Saint Isaac's Cathedral High Relief

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The traditional Russian-Byzantine formula is boldly expressed through the neoclassical exterior of the building's design. A Greek-cross ground plan serves as the foundation for a large central dome and four subsidiary domes, reminiscent of Andrea Palladio's Villa La Rotonda. However, instead of the villa's low central saucer dome, this design features a full dome on a high drum. The overall design of the cathedral has had a lasting influence on architectural styles, evident in the United States Capitol dome, Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, and the Lutheran Cathedral in Helsinki. The exterior is composed of gray and pink stone, with 112 red granite columns featuring Corinthian capitals, each carved as a single block. Forty-eight columns stand at ground level, while twenty-four adorn the rotunda of the uppermost dome. Eight columns are positioned on each of four side domes, and two frame each of four windows. A walkway encircles the rotunda, providing accessibility for tourists. Twenty-four statues stand atop the roof, with another twenty-four situated on top of the rotunda. Relief sculpting is a technique that involves raising sculpted elements above a solid background of the same material. The term "relief" originates from the Latin verb relevo, meaning to raise. When creating a relief sculpture or carving from a flat surface of stone or wood, the process actually involves lowering the field, leaving the unsculpted areas seemingly raised. This technique requires considerable chiseling away of the background, making it a time-consuming exercise. However, relief sculpting offers several advantages over sculptures in the round. It saves time and effort by not requiring the formation of the rear of the subject, and is less fragile and more securely fixed than a sculpture of a standing figure. In materials such as metal, clay, plaster stucco, ceramics, or papier-mâché, the form can be simply added to or raised up from the background. Monumental bronze reliefs are often created through casting.