On October 28, 2026, the conference "The Orthodox Heart of St. Peter's City: Two Epochs of one Shrine" was held in the crypt of the Kazan Cathedral of St. Petersburg. The meeting was dedicated to the 225th anniversary of the foundation and the 215th anniversary of the consecration of the temple.
The greeting of Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga was read out by Bishop Veniamin of Kronstadt, Vicar of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The message emphasized the importance of the cathedral as a place of prayer, a monument to military glory and the spiritual center of the city. Special attention was paid to the feat of the new martyrs and confessors, whose fates are connected with the history of the shrine.
The participants were also greeted by Alexander Beglov, Governor of St. Petersburg, and Alexander Belsky, Chairman of the city Legislative Assembly. The appeals noted the inseparable connection of the Kazan Cathedral with the history of the city and the whole of Russia.
The Chairman of the parish Council, Archpriest Alexander Pashkov, made a presentation on "The Spiritual Heart of St. Peter's City: 225 years of History, Faith and Service." He spoke about the construction of the cathedral designed by Andrei Voronikhin, its significance during the Patriotic War of 1812, the trials of the 20th century and the revival of parish life.
Founded in 1801 and consecrated ten years later, the cathedral became the burial place of Mikhail Kutuzov and the storage of military relics. After its closure in 1932, a museum was located within its walls. At the end of the 20th century, the church was returned to the Church, and in December 1999 it received the status of a cathedral.
"Today, just like two centuries ago, Kazan Cathedral remains the heart of the city — a place where our Christian faith, history and culture come together into a single whole," said Archpriest Alexander Pashkov.
Other presentations were devoted to archival evidence about the history of the cathedral, the activities of the Museum of the History of Religion, the preservation of religious heritage and the prospects for cooperation between the parish and St. Petersburg State University.
The musical program was presented by the youth choir under the direction of Ksenia Kretova and the cathedral choir under the direction of Svetlana Rumyantseva. Works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Pavel Chesnokov, Alexander Arkhangelsky and Dmitry Bortnyansky were performed.