SS Peter and Paul Cathedral

Front elevation, side view of the entry portico; Trezzini designed the brick-built cathedral of SS Peter and Paul (1712-1733) in place of the wooden church of the Peter and Paul Fortress. This three-aisled basilica, with a dome at the east end, a tower and a tall gilded spire (122.5 m) over the west entrance, is one of the dramatic landmarks of the city. The exterior has restrained decoration of pilasters and volutes, and the interior an applied Corinthian order and Baroque iconostasis (1722-1726) by Ivan Zarudny. The cathedral, which houses the tombs of Peter I and his successors, represents a radical departure from the traditional Russian onion-domed style: in the words of a contemporary, it was built ‘not after the Byzantine, but after the new taste’. When built it was the tallest building in St. Petersburg (still second only to a modern television tower). In 1998 the remains of Tsar Nicholas II and his family were reburied here. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 12/17/2008