The first and oldest structure in St. Petersburg is St. Peter and Paul's Orthodox cathedral in Peter and Paul Fortress which designed and built by Italian architect, Domenico Trezzini, between 1712 and 1723. This cathedral is the second tallest structure in Russia after the Television tower in Moscow. Though the oldest building in St. Petersburg is the wooden church in the Peter and Paul Fortress, the current cathedral is built over its place.
The architecture in this structure is completely different from the traditional orthodox cathedrals in that time, the main design is formed after the Western Europe Protestant cathedrals, and influences of Dutch's architecture are all over the structure which all was Peter the Great’s orders.
One of the main attractions of the cathedral is the marvelous iconography in the church which unlike the architecture design is more match with the Orthodox Church than the protestant. There are also some biblical theme paintings on the walls and ceiling of the cathedral.
This cathedral with its 123-meter high spire is the tallest Orthodox cathedral in the world. On top of the cell tower spire, there’s one of the main symbols of the St. Petersburg which is an angel holding the cross in her hand. Unfortunately for the bell tower, because it’s the tallest structure in the area and would be visible from kilometers away, it was often the target of the lighted arrows and set on fire through the time. It was even entirely burnt down in 1756 and reconstructed afterward.
The Cathedral is also the burial ground for the emperors, the empresses, and the tsars’ families. Almost every Russia rulers and their family from Romanov house buried there such as Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Nicholas II, and many others all buried except Peter II and Ivan VI who didn't join the others in this burial tomb. One of the popular attractions in the fortress is this burial ground. St. Peter and Paul Cathedral was the prime church of the city until 1859, but after the St. Isaac’s Cathedral and later, the Kazan cathedral built in the city, they’ve taken the title for themselves.
The cathedral beside the regular and special religious ceremonies held a special exhibition in its building which is about the church’s bells and history of the cathedral.
In overall, in your visit of the Peter and Paul fortress, to miss the opportunity of witnessing this cathedral's glory would be an unbelievable case.
If you want to know more about which attractions are more important in your Travel to Russia, check out our blog at Star Travel Group.
