Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg
Peter and Paul Cathedral | |
---|---|
Петропавловский собор ( Paul | |
Location | |
Country | Russia |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Domenico Trezzini |
Style | Petrine Baroque |
Groundbreaking | 1712 |
Completed | 1733 |
The Peter and Paul Cathedral (
Architecture
The current building, the first stone church in St. Petersburg, was designed by Trezzini and built between 1712 and 1733. Its gold-painted spire reaches a height of 123 meters (404 ft) and features at its top an angel holding a cross. This angel is one of the most important symbols of St. Petersburg.
The cathedral's architecture also features a unique
The cathedral has a typical Flemish carillon, a gift of the Flemish city of Mechelen, Flanders.
Church functions
The
The cathedral was the cathedral church (i.e., the seat of the bishop; the term cathedral—
The cathedral was closed in 1919 and turned into a museum in 1924. It is still officially a museum; religious services, however, resumed in 2000.
Imperial tombs
The cathedral houses the remains of almost all the
Of the post-Petrine rulers, only
On September 28, 2006, 78 years after her death,
Bell tower
The bell tower (with spire) is the dominant feature of this cathedral and the fortress. It serves several functions as part of the structure:
- It is an architectural symbol, an important part of its shape and of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
- It is a part of the imperial tomb - the tombs are on the ground floor.
- It is a lightning rod protecting the cathedral.
- It is a viewing platformupon which excursions meet each hour from 12:00 till 18:00.
- It houses a carillon upon which concerts are periodically performed.
When renovators were cleaning the angel on the spire in 1997, they found a note in a bottle left in one of the folds of the angel's gown. In the note, renovators from 1953 apologized for what they felt was rushed and shoddy work (Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev wanted the angel refurbished for the 250th anniversary of the city that year). It is said that the renovators in 1997 left another message for future generations, but the contents of that message have not been revealed.
History of the carillon
When Tsar
In 1757, only one year after this disaster, a new carillon was ordered from Holland - this time by a bell-founder in Hoorn named Johan Nicolaas Derck. He cast the bells, and clockmaker Barend Oortkras from the Hague brought them to St. Petersburg to install them. When he arrived, the tower was not rebuilt yet so he could not reinstall the bells. Oortkras stayed in St. Petersburg, but in 1764 he died in poverty before the tower was finished. This new carillon was installed in 1776 by the German clockmaker Johann Erdmann Rudiger. Rudiger also was hired to play the bells. Bell founder Derck could not tune his bells well, so Russian bell founders recast some of the bells in the 19th century. Audibly, this was not a success either. Thus in 2001 a new set of 51 bells were made in the south of the Netherlands. The bells were cast and the carillon installed by the Royal foundry workshop Petit & Fritsen from Aarle-Rixtel in North Brabant. The carillon comprises 51 bells with a gross weight of 15,160 kg (33,420 lb); the biggest bell weighs about 3 tonnes (3.0 long tons; 3.3 short tons), the smallest only 10 kg (22 lb). The carillon has a range of four octaves, so most classical and modern music can be performed on this instrument.
The Peter and Paul carillon is a gift to Saint Petersburg from the
Gallery
-
Old postcard
-
View across the Neva
-
Upper portion of the iconostasis
-
Holy Doorsand lower portion of the iconostasis
-
Spire
-
Mosaic ceiling and chandelier
-
Stained glass window
-
Scheme of tsars' graves
-
Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg.
See also
- List of tallest Orthodox churches
- List of tallest structures built before the 20th century
- Category:Burials at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg
References
- ^ В Петропавловской крепости снова зазвучит карильон [In the Peter and Paul Fortress a carillon will begin to sound again] (in Russian). fontanka.ru. 2009-08-27. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- Article about Jan Albert de Grave 1699-1729 by Laura J. Meilink-Hoedemaker, in 'Klok en Klepel' the Dutch bulletin of the 'Nederlandse Klokkenspel Vereniging. nr 115 Dec 2011 Dutch and English versions
- Booklet in the cd by Jo Haazen from Sept. 2001 of this carillon gave also information. Beaux 2107
- Article about the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg Expositions and exhibitions, opening hours, how to get to the Peter and Paul Fortress, reviews of tourists.
External links
- Media related to Peter and Paul Cathedral at Wikimedia Commons