The ideological and compositional core of the ensemble and Paul Fortress - the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. His favorite place May 30, 1712 . Construction of the cathedral and the project under the supervision of D. Trezzini took 20 years - from 1712 to 1732 .
are unusual for the traditional Russian religious architecture as the cathedral exterior and interior. Its main decoration - gilt carved iconostasis and nadprestolnaya canopy - a gift from the church of Peter I and Catherine I. The iconostasis was created in Moscow by a group of drawings by D. Trezzini master carvers led by IP Zarudny .
Program of the iconostasis were Peter I and the Archbishop of Novgorod Feofan Prokopovich. The composition of the iconostasis consists of five large Kyoto. They placed 43 icons painted in the years 1726-1729 Russian painters A. Pospelov and F. Protopopov. Sketches of icons completed M.Avramov, organizer and director of the St. Petersburg Printing and Graphic Art School.
front of the altar is set to speak the Chair of the sermons. In Orthodox churches the practice of reading sermons not previously existed. It was first introduced in the reign of Peter I.
symmetry, the Department is tsar's place - the dais , where stood during worship the emperor.
a long time, Peter and Paul Cathedral is a monument to the glory of Russian arms. Here for two centuries kept the trophy banners , the keys to the Russian troops captured towns and fortresses.In the early XX century, these relics were transferred to the Hermitage . Now, in the cathedral before it copies of the Swedish and Turkish flags.
In 1919, Peter and Paul Cathedral was closed and turned into a museum in 1922, later (1954) transferred to the State Museum of History of Leningrad (St. Petersburg).
Church connected with the Grand-Ducal gallery tomb built for the burial of the Grand Dukes - members of the Imperial House of Romanov.
The iconostasis and other items of interior decoration of the Shrine lost. Altarpiece stained glass \Zaprestolʹnyĭ vitrazh \u0026laquo;Voskresenie Hristovo\u0026raquo;, vypolnennyĭ po eskizu hudozhnika N. A.Bruni, was killed during the siege (1941-1944).
In the years 1908-1915 at the Shrine of the burials , five and eight graves were moved from the cathedral . In 1992 there was a great-grandson of Alexander was buried II - Grand Duke Vladimir K. , 1995 from Coburg moved here ashes of his parents.
In 1920 the building was in charge of the Museum of the Revolution in the 1930s -1940s - adapted into a warehouse in Central Book Chamber, in 1954, transferred to the State Museum of History of Leningrad .
.
