Peter and Paul Fortress
Peter and Paul Fortress (1703-1740), architect D.Trezini.
Day off: Wednesday & last Tuesday of month
Distance from the hotel: 2,4 km
www.russianmuseums.info/M112
The most notable building and the most valuable architectural monument on the grounds of the Peter-and-Paul Fortress, founded by Peter the Great on Hare's Island on May 27, 1703.St. Petersburg's first church was founded on June 23 1712 and the official ceremony was marked by three shots of the guns of the Baltic Fleet ships. After its construction in 1720, and Peter the Great climbed to the top to listen to the chimes and cast a proud look down at his new capital; from that day on, a walk up to the bell tower to see the city panorama was compulsory for all foreign visitors. The bell tower features a haughty pointed golden spire – the symbol of Russia's security on the Neva banks and at the same time the symbol of the modern city – which originally (as well as the church itself) was made of wood and had no lightning deflectors: being badly damaged by fire it caught in stormy weather on several occasions, the wooden framework was replaced with a metal one in 1858. Crowning the spire at the height of 122,5 meters is a weather-vane representing a flying angel with a cross in his hands. Looking tiny from below, the angel in fact is 3,2 meters high with a wing span of 3,8 meters. It’s a burial-vault of Russian Tsars.
