St. Petersburg is rich in magnificent historical architectural sights that attract attention with its uniqueness and curious history. The ideological core of the ensemble of the Peter and Paul Fortress was the Cathedral of Peter and Paul (St. Petersburg).
This article will tell a brief history of the emergence of this unique structure, describe the events associated with this historical and architectural structure.
Peter and Paul Cathedral (St. Petersburg): photo, short description
The appearance of the cathedral and its interior are quite unusual for traditional Russian architecture. The main decoration of the temple is a beautiful gilded carved iconostasis and altar canopy, which was presented to the church by Peter I and Catherine I. The iconostasis itself was created by a group of Moscow carvers-masters from drawings. They were led by I.P. Zarudny.
The iconostasis program was created by Peter I and the Archbishop of Novgorod Feofan Prokopovich. The whole composition includes 5 large icon cases, with 43 icons (1726-1729) placed by them by Russian icon painters F. Protopopov and A. Pospelov. The sketches were made by M. Avramov, the organizer and director of the Drawing School at the St. Petersburg Printing House.
To deliver sermons, a pulpit was set up at the very altar. Previously, there was no practice of reading religious speeches in Orthodox churches, and it was first introduced during the reign of Peter I. The platform (royal place) stands symmetrically to the pulpit. The Emperor himself stood on it during the service.
Features of the architectural structure
For a long time, the Cathedral of Peter and Paul (St. Petersburg) served as a monument to the glory of Russian weapons. Then here for 200 years banners (trophy), keys of fortresses and cities captured by Russian troops were kept. Only at the beginning of the 20th century were they transferred to the Hermitage Museum.
During the period from 1908 to 1915, 5 burials took place in the tomb, and another 8 burials were transferred here from the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The great-grandson of Alexander II (Vladimir Kirillovich) was buried here in 1992, and in 1995 the ashes and his parents were brought from Coburg.
Even the warehouse of the Book Chamber (Central) in the 1930s and 1940s housed the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in its halls. Only in 1954 did St. Petersburg take over this unique historical building.
The gallery connects the cathedral with the Grand Duke's tomb, which was built to bury members of the Romanovs (Grand Dukes).
Many elements of the decoration of the tomb are lost, including the iconostasis. During the siege of Leningrad, the stained glass window of the Resurrection of Christ (artist N. A. Bruni) was destroyed.
Now in the cathedral are copies of the banners of Turkish and Swedish.
In what century was the Cathedral of Peter and Paul built in St. Petersburg?
St. Petersburg is interesting in terms of historical events that have taken place here over the centuries, and is also famous for the fact that under its magnificent arches the graves of the great Russian emperors are arranged.
The cathedral was laid in 1712 on the site of the wooden church of Peter and Paul (the apostles) and consecrated in 1733. They laid it in May 1712. The construction (the project and the leadership of D. Trezzini) was erected over 20 years (from 1712 to 1732).
At the beginning of the 20th century, a church was built near the cathedral, and 13 members of the imperial family were buried in it, some of which were reburied from the cathedral itself. Since 2000, services have again been held here.
Interesting Facts
The Cathedral of Peter and Paul (St. Petersburg) has an amazing long background.
In 1703-1704 on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress, the first church of Saints Peter and Paul was built of wood. This happened in parallel with the construction of the fort itself. The baroque stone cathedral was subsequently erected precisely on the site of this church.
Separate elements of the temple are made by different masters: a 40-meter spire was installed by Harman Van Bolos (Dutch); watches are also brought and installed by foreign masters; the gilded iconostasis was made by Ivan Zarudny in Moscow and many others. other
The appearance of the cathedral is more reminiscent of a Western-style temple, namely, the shape of windows, walls, and the absence of a five dome. However, the tradition of building such churches in Russia has stopped since the mid-18th century.
The bell tower of the cathedral, due to its high position, also had military significance at the time, since it was convenient to observe from its height a possible approach to the walls of the fortress of enemy troops.
The first daughter of Catherine and Peter, Natalia, was buried here under Peter the Great under the tsar’s family, and then starting with Peter I, all empresses and emperors rested here, right up to Nicholas II (with the exception of Ivan VI and Peter II).
This great Cathedral of Peter and Paul is included in the Unified State Register of Historical and Cultural Russian Monuments.
St. Petersburg owns a wonderful, the highest architectural and historical museum in the person of this historic building. Its height is 122.5 m.
The golden spire of the cathedral with a flying angel is one of the main symbols of the Northern capital.