Aleksander Nevsky Cathedral

The Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is Russian Orthodox. It was built at the end of 19th Century, in a time of the Russification policy of tsar Alexander III. The initiative came from the orthodox population of Tallinn.

The area was previously a part of the garden surrounding the Toompea Castle and the local Baltic Germans had an idea to erect a statue of Martin Luther here. The then Governor of Estonia, prince Sergei Shakhovskoy resided in the Castle and did not like the idea of the statue opposite his windows. He became the chairman of the Committee of the construction management of the cathedral. Voluntary donations were raised for the building throughout the entire Russian empire. The architect was academician Michail Preobrazhensky from Saint Petersburg. Works begun in 1894, the year the last Russian emperor was crowned. The cathedral was finished in 1900. Although in the 1920 the Estonian Parliament discussed the demolition of the cathedral on several occasions, the building is still standing.

The cathedral has five cupolas and three altars and accommodates 1500 people. It is decorated in the style of ancient Russian churches of Moscow and Yaroslavl of 16th - 17th centuries. All in all there are 11 cathedral bells, their total weight of the bells is about 27 tons, with the main bell alone weighting as much as 16 tons. The bells were consecrated and lifted up into the belfries in 1898. It required 500 soldiers with the ropes to lift up the main bell. The facades of the Cathedral are decorated with large mosaic panels unique for the Estonian architecture in both their size and craftsmanship. Today it is one of the most photographed buildings in Tallinn.