Saturday, September 5, 2009

Peter-Paul Fortress & Cathedral


Peter-Paul Fortress & Cathedral

This was the first island to be settled by Peter the Great and he begun building his fortress in May 1703. (It is directly opposite the hermitage and Winter Palace on the other side of the Neva River.)

(In mid-winter, people walk directly across the frozen river and it's been noted inevitable drownings when it starts to thaw.)

Its cathedral, with classical Dutch architecture and a needle-shaped spire, is, with the above ground tombs of most of the Romanovs on display, including those of Peter the Great and Catherine, is the Russian equivalent of England's Westminster Abbey.
This island housed the original imperial mint and was a notorious holding prison for famous revolutionaries like Lenin's elder brother (hanged for plotting the assassination of Alexander III) and political dissidents like Chernyshevsky and Dostoevsky.

1 comment:

  1. Peter and Paul Fortress, a beautiful landmark at St. Petersburg. This is very beautifil landmark at Russia. I've wrote an article about this place and the title of my post is Peter and Paul Fortress: The city Protector beacause it's serves as a protector from Swedish army and navy long time ago.

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