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Friday, 13.07.2007
Peter and Paul Cathedral
The 122.5m high golden steeple, topped with an angel as weather vane, is the highest structure in old St. Petersburg. The steeple rises from the Peter and Paul Fortress, where, in 1703, the cornerstone of the city of St. Petersburg was laid. The cathedral achieved fame as the burial place of the Russian Tsars.
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The city’s first stone church, built by Domenico Trezzine 1712-1733, is a masterwork of ‘Petrine Baroque’ a northern, somewhat toned-down variation of the ornate architecture of the 17th century.
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Petropavlovskaya krepost
Nearest metro: Gorkovskaya
Opening hours: 11.00am – 5.00pm,
Tuesday to 4pm
Closed: Wednesday
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Peter the Great, the city’s founder, was the first to be buried here. His marble tomb is still the finest of all the tombs in the main church hall nave – and the most frequently visited, usually adorned with fresh flowers.
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The last Tsar to be buried here was Nicholas II, whose bones, and those of his family, were finally laid to rest in the summer of 1998.
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No church services take place any more in the Peter and Paul Cathedral (apart from memorial services on special occasions). In recent times, the church has often been used as a concert hall.
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The chimes of the recently reinstalled cathedral bells also attract an eager audience. Otherwise, the cathedral is part of the museum of the city’s history that is housed in different parts of the cathedral.
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