One of the most beautiful architectural monuments of St. Petersburg is the ancient neo-Gothic Lutheran Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel, built in the second half of the 19th century. This magnificent cathedral miraculously survived the Soviet years and is rightly considered a jewel of the modern city. Its community's history begins in 1731, when it was a cadet community.

Before describing the stone Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel, it is worth mentioning the origin of the parish. It originated in the building of the First Cadet Corps, where many future officers who did not belong to the Orthodox faith were educated. Mainly, these were Germans and descendants of Swedish prisoners of war. Over time, the community expanded beyond the cadets and acquired its own church building, but soon a new temple was needed. The new stone Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel was built on Vasilievsky Island with funds from the parishioners. The project was developed by the famous military engineer Karl Karlovich Bulmering, a colonel in Russian service, who remained a Lutheran.

Construction of the new stone building began in 1874, and in 1876 it was consecrated and opened its doors to the faithful. The white stone cathedral, executed in the neo-Gothic style, still amazes with its beauty. After the services began at the new location, the cadet parish ceased to exist, and military personnel began to attend this temple. This continued until the arrival of Soviet power, when the cathedral was closed and handed over to a factory, completely losing its interior, but miraculously avoiding complete destruction.

Services in the cathedral resumed only in 1992, and from 2002 to 2010, it was restored and regained its former magnificent appearance.