nice, 21 feet high. The loftiness of the attic, being lialf that of 

 the principal order, detracts materially from the inqiortance of 

 the order; and, in fact, there seems no necessity for dividing the 

 height into two, for if the outer order of the porticoes had been 

 continued inside, the effect would have been ludiler, and the ex- 

 pectations of the beholder, excited by the pro])ortioiis and scale of 

 the outer order, would have been realised also within the church. 

 From the top of the attic spring the vaultings of the ceilings of 

 the church, which are sumi)tuously enriched. The cornice of the 

 attic is not of sufficient importance to ai^t as the impost of the 

 vaultings. The intersection or crux of the arms of the cross is 

 surmounted by the dome, 96 feet in diameter, and 196 feet high 

 from the pavement to the cupola of the lantern, and 332 feet to 

 the top of the cross. Immediately over the pendentives formed 

 by the intersection of the vaultings, and the naves and transepts, 

 is a lofty stylobate, 27 feet high, in the peri])liery of which are 

 twelve angels, 19 feet high, supporting consoles. 



The wall of the drum of the cupcda is jiierced by twelve circular- 

 headed windows, and the order, 46 feet high, is Corinthian, like 

 that of St. Peter's and our own St. Paul's, and most other similar 

 cathedrals. The pilasters are fluted. The diune rises to a height 

 of 40 feet above the entablature of the order of the drum. It is 

 not divided into compartments, but forms a vast plain surface, 

 decorated with a picture of the celestial glorification of the Virgin 

 Mary. In the centre of the dome is an aiierture 21 feet in 

 diameter, ojiening into an upper dome, formed by the interme- 

 diate cone, and on the surface of this is also a jiainting of the glori- 

 fication of the Redeemer. The whole surface of the walls of the 

 interior of the church and vaultings, with the columns, pilasters, 

 and dressings, are all cased with white and various coloured 

 marbles, from Finland and Italy; the bases and caps are of bronze 

 gilt, in or-molu. For the purpose of procuring a white marble, 

 superior even to that of Carrara, a Tuscan company undertook to 

 open a new quarry at Seravezza. Bridges were constructed over 

 torrents and rai'ines, roads were formed on the sides of jierpen- 

 dicular rocks, and habitations and workshops were erected for the 

 workmen, in order to provide this choicer material. The marbles 

 from Finland were red, violet, black, and mixed, and were used 

 in the mosaic pavement, in the construction of the basement, and 

 in the four smaller cupolas to the steeples, at the angles of the 

 church. The Chevalier de Montferrand has paid great attention 

 to the decoration of the vaultings of the interior, which are dis- 

 tributed in large divisions. Forty colossal figures, in high relief, 

 of galvanised bronze, and in the proportion of 21 feet high, form 

 the chief features of this decoration. They represent the pro- 

 phets, patriarchs, and angels, with their various attributes. Some 

 stand on corbels; others are seated within niches. 



Before continuing the notice of the building, perhaps I may he 

 permitted to call attention to the enormous application of the 

 electrotyjie or gahano-plastic process in the sculpture of this 

 cathedral by the architect. After having made very important 

 experiments, he was authorised to adopt this mode in the execu- 

 tion of the metallic sculptures and carvings for the following 

 reasons: — 



1. The identical reproduction of the sculpture without chiselling. 



2. The lightness of the pieces, which enabled the architect to 

 introduce sculptures of higher relief than any hitherto known, 

 and to fix the pieces suspended from the vaultings, without fear 

 of accident, or of their being detached. 



3. The great saving of expense between these castings and in 

 bronze. 



The gilding also was efi'ected by the same process, and presented 

 equal advantages. 



The se\en doors of the cathedral will he of bronze and electro- 

 type, the framework being of the former, and the sculptural parts 

 of the latter. Three of these doors are 30 feet high, and 14 feet 

 wide; the four others 17 ft. Sin. wide. They contain fifty-one 

 bas-reliefs, sixty-thiee statues, and eighty-four alto-relievo busts, 

 of religious subjects and characters. 



There is so remarkable a departure in the construction of the 

 dome from tlie systems hitherto adoiited, that I shall be jierhaps 

 pardoned in trespassing further on your attention by describing, 

 with the aid of the engraving, the whole assemblage of this 

 imj)ortant feature. 



