Trinity Square in St. Petersburg (photo can be seen below) - the oldest in the city. She appeared on City Island in 1703. Over time, the City Island received a different name - the Petersburg, or Petrograd side, and the area remained the administrative center for a long time. It housed government buildings, a port and customs, a food market, Gostiny Dvor, and a tavern. Since then, the appearance of the square and its layout have changed a lot.
The history of the appearance of Trinity Square
The appearance of the square is associated with the construction of the Holy Trinity Cathedral. The temple was built from 1703 to 1710 in commemoration of the victory over the Swedes and was named after the Holy Trinity, and Trinity Square in St. Petersburg was named after the cathedral.
For more than 20 years, they have been organizing festivities, announcing royal decrees, conducting shows, parades, executions and other events. By order of Peter I, the buildings were erected on the square, in which the Synod and the Senate were located, a port and customs were built in the southern part of the island. Next to them was the Glutton Market. In the northern part, Gostiny Dvor and a tavern were erected.
In 1710, there was a big fire at the Food Glutton Market, which spread to the ships standing in the port. Many buildings were damaged by fire, later the market and customs were moved to another place. A second fire broke out in 1718, he damaged the Senate building and the premises in which Peter I received the Polish ambassadors. And although the place where government offices were located was Troitskaya Square in St. Petersburg, history shows that it began to lose its significance, because the city center was transferred to Vasilievsky Island.
Trinity bridge
In 1803, there was a need for the construction of a floating bridge between the Petersburg side and the left bank of the Neva. It was named St. Petersburg in honor of the centenary of the city. When he fell into disrepair, during the years 1824-1827 a die-crossing was erected. The new bridge was named Suvorovsky. However, as Troitskaya Square was built up in St. Petersburg, the crossing ceased to correspond to the architectural style of the buildings. Therefore, by the end of the XIX century they decided to transform it. In 1897, the construction of the Trinity Bridge began on the project developed by the French architect Eiffel. The progress was controlled by Russian urban planners.
At the grand opening of the bridge, held in May 1903 and timed to the 200th anniversary of the city, was Emperor Nicholas II. Trinity Bridge was one of the first draw structures across the Neva. Its length is 582 meters, and the width between the curly rails is 23.4 meters, weight exceeds 11 tons. The bridge is decorated in the Art Nouveau style and is a five-arch structure. The decoration of the spans was openwork railings, and elegant lights installed along the bridge emphasized its proportionality.
Chapel of the Trinity Life-Giving
Trinity Square in St. Petersburg was famous for its monuments, one of which was Holy Trinity Cathedral. It became the first church in the city, built by decree of Peter I. Until the Peter and Paul Cathedral was built, the church was one of the main symbols of the capital and was a place of worship for the royal court.
The cathedral suffered many times from the flames of fire, but it was always restored. After the October Revolution, Trinity Square became known as the Revolution Square. According to the new ideology, there was no place for the cathedral on the square with this name, so in 1933 it was demolished, and instead of it two houses were built and a square was built.
For the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the cathedral decided to restore. But the project was not implemented due to the fact that the demolition of houses for the construction of the church was impossible. Therefore, instead of the destroyed temple, they decided to build a chapel in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity. Its consecration took place in May 2003. Now the chapel is operational.
House of political prisoners and Solovetsky stone
Trinity Square in St. Petersburg is of interest to tourists. Among other monuments, the attention is drawn to the House of Political Prisoners. It was built in 1933 as a commune house for former victims of tsarist repressions from various political parties. The project was developed at the initiative of the Society of Political Prisoners by Leningrad Architects and is considered a monument to constructivism. The six-story building has a monumental view and overlooks Petrovskaya Embankment. The facade is decorated with balconies passing into terraces, and tape glazing.
The house had 144 apartments with a bath and hot water, but without a kitchen. Instead, they opened a common dining room. On the first two floors were a shop, a kindergarten, a first-aid post, a laundry, and a library. The society of political prisoners was liquidated in 1935, its representatives were again in the camps, and the house was redeveloped and given to ordinary citizens for settlement.
Despite the sights that Trinity Square in St. Petersburg is rich in, its description will be incomplete without mentioning the Solovetsky Stone. This is a monument to the victims of Stalinist repression. The stone was brought from the Solovetsky camp in 1990 and installed near the House of Political Prisoners. The historical name of Trinity Square was returned in 1991.