home Zander Peter and Paul Fortress Cathedral of Peter and Paul. Peter and Paul Cathedral outside and inside

Peter and Paul Fortress Cathedral of Peter and Paul. Peter and Paul Cathedral outside and inside

On May 16 (May 27, new style), 1703, the fortress of St. Petersburg (later Petersburg) was founded on a small island in the Neva delta, which became the core of the future city.

A month and a half later, in the center of the already planned citadel, a wooden church was founded in the name of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Later, the fortress also unofficially began to be called Peter and Paul Fortress.

In 1712, when St. Petersburg became the capital of Russia, the wooden church began to be rebuilt in stone according to the design of D. Trezzini; the reconstruction lasted 21 years. New Peter and Paul Cathedral was consecrated on June 29, 1733 on the day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, as Cathedral and the main court temple.
The cathedral in its appearance bears Baroque features characteristic of the architecture of the first third of the 18th century. According to Orthodox canons, the temple is oriented from West to East.

At the base of the temple, an extended rectangular volume connects the central chapter with the bell tower, which in this case dominates.The bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral is divided in height into several tiers. Each tier is decorated with flat columns (pilasters).The tiers are identical in width, but two of them are picked up on the sides by decorative volute curls, which create the impression of greater upward movement. At the top of the bell tower there is a chiming clock.

The first chimes were installed by decree of Peter. The Tsar personally purchased them in Holland. For Russia at the beginning of the 18th century, such watches became a real curiosity, but they were destroyed in a fire in 1756. Their place was taken by new ones, specially made in Holland in the second half of the 18th century by master Ort Kraass.

In the 50s of the 19th century, the clock was repaired, and then it was tuned to the melody of the third Russian anthem by composer D. Bortnyansky, “How Glorious is Our Lord in Zion.” This melody still sounds today, marking every hour. Thanks to a unique mechanism, the chimes sound every 15 minutes, and they also play “God Save the Tsar” at 12 and 18 o’clock.

The slender bell tower is crowned with a light golden spire. The original spire structures were wooden, but in the 50s of the 19th century they were replaced with metal ones, created according to the design of the scientist and engineer D.I. Zhuravsky.The needle of the spire is completed with a cross with a weather vane in the form of a soaring angel. The spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral is the architectural dominant of St. Petersburg, its height is 122.5 meters.

Internal organization Peter and Paul Cathedral and the decoration of its interior, as well as the external appearance of the temple, combines Russian and European traditions.
The interior of the cathedral is decorated with numerous decorative elements. A special role is given to monumental paintings. These are ornamental motifs, Christian symbols, as well as scenes and images from the Holy Scriptures. As in any church, all the paintings in the cathedral are subject to a special program; the subjects and images were strictly selected by the Holy Synod and were supposed to reveal a certain idea.

Throughout the 18th-19th centuries, the paintings of the Peter and Paul Cathedral were renewed, rewritten, and some of the original subjects were replaced with new ones. Of particular artistic value are the surviving paintings, painted at the turn of the 20-30s of the 18th century, by the leading artists of that time: A. Matveev, G. Gzell, D. Solovyov, V. Ignatiev.These canvases, decorating the space above the side naves, depict scenes from the New Testament, namely the “Passion of Christ.”
St. Petersburg was born in difficult conditions of the Northern War; in 1710, after the victory at Vyborg, trophy banners were brought into the Peter and Paul Cathedral for the first time. Since then, the tradition of keeping enemy standards in the temple has been continued.Today, Turkish and Swedish banners (authentic in Hermitage), captured as a result of victorious wars. Thus, the Peter and Paul Cathedral is a monument to military valor and glory.
The carved gilded iconostasis of the Peter and Paul Cathedral was made according to the design of D. Trezzini in Moscow under the supervision of the Russian architect I.P. Zarudny.About 50 carvers and goldsmiths worked on its creation for four years from 1722 to 1726.

All decorative details and sculptural elements are carved from linden, and the frame of the structure is made of larch. The iconostasis brought from Moscow was assembled in the spring of 1729. Thanks to the abundance of decorative carved elements, sculpture and gilding, the iconostasis of the main cathedral of St. Petersburg received a solemn and magnificent sound, which corresponded to the Baroque style. Since the Peter and Paul Cathedral was a court one, at the pylon opposite the altar, on the right, a royal place was installed, “For the standing of Her Imperial Majesty Anna Ioannovna,” made under the direction of D. Trezzini in 1732.

The royal place was overshadowed by a canopy under a wooden crown on a pillow with carved tassels and a scepter and swords attached to it crosswise. All decorative elements are gilded. Under the canopy there is a shield on which the embroidered state coat of arms is fixed; on both sides the shield is draped with crimson velvet.
The Peter and Paul Cathedral was not only a court church, but also a cathedral; on the pylon, on the other hand, an integral attribute of the cathedral is the bishop's cathedral. It was made of wood in 1732 by carpenter N. Kraskop.

After the death of Peter I in 1725, the Peter and Paul Cathedral became the tomb of the House of Romanov. All Russian emperors are buried here, except Peter II (who is buried in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin) and John VI (John Antonovich, killed in the Shlisselburg fortress).Previously, all graves had ceremonial decoration, including numerous silver and gold wreaths, icons and lamps, offerings and fresh flowers.

By the end of the 19th century, there was no place left for burials in the Peter and Paul Cathedral; a decision was made to build the Grand Ducal Tomb, which is connected to the cathedral by a special gallery.

Entrance to the cathedral was open to everyone, and funeral ceremonies were carried out in accordance with established tradition. The special position of the Peter and Paul Cathedral made significant adjustments to its church activities. Christian sacraments such as baptism and weddings were never performed here. The funeral rite was performed only for deceased members of the imperial family, and only in certain cases were exceptions made for the commandants of the fortress, who were buried in the Commandant's Cemetery near the cathedral wall.
On July 17, 1998, the remains of the family of Nicholas II were buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, 80 years after the murder in the basement of the Ipatiev house in Yekaterinburg. The burial place was the Catherine's chapel.

In the 90s of the 20th century, services were resumed in the cathedral. Divine services are held here on the days of remembrance of Russian emperors, on the days of Patronal holidays (the day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, the Day of St. Catherine, on the day of memory of St. Alexander Nevsky). Divine services are held on Saturdays and Sundays.

In 2001, thanks to the efforts of the director of the Royal Carillon School of the Belgian city of Mechelen, Joseph Haazen, a unique musical instrument, the carillon, was restored in the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Starting from the times of Peter the Great, all the cathedral chimes were equipped with a carillon. Thanks to a special keyboard, the bells of this musical instrument begin to ring. Today, during the warm season, you can enjoy playing this unique musical instrument.

Compiler of the article: Parshina Elena Aleksandrovna. Used literature: Lisovsky V.G. Architecture of St. Petersburg, Three centuries of history. Slavia., St. Petersburg, 2004 Pilyavsky V.I., Tits A.A., Ushakov Yu.S. History of Russian architecture - Architecture_S., M., 2004, Pavlov A.P. Temples of St. Petersburg. Lenizdat., St. Petersburg, 2007

June 29, 1703 on the day namesake(name day or day of the angel of high persons) of the king, with his direct participation, a wooden church was founded in the name of the apostles Petra And Pavel. This was it Peter and Paul Cathedral, the capital construction of which began only in 1712 and continued until 1733.

Peter and Paul Cathedral

Peter and Paul Cathedral even now looks unusual for Orthodox church; in Peter’s time, he literally challenged the cross-domed temple architecture. The cathedral has the shape basilicas– it is strongly elongated from west to east, which is characteristic of the architecture of Western Europe. In the east, there are no semicircular altar projections familiar to Russian churches - apses. The gilded spire with the figure of an angel above the bell tower of the cathedral, which replaced the usual dome, is also unusual. By the way, the height of the bell tower with its spire is more than 120 meters, which allowed the cathedral for a long time remain the most tall building Russia.

True, it is worth noting that the spire as an architectural element was already known in Rus' by that time: it crowned a building built in Moscow at the very beginning of the 18th century. Church of the Archangel Gabriel (Menshikov Tower). However, for St. Petersburg, located on a plain, such an architectural move was of particular importance. Buildings like Peter and Paul Cathedral And Admiralty, crowned with spiers, are clearly visible from different parts of the city, which enriches its silhouette architecturally.

In the 20s, a clock “with chimes of 35 bells,” purchased in Peter’s beloved Holland, was installed on the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. However, in the middle of the 18th century they burned down, after which they were replaced by new ones, which struck every quarter and half hour, and played a melody every hour "If you are glorious", and at noon and midnight - "God Save the Tsar".

Inside the Peter and Paul Cathedral

The interior of the Peter and Paul Cathedral is also unusual, primarily for its modesty. Its walls are decorated with 18 paintings on subjects New Testament, made in a new, realistic manner. Walls, vaults and pylons painted mainly like marble and decorated with order elements - Corinthian pilasters And entablature. An important role in the interior decoration of the temple is played by sculpture, which Ancient Rus' I almost didn’t know: stucco figurines of angels and heads of cherubs looked out from under the arches. The main attraction of the cathedral is the iconostasis, donated personally by Peter I. Since the time of Muscovite Rus', churches have had iconostases in the form of a solid wall made up of icons and almost completely hiding the altar. The iconostasis of the Peter and Paul Cathedral is different: it is made in the form of an elegant triumphal arch, and it is decorated not with painting, but with sculpture. In the middle part of the iconostasis, in place Royal Doors, placed bas-relief with image last supper. Above the apostles rises an elegant round arbor - rotunda. It is crowned with an imperial crown with crossed keys - the symbol of the Apostle Peter. Under the dome there is a table, above which a sculpture of the Mother of God hovers. To the left and right of the apostles there are three-dimensional figures on high pedestals Archangel Michael And Gabriel.

The iconostasis was apparently designed by Domenico Trezzini, and made in the workshop of a famous Moscow architect and carver Ivan Zarudny, builder of the Menshikov Tower. Under his leadership, forty experienced carvers worked on the royal order. The finished wooden iconostasis was transported from Moscow to St. Petersburg in parts and assembled on site. Behind the iconostasis in the altar there is a gilded carved altar canopy, (another gift from Peter I) the prototype of which was the famous canopy St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome - the same twisted columns, high tops, rich decoration.

An elegant carved pulpit was placed at one of the pylons closest to the altar. Its canopy is crowned with a sculptural group: four seated evangelists, above whom a dove hovers - a symbol Holy Spirit. On the sides of the pulpit, leaning against the pylon, are figures apostles peter And Pavel. It is interesting that there were no pulpits in Russian churches - they are an attribute of Catholic churches. Five large crystal chandeliers instead of church chandeliers, traditional for Rus', are also unusual for an Orthodox cathedral.

History of the Peter and Paul Cathedral

Upon completion of construction, the Peter and Paul Cathedral was declared the main cathedral church of St. Petersburg. He served in this capacity until the middle of the 19th century. He was replaced by Saint Isaac's Cathedral , and Petropavlovsky became a courtier. Continuing the tradition Archangel Cathedral The Moscow Kremlin, where the ashes of the Russian tsars rest, the Peter and Paul Cathedral also became the tomb of Russian autocrats - but already emperors and empresses. Peter I himself was the first to be buried here in 1725, and then ten more monarchs who ruled Russia during the 18th – 19th centuries. It does not only contain the remains of Peter II, buried in Moscow, and Nicholas II, whose ashes have not yet found rest.

Description

Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg

The panorama of the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg is best seen from Palace Embankment from the Hermitage. The complex of structures of the Peter and Paul Fortress occupies the entire territory of Zayachiy Island, connected by a bridge across the Kronverksky Channel with the Petrograd Side. The surface of the Neva River carries its waters to Gulf of Finland. Peter-Pavel's Fortress, made according to the best examples of military fortifications in Europe, is dressed in granite with impregnable bastions.

The solemn Peter and Paul Cathedral with a high multi-tiered bell tower, topped with a complex-shaped turret and an arrow of a gilded spire with an angel, a dome on a high drum and a turret with a gilded dome and a cross creates a unique silhouette. A separate building of the Grand Ducal Tomb, under a large tetrahedral dome, is connected to the cathedral through a passage. A unique combination of a military fortress and a religious building complement each other. Synthesis water element, architecture and heavenly expanse define the face of the city of St. Peter, which lives in the heart of every person who has seen this unforgettable panorama at least once in his life.

Named in honor of the heavenly patrons of St. Petersburg, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, the Peter and Paul Cathedral is one of the main symbols of the city on the Neva. The cathedral, made in the Peter the Great Baroque style, is oriented along the Neva River. On the western side there is a tetrahedral stone four-tiered bell tower with windows, a tower of complex shape and a high spire with an angel and a cross (122.5 meters); in the front wall, decorated with currencies at the level of the first and second tiers, semi-columns and semi-circular niches, there is the main entrance, decorated with a triangular portico with columns. Above the eastern altar there is a tall multifaceted drum with oblong windows and a complex dome with oval windows, a turret with a gilded dome and a cross. The cathedral is covered with a gable roof. The rhythm of the pilasters on the side facades repeats the rhythm of the tall rectangular windows

Wooden Peter and Paul Church in St. Petersburg

The first wooden church was founded on July 12, 1703, the day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The plastered facades of the church were painted to resemble yellow marble. In a small tower with a spire, built in the Dutch style, several bells were installed, on which a special person manually struck a specific bell and indicated the number of hours during the day.

Stone Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg

The construction of the large stone Peter and Paul Cathedral began in May 1714 according to the design and guidance of the architect Domenico Trezzini right around the wooden church, which was later dismantled and moved to another location. A strip foundation 2 meters deep was dug for the stone cathedral. At the request of Tsar Peter I, the bell tower was the first to be erected; it was necessary for strategic reasons as Observation deck in order to warn in time about the approach of enemy troops. In 1717, the Dutch master Herman van Boles completed the complex rafter structure of the spire installed on the bell tower. A metal apple was lifted onto the spire. In 1719, the Riga master F. Zimers forged 887 sheets of red copper, the Riga masters I. P. Steinbeis and I. V. Eberhard gilded these sheets and sheathed the spire with them. At the same time, the main volume of the cathedral was being built.

Portrait of the architect Domenico Trezzini

Peter I demanded that work on the bell tower be carried out with all possible haste so that already in 1716 the chiming clock he had brought from his European trip could be installed on it. The chimes began to play in the bell tower in August 1720. The sovereign and foreign guests repeatedly climbed the bell tower at noon, when a melody was played manually on the bells. The clock mechanism played independently every quarter and half hour. From the bell tower the whole of St. Petersburg was clearly visible; through a telescope one could see Peterhof, Kronstadt and Oranienbaum.

Based on a sketch by Domenico Trezzini, craftsmen Steinbes and Eberhard made from gilded copper sheets in 1723 a figure of an angel in the form of a weather vane, which with both hands held the axis in which the turning mechanism was placed. At that time, the height of the bell tower from the foundation to the top point of the cross, which ended the axis, was 106 meters.

The Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, built in Western traditions of temple construction, was a completely new phenomenon in architecture religious buildings in Russia at that time. The walls of the cathedral with high windows were less thick than in traditional Russian churches, one large dome on a drum, high narrow pylons inside the cathedral, repeating the rhythm of the external facade pilasters, a bell tower with a high pointed spire. In addition to biblical scenes, secular artistic ornaments were used in the picturesque decoration of the interior of the cathedral. The walls of the temple were painted by Russian artists Vorobyov and Negrubov, the ceiling in the central nave was painted by the artist Pyotr Zybin.

In 1725, Emperor Peter I died, and 2 years later the Tsar’s wife, Empress Catherine I, died. In 1731, after the completion of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, Peter I and Catherine I were buried in front of the altar near the southern wall.

In 1760, tombstones made of white marble slabs were made over the graves of crowned heads. For the burials of Emperor Alexander II and his wife Empress Maria Feodorovna, tombstones were made of jasper and orlets.

The iconostasis of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, symbolizing Russia's victory over Sweden during the Northern War, has the shape of a triumphal arch. According to the original sketch of the architect Domenico Trezzini in the workshop of Ivan Zarudny in Moscow in 1722-1726, the iconostasis was made of oak and linden. In 1727, the iconostasis was transported from Moscow to St. Petersburg disassembled, assembled and gilded in the cathedral itself. All carved decorative elements of the iconostasis are distinguished by their rare beauty and elegance of execution.

The royal doors in front of the iconostasis were distinguished by solemnity, subtlety of execution of the figures of the archangels Michael and Gabriel, rising on both sides on three-tiered pedestals and all decorative details were covered with gold, which gave the entire altar area a festive, unique beauty, unforgettable impression. The icons for the iconostasis were painted in the artel of Andrei Merkulyev.

In 1732, master Nicholas Proskop built a pulpit made of carved gilded wood, above which were the figures of the apostles Peter and Paul, and above them the four evangelists. At the very top there is a figure of a dove - a symbol of the holy spirit. At the bottom of the pulpit were paintings depicting scenes from the parable of the sower. The royal seat, made of gilded wood and covered with velvet, was installed on the right side of the central aisle. There was never a chair here, since Tsar Peter I never sat down during services.

Crystal three-tiered oblong chandeliers, made at the end of the 18th century by Russian craftsmen, decorated the central nave of the cathedral. The chandelier at the altar is original, the rest were recreated after the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

On the night of April 29-30, 1756, the cathedral spire was struck by lightning, the bell tower was completely burned, the Dutch chimes were destroyed, and the roof was damaged. However, the iconostasis was saved thanks to its prefabricated construction. After the speedy restoration of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the roof becomes flatter, and a stone bell tower is erected on stilts. As a result of reconstruction, additional rooms appeared in the cathedral.

Currencies appeared on the first and second tiers of the bell tower, and a staircase was built inside it. The shape of the tall multifaceted drum under the dome changed, and the height of the spire was increased to 117 meters. At the insistence of Empress Catherine II, the cathedral was restored according to the design of the architect Domenico Trezzini; the new wooden structure of the spire was made according to Brouwer's design by master Eremeev.

The figure of the angel was made according to Trezzini's original sketch. The new chiming clock was made by the Dutch master Oort-Kras; it was installed on the stone bell tower at the end of 1770. During the hurricane of 1778, the second angel figure on the cathedral spire was damaged. The third angel was designed by the architect Antonio Rinaldi; it ceased to serve as a weather vane; the figure of the angel rotated only to reduce its windage. This angel overshadows our city today. In 1820, the wing of the angel on the spire was torn off by a strong gust of wind. The repair work to restore the figure of an angel on the spire was carried out by the roofer of the Yaroslavl province Pyotr Telushkin in six weeks, using only a rope with loops at the ends and a movable knot. Upon completion of the work, Telushkin received 3,000 rubles and a silver medal “For Diligence” as a reward.

In 1857-1858, the spire, which had fallen into disrepair, was reconstructed. According to the design of engineer Zhuravsky, a metal frame lined with gold-plated copper sheets was manufactured at the Nivyansky plant in the Urals. A staircase was built inside the spire at 2/3 of the height, then external metal brackets led to the end of the spire. The total height of the cathedral with the cross and the figure of an angel was 122.5 meters. At the same time, the chiming clock was reconstructed. Due to dilapidation, the Royal Doors were replaced with new ones, made of bronze and gilded.

Peter and Paul Cathedral in the XX - XXI centuries

All the crowned heads of the Romanov dynasty were buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, but by the beginning of the twentieth century these areas were no longer enough. In 1908, according to the design of architects D. I. Grimm and L. N. Benois, for the burial of members imperial family They built the Grand Ducal Tomb in the style of historicism, corresponding to the style of Peter the Great's Baroque, covered with a large tetrahedral dome with a complex-shaped turret and a dome with a cross. The new architectural structure was connected to the cathedral by a corridor.

The decoration of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, recognized as an architectural monument, was preserved after the 1917 revolution. However, when the cathedral was given to the City History Museum in 1919, the valuables were removed from it, and war trophies were transferred to other museums. The Grand Ducal Tomb housed a warehouse for a long time. During enemy bombing during the siege of Leningrad, the angel was covered with burlap, and the spire was painted over for camouflage. After the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, the Peter and Paul Cathedral and the Grand Ducal Tomb were restored.

In 1992, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich Romanov was buried in the Grand Ducal Tomb. In 1998, the remains of the last Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II and his family, were transferred to the Catherine's chapel of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The last to rest in the cathedral in 2006 was the wife of Emperor Alexander III, Empress Maria Feodorovna, whose remains were transported to St. Petersburg from Denmark.

Since the 1990s, memorial services for Russian Imperial persons began to be held in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. In 1999, the first bishop's service took place on the bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ. In 2009, in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in patronal holiday The service was performed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. On the 280th anniversary of the consecration of the Peter and Paul Imperial Cathedral, an outstanding architectural monument, a holiday was held on the day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul on July 12, 2013. The Divine Liturgy on this holiday was conducted by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.

In the 1990s, Dutch craftsmen installed carillons on one of the tiers of the bell tower - special Dutch bells with a delicate melodic flowing ringing. Tsar Peter I admired these ringing sounds when he visited Holland in the 18th century. Melodies specially invented for performance on carillons delight St. Petersburg residents and guests of the city on the Neva to this day.

1. Peter and Paul Cathedral was built in 1712-1733 according to the design of Domenico Trezzini on the site of a wooden church that stood on this site in 1703-1704. The bell tower of the cathedral is topped with a spire and has a total height of 122 meters, which allowed it to be the tallest building until 2012 St. Petersburg.

2. From the very beginning, the cathedral was the burial place of the Romanovs and their relatives. In 1896, a tomb building was erected nearby for the Grand Dukes of the Imperial Family and His Serene Highnesses the Romanovskys. Eight burials were moved here from the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

3. The Grand Ducal Tomb was badly damaged during the years of Soviet power; it has been under repair for many years and is still closed to the public.

4. It is connected to the cathedral by a white corridor. As you can see, everything is ready here, but the passage is still closed.

5. Let's examine the interior of the three-nave cathedral.

6. The main entrance to the temple from the Cathedral Square.

7. The ceiling is decorated with paintings of gospel scenes.

8. Lush chandeliers are suspended from the vaults.

9. Preacher's pulpit, decorated with gilded sculpture.

10. The gilded carved iconostasis of the cathedral was made in Moscow according to Trezzini’s drawings.

11. In front of the iconostasis are the burial places of emperors and empresses of the 18th century.

12. On the left in the first row is the burial place of Peter I, crowned with a bust of the king. Next to him is Catherine I (Marta Skavronskaya), his wife. On the left is Elizaveta Petrovna, their daughter, prudently entitled with the sign “Elizabeth I” in case another Elizabeth appeared among the empresses. Behind Peter I lies his niece Anna Ioanovna, daughter of Tsar Ivan V. On the left in the second row are Catherine II and Peter III, transferred after the death of his wife from the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Their tombstones bear the same date of burial, creating the illusion that they lived together and died on the same day.

13. Peter the Great is signed as “Father of the Fatherland”. When he died in 1725, the walls of the cathedral were barely human-sized, and his body lay in a temporary wooden chapel until 1731.

14. On the other side of the royal gates, also in two rows, there are tombstones of Paul I and Maria Feodorovna, Alexander I and Elizaveta Alekseevna, Nicholas I and Alexandra Feodorovna, as well as the daughter of Peter I, Grand Duchess Anna.

15. All tombstones are surrounded by black fences, topped with knobs in the form of vases, covered with mourning cloth. The gravestones of the spouses are outlined by a single fence.

16. All the tombstones were replaced in 1865 with marble ones, which still exist today, but two sarcophagi are different from the rest. They were made in 1887-1906 from green jasper and pink orlets for Emperor Alexander II and his wife Maria Alexandrovna.

17. All marble tombstones are covered with gilded crosses, the imperial ones in the corners are decorated with images of double-headed eagles. One of the tombstones is clearly fresher than the others.

18. It is placed over the burial place of Empress Maria Feodorovna (Princess Dagmara), wife of Alexander III. The Empress, who died in 1928, was buried next to her parents in the tomb of the Cathedral of the Danish city of Roskilde. In 2006, her ashes were taken by ship to St. Petersburg and buried next to her husband.

19. And in 1998, in the Catherine’s chapel of the cathedral, the remains of the last Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and their daughters Tatiana, Olga and Anastasia rested.

20. But the very first burials in the cathedral can only be seen on an excursion to the bell tower of the cathedral, which was built during the life of Peter the Great. Here, under the stairs, are the graves of Princess Maria Alekseevna, sister of Peter I, and his son Alexei Petrovich next to his wife, Princess Charlotte-Christina Sophia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

21. We will climb along worn-out steps to the lower level of the bell tower, which is level with the roof of the cathedral.

22. There was an air defense post here during the blockade.

23. Here you can see the original appearance of the temple. The cathedral was painted in pink, the angel on the spire was completely different.

24. The entrance was decorated with a lush porch with sculptures.

25. Let me remind you how the cathedral looks today (photo from the Grand Layout).

26. The frame of the angel figure, which has been on the spire since 1858, is also presented here.

29. The angel frame was replaced at the end of the 20th century with a modern one.

27. The copper figure, which was on the spire until 1858, is in the museum of the history of the fortress. It was replaced when the cathedral spire was rebuilt in metal, because until 1858 the spire was wooden.

28. The current weathervane figure was repaired and re-gilded in 1995.

30. The bell tower itself begins from this tier. Below are collected the old weights of the tower clock-chime mechanism.

31. And also this old winch.

32. Locking mechanism on the doors leading to the open area of the cathedral.

33. Let's go higher along the stone steps.

34. The cathedral's carillon is mounted on support beams.

35. The carillon is an impressively sized polyphonic bell musical instrument, originally from Belgium. By the way, “raspberry ringing” is named so not for the sweetness of its sound, but in honor of the Belgian city of Malines.

36. Initially, the carillon was brought and installed in the Peter and Paul Cathedral by Peter I, but later it burned down in a fire, and was restored in our days.

37. The instrument consists of many stationary bells of different sizes.

38. The bell tongues can be controlled using steel cables.

39. You need to play the carillon from this console. The instrument teacher, despite his “beard,” speaks Russian with a strong accent; he is clearly from somewhere in Belgium.