The Peter and Paul Cathedral, part of the ensemble of the Peter and Paul Fortress - the famous and most recognizable brand of St. Petersburg, is one of the oldest temples in the Northern Capital. It was built by Italian architect Domenico Andrea Trezzini, born in Switzerland, commissioned by Peter the Great. Why did Peter need to build this cathedral?
In the year of the founding of Petrograd, the architect Trezini commissioned Tsar Peter laid the wooden church named after Saints Peter and Paul on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress, which was necessary at that time to protect the conquered prince lands during the Northern War with Sweden. Orthodoxy returned to the construction of this cathedral on the banks of the Neva, since the Swedes, who for a long time dominated the original Russian territories, adhered to Lutheranism. Peter ordered Domenico Trezzini to begin the construction of the cathedral from the bell tower, and not the altar. This decision of the sovereign was due to the need to use it as an observation deck, from where one could always notice the attack of the Swedish army in advance. In addition, Peter wanted to build an architectural ensemble on the banks of the Neva, significantly different from the buildings already existing in Russia with his style and decoration. Examples of Western architecture struck the imagination of the Russian sovereign while traveling abroad in Europe, so the Petrine Baroque, to which this building belongs, has the features of European buildings. In its original form, the Peter and Paul Cathedral managed to stand until April 1756. On the night of April 29-30, 1756, the temple was destroyed by a lightning strike. Immediately a decree was issued on the speedy restoration of the shrine. The new stone bell tower was restored for several decades. During the reign of Catherine II, the temple began to be restored according to the original design of Domenico Trezzini, however, the new wooden construction of the spire, increased from 112 to 117 meters, was completed according to the design of Brower. In addition, already during the reign of Peter the Peter and Paul Cathedral became the official burial ground for Russian tsars. The remains of the last Russian Emperor and his family were also buried here. Therefore, this shrine is not only an architectural, but also a national, ideological heritage of the Russian people.
