Baltic Sea- Saint Petersburg, Russia- Cathedrals, St. Petersburg, Russia

We woke to another unusual weather day for the Baltic, partly clear skies, mild temperatures and a calm breeze. Today we will tour three Russian Orthodox Cathedrals in St. Petersburg using the Norwegian Cruise Tour Cathedrals of St. Petersburg. We will visit the Peter and Paul Cathedral, The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, and St Isaac's Cathedral.

After navigating Passport Control we met our guide, who issued the required stickers for our cameras, $10 for pictures, and or $8 for video. Two of the cathedrals required stickers, one was "free."

Prior to Peter I the empire had only some influence on church functions Peter I reformed the Russian Orthodox Church, placing church operations under the authority of the state.

Instead of being governed by a patriarch (highest ranking bishop) or metropolitan (regional bishop), the church was controlled by a committee called the Most Holy Governing Synod, made up of bishops and lay people appointed by the Emperor.

The church remained this way until shortly after the Russian Revolution in 1917 when the decision to restore the patriarchy was made with the election of Tikhon as the 11th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

But the new ruling party of Russia declared in 1918, a separation of Church and State and freedom from "religious and anti-religious propaganda." Orthodox priests and believers were tortured, sent to prison or labor camps, or executed. Some were subjected to mind control experimentation. Thousands of churches and monasteries were taken over by the government and either destroyed or converted to secular use. No new churches were built. Practicing Orthodox citizens were prevented entry into prominent careers. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).