“The Third Cathedral” – Burnayev Mosque

The Burnayev Mosque was built in 1872 by the Muslim community of Kazan, designed by architect P.I. Romanov in the forms of national and romantic eclecticism.
In 1799, there was a wooden mosque on the place of the present one. The ancient construction was built by merchant Salikh Mustafin. After the death of the mosque’s founder, the mosque was given for use by Muslim families living in the immediate vicinity. The religious made up the renewed congregation of the sacred institution. The mosque was colloquially called as the Third Cathedral because the congregation formed around it was the third one in old Kazan (after the first one, Marjani, and the second one, the Apanayev Mosque).
The construction of the modern building was started in 1872 under the direction of the architect Romanov. The minaret was designed by F.N. Malinovsky and L.K. Khroshchonovich. Elements of medieval Tatar and Russian architecture were used in the decoration of the facades. The construction was sponsored by money of the religious and benefactors. The mosque was named after one of the sponsors – the merchant Burnayev (also a Justice of the Peace).
During the Soviet period, the Burnayev Mosque was closed and did not function. In the 1980s, a large-scale repair and restoration of the mosque began. The building regained its religious historical significance only in 1994.