Consecrated in 1762, the Cathedral consists of two churches: the lower dedicated to St. Nicholas, and the upper, in honor of the Epiphany. The St. Nicholas Chudotvorets (Miracle Maker) icon, given by Greek sailors, in the lower church, was taken away by France in 1812 and returned in 1835. It was one of very few cathedrals which remained open during the Soviet era and has been the main cathedral in St. Petersburg since 1941. The walls are covered with memorials commemorating naval sailors who lost their lives in service. The cathedral has a relic of St. Nicholas, given by Empress Alesandra Fyodorovna, wife of Tsar Nicholas I, following a visit to Bari in 1847.
