Rabbit Island

Construction

From the history of creation Peter and Paul Fortress the history of St. Petersburg begins. Since 1700, Russia waged the Northern War with Sweden, by 1703 the Neva lands were conquered. To protect them from the attack of the Swedes, it was necessary to gain a foothold here. The former fortress of Nyenskans (at the confluence of the Okhta with the Neva) was considered insufficiently suitable for the protection of the Neva. The new place on May 8 or 9, 1703 was chosen by Peter I, Alexander Danilovich Menshikov and the French engineer-general Joseph Gaspard Lambert de Guerin. Their choice fell on the Hare Island.

On Finnish and Swedish maps, this island is 750 meters long and 360 meters wide, called Yenisaari (from Finnish - Hare), or Lust-holm (from Swedish - Vesyoliy). A legend has survived that when the Swedes lived here, a garden was arranged on the island for recreation and entertainment, from which it was named Merry.

On May 16 (27), 1703, the fortress of St. Petersburg was laid on the Hare Island. Peter I was not there when the fortress was laid. "The journal, or Daily notes of Peter I" indicates that he was then at the Olonets shipyard. Led the laying of the fortress Menshikov. But initially the creation of the fortress "St. Peter-burh" did not imply the foundation of the city, especially the foundation of the capital. These events were linked to each other only later, for the purpose of political propaganda. In any case, this day subsequently began to be considered the day of the founding of St. Petersburg.

Initially, it was decided to build fortifications from earth and wood. It would take much longer to build them in stone. The drawing of the first tree-and-earth fortress was drawn by Peter I. It is believed that the mathematical calculation of the plan was carried out by Lambert. The historian K.V. Malinovsky in his book "St. Petersburg of the 18th century" argues that the author of the earthen fortress project was the military engineer V.A.Kirkhenstein. He wrote to Menshikov on June 28, 1704:

"To your Excellency I am sending here a drawing of the local fortress of St. Petersburgh, and, moreover, it is appointed as a cavalier to be, as well as three samples of a ravelin and two samples of a fossabre. And until now I do not have any genuine decree what your Excellency will be and what model those ravelins, fossabreys and cavaliers, please do it, for the sake of waiting for the decree on how to act in that matter, and I ask your Excellency to all obediently give me a salary for the three summer months, and indicate that it would be good for me to get it here, so that everything my summer will be here "[Cit. by: 2, p. twenty].

The harsh living conditions in the swamp undermined the health of Kirchenstein, who died on June 24, 1705.

The fortress was built by soldiers, captured Swedes, serfs were sent from each province.

The construction of the bastions was supervised by Peter I and his associates. The fortress bastions were named after the curators: Trubetskoy, Naryshkin, Gosudarev, Menshikov, Golovkin, Zotov. When the Tsar's bastion was laid, Peter I was present, and either Prince Menshikov or Tsarevich Alexei supervised the construction. Peter's associates not only followed the construction of the bastions, but also often supplied building materials and financed the work. The earthen fortress was completed on October 1, 1703. This event was celebrated both in Moscow and on the banks of the Neva. However, after a severe flood, part of the earthen ramparts was destroyed.

On June 29, 1703, on the day of the Apostles Peter and Paul, a church began to be built in the fortress - the Peter and Paul Cathedral, then still a small wooden church. This day became the name day of the fortress, which has since been called in the Dutch manner "St. Peter-burh". Its name spread not only to the "city" as a fortress, but also to the city as a settlement, which means that St. Petersburg got its name on June 29, 1703.

In 1703, the Zayachiy Island and Gorodovoy were connected by a bridge, which represented rafts connected to each other.

Colonel Karl-Ewald von Renne became the first commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress. He took office in mid-September 1703, when copper and cast-iron cannons stood on the earthen ramparts. These were both trophies captured from the Swedes and guns brought from Novgorod. On May 19, 1704, von Renne was replaced by Colonel Roman Vilimovich Bruce.

Despite the fact that the ramparts were already ready, further construction on the territory of the Hare Island continued from dawn to dawn. On April 10, 1704 A.D. Menshikov ordered:

"Colonel Roman Bruce, being in St. Petersburg at the city affairs, repairs on this.
1. To order workers for city affairs to go to work as after midnight they will hit 4 o'clock or they will shoot from a cannon and work them until 8 o'clock, and from 8, hitting the drum, tell them to rest for half an hour without going to their camps, where will anyone be or whoever that drumbeat catches.
2. After that, they work until 11 o'clock, and when he hits and then hit, so that they go from work, from the cannon and tell them to rest for 2 hours.
3. As the hour strikes in the afternoon, then they should go to work, taking bread with them, and order them to work until 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and as soon as 4 o'clock hits, tell them to rest for half an hour with a drum beat about that.
4. After that, they will go to work and be at that job while the cannon will be fired "[Quoted from: 2, pp. 19, 20].

In 1704, a channel five meters wide was dug through the entire Peter and Paul Fortress from east to west. It was necessary to supply the fortress with water during a possible siege.

The Peter and Paul Church on the territory of the fortress was not the only one. Since many foreign Lutherans served in the garrison, in one of the four rows of houses, by order of Peter I, a small wooden church of St. Anne with a tower and one bell was erected. The service in it began in August 1704 with the baptism of a baby.

The bridge of linked rafts was replaced in 1705 by a pontoon crossing, on the site of which a wooden bridge on stilts appeared in the next two years. Since it was painted red, it was named Red. Later he became Ioannovsky.

Immediately after the completion of the construction of the wood-earth fortress, it had to be rebuilt in stone. Peter I made this decision in 1705. On October 20 he wrote to U. A. Senyavin in Narva: " And next year in St. Petersburg, my bolwork ... they will do"[Quoted from: 2, p. 54]. Since there is very little wild stone in this area, new fortifications had to be made of bricks. Also used was the stone obtained after the dismantling of the Nyenskans fortress.

In 1706, the stone construction was headed by Domenico Trezzini, who reworked Kirchenstein's project. They began to build up additional space to the Hare Island, it went about 30 meters into the Neva.

The restructuring began on May 3, 1706 from the Menshikov bastion in the northern part of the fortress, as it was considered the most vulnerable when attacked by Swedish troops. Peter I personally laid the first stone in the foundation of the stone wall. The ramparts of the fortress were dug down, the soil was used to fill up the island.

At the same time, Peter ordered to erect an earthen kronverk - earthen ramparts in the shape of a crown (hence the name, "crown" - a crown, "verk" - a fortress) to protect against a possible attack from land. The channel to the north of the fortress was named Kronverksky.

On May 13, 1708, on the feast of the Resurrection, in the presence of queens and princesses, Peter I laid the second stone bastion - Trubetskoy. The first stone in its foundation was laid by the Metropolitan of Ryazan Stefan (Yavorsky). The second stone was laid by the sovereign, followed by the queens and princesses and all those present at the celebration, which ended with a dinner in the house of General Shakhovsky.

Back in the fall of 1707, the tsar ordered: "In the next 708, make the gates similar to those of Narva." By the next summer, the Menshikov and Golovkin bastions, a curtain between them, and powder magazines had already been taken out in the stone. The construction of the barracks began. At the same time, they began to execute Peter's order for the construction of the Peter's Gate.

During the construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress, a completely new for Russia principle of fortification construction was applied. The thickness of the walls of the bastions reached about 20 meters (5-6 meters of a brick wall outside and inside, between them an earthen backfill with crushed brick), the height of the walls is 12 meters. About 40,000 piles were driven under the walls of the fortress. On each bastion, 50-60 guns were installed. In the Walls, between the bastions (in curtains), casemates were arranged for the maintenance of the garrison. It was originally planned to store gunpowder in the casemates, but due to damp it had to be abandoned. To raise the cannons on the walls, ramps were built in the middle of the 18th century. Initially, they were built of wood, later they were converted into stone.

In the Peter and Paul Fortress, underground passages (sorting) were provided. They served for the landing of troops outside the fortress walls. Within the walls of the fortress there are secret passages, the so-called paterns. They also served for the sudden appearance of soldiers behind enemy lines. The exit from them was laid with one layer of brick; only the trusted officers knew the place of exit.

To organize large-scale construction work, the Office of City Affairs was created. The word "city" was then often called a fortress, and not a city in the modern sense of the word. The office was headed by Ulyan Akimovich Sinyavin.

After victories over the Swedes in 1709-1710, the Peter and Paul Fortress lost its role as a defensive structure. Petersburg began to grow around it, the fortress was in the center of the city. But the cannons thundered from its bastions - this was part of the ritual of official celebrations. The Church of St. Anne in 1710 was moved from the fortress to Gorodovy Island.

"Journal, or Daily Note ... of Peter the Great" informs that "In April, Field Marshal Sheremetev and several senatorial persons arrived from Moscow to St. Petersburg, and from that time the Senators and the Senatorial government began to be in St. Petersburg"[Quoted. by 1, p. 87]. In 1713, the Senate finally moved to St. Petersburg and began its work within the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The fortress became not only the seat of the Senate, but also a political prison. The first prisoner here was the son of Peter I, Alexei, who died in prison on June 25, 1718.

Alexey Petrovich was interrogated in the Secret Chancellery, created in February 1718. Later Trezzini built a separate building for her on the territory of the fortress. He also built the Mint between the Trubetskoy and Naryshkinsky bastions. In 1718, the Senate left the Peter and Paul Fortress for its own building on Troitskaya Square. In 1722, a pharmacy moved out of the fortress walls, which was located on Nemetskaya (now Millionnaya) Street.

At the eastern wall of the Peter and Paul Cathedral there is the Commandant cemetery. From 1720 to 1914, 18 commandants of the Peter and Paul Fortress were buried here.

The Naryshkin Bastion (1725-1731) was the last to be drawn in the stone.

Between the Naryshkin Bastion and the Peter and Paul Cathedral in 1743-1746, the Commandant's House was built. The commandant of the fortress lived here, his apartment and office were in the house, interrogations of prisoners were conducted. It was in the Commandant's House in 1826 that the verdict of the Supreme Criminal Court to the Decembrists was announced. The commandant's house was originally built on one floor, in 1892 the second was built on.

The Guardhouse is located next to the Commandant's House. In the 18th century, there was a square in front of it with a special place for punishing soldiers. In 1907-1908, a four-column portico was added to the Guardhouse.

To the left of the Petrovsky Gates there is an engineering house for the engineering and construction team of the fortress, built in 1747-1749. The project of this house is an example of a typical house for the "wealthy". According to the same project, public buildings (living rooms and postal yards) were built in the city at the beginning of the 18th century. At the end of the 19th century, the engineering building housed living rooms.

In the 1730s, under Anna Ioannovna, ravelins (fortifications to the east and west) were built. Between the ravelins and the fortress walls, a moat breaks through, the water level in which could be artificially regulated (filled up at the end of the 19th century). The western ravelin is named Ioannovsky (in honor of Peter I's elder brother Ivan Alekseevich), the eastern one is Alekseevsky (in honor of Peter I's father, Alexei Mikhailovich).

The first gates in the Nevsky curtain with a pier were equipped according to the decree of B.K.Minich of March 1731. The corresponding work was carried out in 1733. The former Nevsky Gates did not have any significant architectural decorations, which they received only in 1747-1748. Then they were faced with Pudost stone, double pilasters were laid out on the sides of the entrance and a triangular pediment was formed above them.

The construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress was fully completed by 1740. This date is marked on the St. John's Gate.

"Russian Bastille"

In 1731, the Flag Tower was built on the Naryshkin Bastion, on which the flag (jack) is raised. This bastion was rebuilt into stone as a front one, that's why it was here that the tower appeared. And initially the flag was raised on the Tsar's bastion, since it was the first to be rebuilt. The flag was raised in the morning dawn, lowered in the evening sunset. In Soviet times, this tradition was not followed; in the 1990s, it was revived. We tried to raise and lower the flag as before, but later decided to keep it on the mast constantly. It is from the Naryshkin Bastion that a cannon shot is heard every day at 12 o'clock - a custom to celebrate noon since the 1730s. Except at noon, the shot marked the beginning and end of the working day. The beginning of this action was laid by the decree of Prince Menshikov. In the 18th century, not all townspeople had their own clocks, and they checked the time by the sun and bells. This time was approximate, and only at exactly 12 o'clock a cannon shot was heard from the Naryshkin bastion. They began to fire constantly in 1873. Since then, a saying has appeared in the city "just like from a cannon". In 1934, the shots were stopped, and the tradition was revived in 1957. Until recently, the cannons fired a blank shot towards the Winter Palace. However, at the request of the Director of the Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky, they are deployed, now they are looking towards the Gulf of Finland. In the 19th century, an orchestra played on the territory of the fortress from 11 to 12 noon. In 2005, a grand piano was installed in the flag tower; from time to time, famous musicians are invited here to play.

The location of the Peter and Paul Fortress in the center of the city took away any military significance from it. By the 1730s, no one had threatened St. Petersburg for a long time, so the allocation of colossal funds for stone construction was considered by some to be a mistake. J.G. Fokerodt wrote in 1737-1738:

"Although all engineers agree that this fortress is quite strong and because of its location is very impregnable, they believe that this is why it cannot be of any particular benefit, since it cannot protect either the city of St. Petersburg or the surrounding area, not in able neither to give refuge to the army, nor to disturb the victorious troops with sorties. with the help of bowls and lanterns of different colors, portals, temples, garlands and other similar figures are presented on the birthday, name day and coronation of the empress "[Cit. by: 2, p. 59].

The Botanical House was built according to the project of A.F. Vista in 1762-1766. It was originally made of wood, later converted into stone. The house was built for the boat of Peter I - "Grandfathers of the Russian Fleet". The ship was donated to the royal family by the British embassy. He was found by Peter in the village of Preobrazhenskoye, he personally restored it, as a child, Peter sailed on it along the Yauza. The bot was transported here from Moscow in 1723, immediately after the end of the Northern War. A pier (Commandant) and a gate (Nevsky) were built especially for his meeting. At first, a simple canopy was built for the ship. When a special house was built for him, it turned out that the doors of the building were too narrow to carry the boat inside. I then had to take apart part of the wall. They say after that AF Vista was forever expelled from Russia, remembering also about the collapsed bell tower of St.Andrew's Cathedral of his own construction. In 1724, Peter I staged a naval parade, that is, he showed the "grandfather of the Russian fleet" the entire Russian fleet at that time. This was repeated later by Alexander I. There was a guard at the Botny house. Anyone could, under the supervision of an officer, inspect the boat, thus the first memorial museum in Russia was organized here. The guard officer was obliged to tell the visitor about the exhibit. In 1891, a statue of Navigation by D.I. Jensen appeared on the bot house. In 1940, the bot was moved to the Naval Museum, which opened in the Exchange building, and a copy of it is kept in the Botniy House. A copy was made in 1996 at Petrozavod, the new vessel took part in the celebration of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.

In 1779-1785, the northern part of the Peter and Paul Fortress was faced with granite. By this time, the left bank of the Neva was already clad in granite. According to legend, Catherine II, once looking out of the window of the Winter Palace, was outraged by the "simple appearance" of the fortress walls and immediately ordered to bring them into the appropriate form. Of course, her wish was fulfilled, but everything that is invisible from the offices of the Winter Palace remained red.

In 1784-1787, according to the project of Lvov, a solemn appearance was given to the Nevsky Gate and the Commandant's pier. It was from this pier that prisoners sentenced to death were taken out of the fortress and taken along the Neva to the place of execution. The "Chronicle of Catastrophic Floods" is framed under the arch of the Nevsky Gate. It recorded the highest water rises in 1752, 1777, 1788, 1824, 1924 and 1975.

In 1798-1806, according to the project of A. Porto, the buildings of the Mint were built. The mint was transferred from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 1724, before the construction of a special building, coins were minted in the premises of the Trubetskoy and Naryshkin bastions. Until recently, all metal coins, all orders and medals (with the exception of handmade orders) were produced only here. Since the late 1990s, coins have been minted in Moscow as well.

At the beginning of the 19th century, during the reign of Alexander I, the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress was opened for inspection by the townspeople and guests of St. Petersburg.

To the right of the Petrovsky Gate in 1801-1802, an arms depot (artillery tseikhhauz) was built.

The Peter and Paul Fortress did not take a direct part in hostilities, as it almost immediately found itself in the center of the city itself, which it was supposed to defend. Not a single live shot was fired from its walls. Subsequently, it began to be used as the main political prison in Russia. One of the first prisoners was Tsarevich Alexei, the son of Peter I. Princess Tarakanova was also imprisoned here. In the 1790s, Radishchev, the author of The Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow, was held in the serf prison. This book was sold in the Bolshoi Gostiny Dvor, one of the copies fell into the hands of Catherine II, after which she ordered the arrest of Radishchev. The court sentenced him to death, but the Empress changed the sentence to exile. Radishchev was able to return to St. Petersburg only under Paul I. Under Paul I, a prison was built on the territory of the Alekseevsky ravelin, with almost no foundation for 20 single cells. This prison was guarded by 50 soldiers who had no right to leave the territory of the ravelin. The first known prisoners here were the Decembrists, the Bestuzhev brothers. In this prison, during his imprisonment, Chernyshevsky wrote his novel What Is to Be Done. The Alekseevsky Ravelin was imprisoned without trial, only by the decision of the tsarist government. The longest term in this prison is 20 years. In 1870, the prison was dismantled due to dilapidation. A building for the administration of the Peter and Paul Fortress was built in its place.

A new prison building was organized inside the Trubetskoy bastion. For this, the wall of the bastion was partially dismantled from the inside, only 2-3 were left from 20 meters. With an indent of 1-1.5 meters from the wall, a two-storey building of the Trubetskoy Bastion prison was built. 69 identical single cells were organized here. Detainees were kept in them, the prisoners were not there for more than two years. At the end of the investigation, the prisoners from here were either sent to settlements or to hard labor, or carried out the death sentence.

Death sentences have never been carried out on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress. This verdict was carried out either on the parade ground of the Semyonovsky regiment, or in the Shlisselburg fortress.

The earthen ramparts of the Kronverk were excavated in the 1850s. The canal running through the entire Zayachiy Island was filled up in the 1880s.

Museum and scientific complex

Since 1924 the fortress has become a museum. During the Great Patriotic War, anti-aircraft guns were stationed on the territory of the fortress. The spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral was covered with a camouflage net. There were no shells hitting the cathedral, but the walls of the fortress itself were damaged. In 1951-1953, railings and lanterns in the form of obelisks and bundles of spears were installed on the Ioannovsky bridge, according to the project of A. L. Rotach and P. V. Bazhenov. On December 25, 1975, to mark the 150th anniversary of the Decembrist uprising, a pink granite obelisk was erected near Kronverk. Here in 1826 K. Ryleev, P. Pestel, S. Muravyov-Apostol, M. Bestuzhev-Ryumin and P. Kakhovsky were executed.

In 1991, a monument to Peter I by Mikhail Shemyakin appeared on the square in front of the Guardhouse.

№	A source	Pages	date of the application
1)		(Pp. 16-18 ‚39-49‚ 87)	22.02.2012 00:07
2)			27.10.2013 13:05
3)			06/30/2014 07:07

One of the most beautiful and majestic Russian cities, St. Petersburg, began 310 years ago. On this very day, May 27 (according to the old calendar - May 16), 1703, Peter the Great decided to start the construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The question of the need to create a defensive fortification, the main task of which was to protect the Russian lands from the encroachments of the Swedes, was long overdue. The constant rivalry of the two powers for access to the Baltic, accompanied by military actions in 1700-1721 (Northern War), required urgent measures, because the old fortress of Nyenskans (Schlotburg) could no longer provide reliable protection. For the construction of a new defensive structure, an island was chosen with a length of seven hundred and fifty meters and a width of about four hundred, which the Finns called Hare (Yenisaari), and the Swedes called Merry (Lust-Eiland). All approaches from the Gulf of Finland to the Neva were best seen from this territory.
It was the Peter and Paul Fortress that became the starting point for the construction of the first Russian port on the Baltic coast. On the day of the Holy Trinity in 1703, the construction of the initial timber-earth defensive structure began, the drawings for the construction of which were drawn up personally by Peter I. He entrusted the management of the work to his first assistant A. Menshikov. The fortress was created in accordance with the rules of the Western European bastion system adopted at that time: the outlines of the structure repeated the shape of the island on which the construction was carried out, and well-fortified protruding bastions were located at the edges of the elongated hexagon. The engineering management of the construction of the fortress in 1703-1705 and subsequent modifications was carried out by the military engineer Kirshtein from Saxony.

All six bastions were named by Peter in honor of his associates, who not only oversaw the construction, but also participated in its financial support: Menshikov, Trubetskoy, Naryshkin, Golovkin and Zotov. Also, one of the bastions was named Tsar, in honor of Peter the Great himself. The fortress was originally called St. Petersburg, but even then some residents called it Peter and Paul, after the name of the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, which was being built on the territory of the new citadel. This name became official only in 1917. The status of a cathedral, rebuilt later and also renamed to Peter and Paul, received only in 1731. It is also known to contemporaries as the tomb of all the emperors of the Romanov dynasty. It is within its walls that the remains of Russian sovereigns, from Peter the Great to Nicholas II, are kept. When, at the beginning of the 20th century, there were not enough places for the burial of members of the Romanov dynasty, it was decided to build a church of the holy right-believing Prince Alexander Nevsky next to the temple, which became the grand ducal tomb.

The bastions of the fortress were interconnected by high curtains or walls named Petrovskaya, Vasilievskaya, Nevskaya, Kronverkskaya, Ekaterininskaya and Nikolskaya. In addition, for forays into the enemy's camp, if he manages to position himself at the walls of the fortress, glans and sorties (underground passages) with passages (patterns) in the walls were equipped and carefully camouflaged. In each of the walls, except for Catherine's, there were the gates of the same name, but the main ones were always considered the Peter's gates, intended to enter the city. Barracks were made inside the Catherine curtain, as well as special casemates in which it was kept. The history of the Nikolskaya curtain, which got its name due to the fact that it was turned to the church of St. Nicholas, is interesting. In the 18th century, an expedition to separate gold from silver was located here, as well as employees of the commandant's department. Today the left side of the Nikolskaya Curtain belongs to the Mint.

In 1704-1705, triangular ravelins were rebuilt from the ground for additional fortification on the side of the sea. One of them Peter named in honor of his father Alekseevsky, and the second - in honor of his brother Ioannovsky. Then, in 1705-1709, the fortress was also strengthened from the land side, building a kronverk - an earthen rampart in the shape of a crown. Also in 1705, a pentagonal earthen cavalier was built to provide the ability to conduct overhead fire at the enemy. Looking ahead, it is worth noting that in 1850 all the earthen ramparts were demolished, and a building was erected on the site of the kronverk, in which all Russian military relics were stored and stored: banners, awards and various types of weapons.

According to historical data, the Frenchman Lambert, who was hired by him for the construction of forts, was engaged in mathematical calculations during the construction according to the drawings of the sovereign. By October 1703, the earthen fortification was completed by the forces of soldiers, captured Swedes, as well as peasants sent to build by each province, but the flood that occurred soon showed the fragility of the structure, part of which was simply washed away by water. Therefore, there was an urgent need to vest the fortress in stone. This work began in 1706 by the architect Trezzini and the engineer-general Lambert de Guerin, who replaced the chief engineer of the project, Kirshtein, who had left Russia. From 1727 until the end of the main alterations in 1740, all the perestroika works in the fortress were supervised by the military engineer Christopher Minich. The construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress was officially completed in 1740.

In 1707, the main Peter's Gate underwent a thorough reconstruction, the wooden gate was replaced by a stone arch with an upper tier of wood, on which the statue of the Apostle Peter was installed. Then, in 1717, all wooden elements were finally replaced with stone ones, and a plot bas-relief and a lead double-headed eagle appeared on the front part. From 1731 to 1740, significant changes took place in the appearance of the Peter and Paul Fortress. First, ravelins were built of stone, then dams (botardo) were built, fencing off the ditches that isolated the ravelins from the main part of the island. The cavalier named after Empress Anna was also rebuilt in stone. The following significant transformations were carried out already during the reign of Catherine II. From 1779 to 1786, the facade of the fortress from the south was faced with granite slabs, the Nevsky Gate was rebuilt, which was decorated with a portico.

An active improvement and a change in the layout of the fortress was observed during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna. First, in 1748, the building of the Main Guardhouse was built, which was reorganized only in 1906, and then in 1749 the Engineering House appeared on the territory of the fortress. In 1743-1746, the main building of the Commandant's House was erected from stone, intended for the residence of the commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress and family members, as well as for his office. It was in the Commandant's house, built between the cathedral and the Naryshkin bastion, that the verdict to the Decembrists was announced in 1826.

Together with the fortress, the first church in St. Petersburg also underwent significant changes, which during the period from 1712 to 1733, by order of Peter, was built of stone to replace the old wooden Peter and Paul Cathedral. However, the spire of the multi-tiered bell tower of the temple, which is one of the tallest structures in St. Petersburg's architecture, was still made of wood. A weather vane installed at the very end, made in the form of a soaring angel, as well as a clock with chimes located in the upper part, gave the building an emphatically secular appearance, which was inherent in all art of the Peter the Great period.

The appearance of the fortress and the cathedral, as its central and main part, also changed under the influence of natural disasters. So on the last day of April 1756, lightning struck the spire, which caught fire and fell down. As a result, the roof, dome and spire of the temple were completely destroyed. The bell tower was restored only ten years later, and it was possible to recreate the wooden spire "exactly as it was before" only by 1780. In 1830, the local roofer P. Telushkin, without scaffolding, managed to climb to the very top of the spire with only one rope and fixed the damaged weather vane on it. Almost a century later, in 1857-1858, according to the project of the architect Konstantin Ton, the spire was finally replaced by a metal spire made according to the system of engineer D.I. Zhuravsky, who additionally increased the height of the bell tower to one hundred twenty two and a half meters. More than eight kilograms of pure gold were spent on the gilding of the entire structure, together with the Angel figurine.

A new era in the formation of the architectural ensemble of the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress began in 1761 with the beginning of the construction of the Botny House, made in the style of early classicism. This building was intended to store one of the first ships of the Russian fleet, the old boat of Peter the Great, on which he studied maritime affairs in his youth. In 1799, the construction of the Mint began, a number of buildings that brought new dominants to the layout of the fortress. In 1801, according to the project of Alexander Briskorn, the Artillery shop was erected. Initially, it housed a serf team of artillerymen. After the abolition of a number of artillery batteries in the Zeikhhaus, the Fire Department was first located (in 1865), and then - an arena for military exercises in inclement and cold weather (since 1887). At the same time, a warehouse of things related to the emergency reserve of the Personnel Battalion of the Life Guards of the Reserve Infantry Regiment was set up here. During the reign of Emperor Nicholas I, a three-storey stone building of the Arsenal was built on the site of Kronverk, which appeared to be a more powerful and modern defensive structure in comparison with the previous bastions. These measures were taken before the Crimean War, during which the ships of the states hostile to Russia, England and France, were in the Gulf of Finland.

Poterna of the Peter and Paul Fortress

Until the beginning of the 20th century, many buildings for various purposes were erected on the territory of the citadel: from "food stores" to the premises where the archives of the War Ministry were located (from 1892 to 1900). And the final design of the look of the Peter and Paul Fortress, familiar to our contemporaries, took place at the beginning of the last century, when the building of the Main Guardhouse was rebuilt in 1906-1907. Under Nicholas II, all northern curtains and bastions were plastered and painted "like granite". Initially, the island was connected to the main part of the city by three bridges, but Nikolsky bridges built in 1820 and Kronverksky bridges in 1853 were demolished at the beginning of the XX century. Only the Ioannovsky Bridge remained, which has been in the usual place for Petersburgers since 1736.

Thus, the Peter and Paul Fortress, built by design as a defensive structure, quickly turned into one of the main places of the great Russian city, but not a single shot was fired from its walls. But it was here that all the most interesting events took place, from church and city holidays to magnificent fireworks in honor of the victories of the Russian army. Under Peter I, on the Hare Island, a solemn opening of the Neva was held annually. All the townspeople were looking forward to this event, because navigation was prohibited during the icebreaker period, and there were no permanent bridges across the waters of the Neva until the middle of the 19th century. The celebration of the Baptism of the Lord was no less magnificent, when, to the sound of bells on January 6, the townspeople gathered in front of the fortress to witness the illumination of the Neva waters. A temporary chapel was erected directly on the ice, and a cruciform Jordan made its way near it. The baptism ceremony was always attended by members of the royal family.

There was also another unforgettable holiday called the Day of the Pre-Holy Pentecost, celebrated on the twenty-fifth day after Orthodox Easter. On this day, all the clergy of the city gathered at the pier near the Peter and Paul Cathedral in order to make a religious procession around the fortress, carrying in front of them the miraculous icon of the Savior Image Not Made by Hands, which belonged to Peter the Great himself. In addition, on this day, prayers were performed at each of the bastions, and a ceremony of consecration of water was held near the Neva gates.

Having lost its dominant importance in 1770 due to the inaccessibility of the temple during the icebreaker, the Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Cathedral was transferred to the Ministry of the Imperial Court, and since 1883 it actually became the court imperial temple, in which memorial services and funeral services were held on established days members of the royal house. Even before the construction was completed, the cathedral became a necropolis for Peter's children who died in infancy. Until 1909, when the official decision was made to bury only crowned heads in the cathedral, almost all representatives of the Romanov dynasty were buried here. The only exceptions were Peter II, buried in Moscow, and John VI, who was buried in Shlisselburg.

Since 1715, lavish funeral ceremonies began to be held during the burial. On such days, the entire cathedral was clothed in mourning decoration, for the creation of which the best Russian sculptors, artists and architects were involved, and the movement of the procession of carrying the body was accompanied by the incessant ringing of bells and cannon fire from the walls of the fortress. An interesting fact is that since 1915, for more than seventy years, there have been no burials in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, but on May 29, 1992, the Great Russian Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, who is the great-grandson of Alexander II, was buried in the Tomb. Then, in March 1995, the remains of his parents were transported here. In July 1998, the remains of the last Russian tsar and members of his family, found near Yekaterinburg, were buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

In addition to various numerous functions, the Peter and Paul Fortress from the very first days of its existence played the role of a military garrison. From June 22, 1703 to October 1, 1926, the history of this stronghold is inextricably linked with the history of the military units stationed in it. Its own garrison first appeared here in October 1703, right after the timber and earth fortifications were erected and the first guns were installed. And during the first years of the Northern War, the fortress was a permanent stronghold of the military formations defending the Neva delta. But it was only at the beginning of the 19th century that the independent structure of the Peter and Paul garrison was determined, which until then was only part of the St. Petersburg military formation with one general commandant. It was based on one company of fortress artillery numbering one hundred and sixty-eight people with weapons of forty-five guns, a significant part of which was intended only for fireworks. There was one disabled team, which included military personnel who were not fit for field service due to illness or injury. They, as a rule, were on guard duty, guarding the cathedral, gates and premises for prisoners. There was also an engineering team, whose responsibilities included organizing and carrying out all construction and repair work on the territory of the fortress. But in 1920, the need for the existence of the garrison disappeared, and its structure was irrevocably abolished.

Almost until the beginning of the 20th century, the Peter and Paul Fortress was actually considered the main political prison in Russia, due to which it was named the "Russian Bastille". The first "honorary" prisoners of the citadel in February 1718 were Tsarevich Alexei and other individuals arrested in his case. Later, in the 18th century, it was here that all the famous free-thinkers, participants in palace intrigues and coups were kept: A.P. Volynsky, P.I. Eropkin, the so-called "Princess Tarakanova", B.Kh. Minikh, A.N. Radishchev, T.B. Kosciuszko and Yu.U. Nemtsevich, as well as the founder of the Chabad movement, Rabbi Shneur-Zalman. Several prominent military leaders were imprisoned by Paul I in the fortress: A.P. Ermolov, M.I. Platov and P.V. Chichagov. Under Nicholas I, the Decembrists were awaiting their verdict here. And in the 19th century, F.M. Dostoevsky, M.A. Bakunin, N.G. Chernyshevsky, N.N. Miklouho-Maclay and K.M. Stanyukovich.

In 1760, the Prisoners' House was built for the prisoners who were previously held in casemates, later replaced by the Secret House (in 1797). From 1870 to 1872, a prison was built in the Trubetskoy Bastion, which later became a "shelter" for participants in all Russian national liberation movements: populists, Social Revolutionaries and Social Democrats. Among the prisoners of this formidable prison were also A.M. Gorky and Lenin's older brother, A.I. Ulyanov. After October 1917, members of the tsarist and later Provisional governments were imprisoned in the Trubetskoy bastion, as well as all citizens and politicians who were dissatisfied and rebelled against Soviet power. Here, in 1921, all the survivors and captured participants of the mutiny in Kronstadt were found.

In 1917, during the October coup, the Bolshevik field headquarters was located in the Peter and Paul Fortress, and its guns fired at the Winter Palace. On November 8, 1925, the Leningrad Council decided to wipe out the entire stronghold from the face of the earth, and build a stadium in its place. Fortunately, this decision was soon canceled and museums were organized in some buildings of the fortress. During the Great Patriotic War, anti-aircraft guns were installed on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The spire of the cathedral was covered with a camouflage net. During the war years, not a single shell hit the cathedral, but the walls of the fortress themselves were badly damaged. From 1950 to 1980, a complete restoration of all monuments, walls, buildings and territories of the Peter and Paul Fortress was carried out. The original decoration of the cathedral was restored. On December 25, 1975, on the day of the 150th anniversary of the Decembrist uprising, a granite obelisk was erected at the place of execution of the main participants in the events. During the years of stagnation, protest actions of writers and artists took place near the walls of the fortress. After one of them, a memorable inscription appeared on the wall of the Tsar's bastion: "You crucify freedom, but the human soul has no fetters." In 1991, a monument to Peter the Great was erected on the square right in front of the guardhouse, and soon, in 1993, the fortress became a historical and cultural reserve.

Every year on the day of its foundation, May 27, the Peter and Paul Fortress becomes the center of the City Day celebrations held in the Northern capital of Russia. And the daily cannon shot fired at noon from the walls of the Naryshkin Bastion has rightfully become one of the main symbols of St. Petersburg.

Sources of information:
http://palmernw.ru/mir-piter/petropavlovskaya/petropavlovskaya.html
http://walkspb.ru/zd/petrop_kr.html
http://family-history.ru/material/history/place/place_27.html
http://www.e-reading-lib.org/bookreader.php/90373/Balyazin_-_Taiiny_doma_Romanovyh.html

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Peter-Pavel's Fortress was founded on May 27, 1703 for the defense of Russian territory. The fortress is located on the Hare Island, the Ioannovsky bridge connects the Ioannovsky gate of the Peter and Paul fortress with the Petrograd side. The Peter and Paul Fortress did not take part in the hostilities. The official name of the St. Petersburg fortress, in the period from 1914 to 1917, the fortress was called the Petrograd fortress. Currently, the fortress is part of the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg.

Fortress history

One of the first images of the fortress on Hare Island (from the educational tables of the "Navigation School" in Moscow; compiled by Vasily Kipriyanov, 1705).

Since 1700, Russia has fought with Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea. By the summer of 1703, Russia managed to recapture the lands in the mouths of the Neva, which were conquered by Sweden in the 17th century, and in order to gain a foothold and protect itself from attacks, it was necessary to create defensive structures. Peter I considered the captured fortress Nyenskans to be insufficiently fortified and decided to build up a new fortress in order to gain a foothold in this territory, the place for the new fortress was chosen on the island, which the Finns called Yenisaari (Hare Island), and the Swedes - Lust-Eiland (Merry Island), from the island the entrances to the branches of the Neva from the Gulf of Finland were perfectly visible. On May 27, 1703, Peter I laid a fortress on the island, which gave rise to the city of St. Petersburg. The city got its name in honor of the Apostle Peter. It is believed that the drawing of the first earthen fortress belongs to Peter I himself and the French engineer Joseph Lambert de Guerin. According to the plan, the fortress included: 6 bastions, connected by curtains, 2 ravelins, kronverk. In 1703, Zayachiy Island was connected to the Petrograd side by the Ioannovsky Bridge. In just four months, it was possible to erect defensive structures made of wood and earth. The Peter and Paul Fortress did not take part in hostilities, but nevertheless it was an important link in the defense of the Strait of Finland during the Northern War.

Layout of structures on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The construction was supervised by a colleague of Peter I, Menshikov A. The fortress was built with the help of soldiers, captured Swedes and peasants, a certain number of whom were summoned from each province. The construction of the earthen fortress was completed in October 1703. This event was celebrated both in Moscow and on the banks of the Neva. Initially, the fortress was called St. Petersburg, but another name was also used - Peter and Paul - after the Cathedral of Peter and Paul, located in the center of the fortress, which after 1917 became official. During the October Revolution, the fortress became the field headquarters of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee, which led the uprising and the capture of the Winter Palace. In 1924, a Museum was opened in the fortress, and since 1993 the Peter and Paul Fortress has been declared a historical and cultural reserve. At different times on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress, both fortifications and utility buildings were built and modernized.

Most of the buildings are currently used as museum premises, but there are also structures that function for their intended purpose, such as the Mint.

Buildings on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress

Peter and Paul Cathedral

Peter and Paul Cathedral. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The wooden Peter and Paul Cathedral was founded on June 29, 1703, on the day of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and already on April 1, 1704, the cathedral was consecrated. On May 14, a festive service was held here in honor of the victory of Field Marshal B.P.Sheremetyev by our Swedish ships on Lake Peipsi. The stone Peter and Paul Cathedral was laid on May 30, 1712 according to the project of D. Trezzini and its construction lasted 20 years until 1732. The construction was carried out in such a way that the wooden church remained inside the stone cathedral under construction. The wooden church was dismantled and moved in 1719 to Gorodovy Island, where it was put on a stone foundation and renamed into the Temple of the Apostle Matthew. Later, this church was also rebuilt in stone and stood until the Great Patriotic War.

The construction of the cathedral, by order of Peter I, began with the bell tower, which was completed only in 1720. The construction began with the bell tower, not by chance, but proceeding from strategic considerations, since it could be used as an observation platform for detecting enemy troops. The chimes were installed on the bell tower even in the process of its construction, without waiting for completion, by order of Peter I. The clock began to play in August 1720. On the initiative of Peter I, an elevator could be installed in the bell tower, the idea of ​​which Peter saw from the court mechanic of the Saxon Elector Andreas Gertner, but for unknown reasons the idea was never implemented (some materials for the elevators had already been purchased).

The creation of the spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral began in the winter of 1717, with the preparation of rafters. On May 1, the Dutch master Hermann van Boles was invited to work on the spire, who created a project for a 25-meter spire and has been implementing it for several years. In September 1718, an apple was raised on the spire. In May 1719, the Office of City Affairs signed an agreement with the Riga master F. Tsimers, according to which he forged 887 sheets of red copper. In April 1721, an agreement was concluded with the Riga craftsmen Steinbeis I.P. and Eberhard I.V. on the gilding of copper sheets, which was completed in November 1723. The cladding of the spire with sheets and the installation of the angel was completed in 1724. The height of the bell tower from the foundation to the top of the cross was 106 meters. After the cathedral was completed, it became the tallest building in St. Petersburg until 2012.

In May 1722, D. Trezzini was asked to install an angel on the top of the bell tower. Trezzini made a drawing, according to which the figure was made by the peasant I. Menshoy and the silversmith L. Zadubsky. But their work was recognized as of poor quality, so the angel was remade by Steinbes and Eberhard. That angel was different from the one that exists today. It was made in the form of a weather vane, the figure of an angel held with both hands on the axis, in which the rotary mechanisms were placed.

Copper figure of an angel (third), installed on the spire before 1858. Museum of History. Peter-Pavel's Fortress.

The Peter and Paul Cathedral became the object of using many solutions and approaches that had not been used before. Its architectural design was influenced by Western traditions. The walls are much less thick than those of traditional Russian churches, large windows, tall narrow pillars (pylons), only one dome (instead of the usual five-domed). This cathedral became an example for all other churches until the middle of the 18th century. Further, by decree of the Synod, churches began to be built again with five domes. Painting inside the Peter and Paul Cathedral is also important from the point of view of the development of Russian art. Before that, the walls of the temples were painted in a completely different way, it was allowed to reproduce only biblical scenes. Secular artistic ornaments are also used here. The painting of the walls of the temple belongs to the Russian artists Vorobyov and Negrubov. The plafonds in the central nave were made by Pyotr Zybin.

After the death of Peter I in 1725, the coffin with his body was placed inside the unfinished cathedral, and waited for burial there for 6 years. Later, a coffin with the body of his wife Catherine was also placed nearby. In 1732, when the construction of the temple was completed, the bodies of Peter I and Catherine were buried at the southern wall in front of the altar. Initially, only marble slabs were installed at the burial site, without tombstones. The headstones, made of white marble slabs, were erected in the 1760s. The tombstones of the crowned persons have coats of arms in the corners. Two tombstones are unique, the burials of Alexander II and his wife Maria Alexandrovna are made of jasper and eagle. They are monolithic, each weighing about 5-6 tons.

Scheme of the iconostasis of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The iconostasis of the Peter and Paul Cathedral is considered unique. The iconostasis is made in the form of a triumphal arch, symbolizing the victory of Russia in the Northern War. The iconostasis was made in Moscow in 1722-1726 in the workshop of Ivan Zarudny from oak and linden. The original drawing of the iconostasis belongs to D. Trezzini. More than 50 workers were involved in the production of the iconostasis, led by I. Zarudny. During the production, small details were constantly refined, therefore the authorship of the iconostasis is attributed to both architects D. Trezzini and I. Zarudny. The iconostasis was brought from Moscow in disassembled form dismantled in 1727, and then it was assembled in the cathedral itself and covered with gilding. Icons for the iconostasis were created for two more years, under the leadership of Andrei Merkuliev. Some of these icons have survived to this day, their forms are unusual. In the center of the iconostasis of the Peter and Paul Cathedral there is the royal gate with sculptures of the apostles. In the 19th century, under the iconostasis, a marble base was erected to strengthen the structure and protect it from environmental influences, the wooden gates were replaced with new ones made of bronze, since the old ones were badly worn out. After there was no place for burials in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, a tomb was built next to the temple by 1908, connected with the cathedral by means of a corridor. In front of the western entrance, in 1904-1906, a fence was erected on the model of the fence of the Summer Garden. It was decided to bury only members of the imperial family in the tomb. Before the start of the First World War, 8 burials were removed from the right nave of the cathedral. In addition, 5 more grand dukes were buried here. A total of 30 crypts were envisaged in the tomb.

Engraving by D. Hobbert after a drawing by F. Klagens. Peter and Paul Cathedral. 1834 year.

On the left side of the central aisle in 1732, a pulpit was equipped by Nicholas Proskop. It is made of carved gilded wood. At the bottom of the pulpit are paintings depicting the parable of the sower. Above are the figures of the apostles Peter and Paul, above them are the four evangelists. At the very top of the pulpit is the figure of a dove, symbolizing the holy spirit. On the right side of the central passage is the royal place. It is also made of gilded carved wood, covered with velvet. There has never been an armchair here; the tsar did not sit down during services. The central nave is lit by crystal chandeliers from the late 18th century. Closer to the altar - authentic, others restored after the Great Patriotic War. In the Peter and Paul Cathedral, trophy banners, keys to cities and fortresses, taken in the wars with Sweden and Turkey, were kept. Now the originals of the flags are in museums, copies of them are placed on the walls. The consecration of the completed Peter and Paul Cathedral took place on June 29, 1733. It acquired the status of a cathedral and was so until the opening of the new St. Isaac's Cathedral in 1858. It became the largest building in St. Petersburg. The walls of the temple were painted blue, the pilasters and cornice were painted white, the roof, bell tower domes and the altar dome were dark blue.

The appearance of the cathedral did not change until 1756, when on the night of April 29-30, lightning struck the spire, and the burning spire fell causing great damage to the cathedral: the bell tower was completely destroyed, the roof was heavily damaged, the portico was broken at the entrance, and as a result of a fire the bells of the chimes melted. It was possible to save the iconostasis from fire, thanks to its collapsible design, which was used by the soldiers of Prince Golitsin, who carried the iconostasis out of the cathedral in parts. On April 31, a decree was issued on the prompt restoration of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Builders were urgently gathered from all construction sites, and the roof of the cathedral was quickly restored. During the restoration, the shape of the roof was changed from a gable to a flatter one. It was decided to restore the bell tower in stone, which took 20 years. As the mass of the building increased, piles were driven into the base of the bell tower. An additional wall has appeared, as a result of which additional rooms have been formed. Thus, the Catherine's vestibule, the sacristy, a separate space for the stairs to the bell tower appeared in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. At the same time, volutes appeared on the second tier of the bell tower, the height of the spire was increased to 112 meters, the shape of the dome drum was changed.

Under Catherine II, a special architectural competition was organized for the reconstruction of the cathedral. Several projects were submitted for the competition in which it was planned to change the appearance of the cathedral, but at the insistence of Catherine II, it began to be restored according to the original project of Trezzini D. The new spire has grown from 112 meters to 117 meters. The angel was made according to the original drawing. The new chimes were proposed to be made by the Russian watchmaker Miller. The foreman agreed to perform the work, but refused to give the necessary guarantees, as a result of which the contract with him was not concluded. Then, as a result of the competition, the Dutch master Oort-Kras won, with whom an agreement was concluded, according to which the master's fee was paid in two parts: the first part after the presentation of the mechanism, and the second part after the installation of the chimes on the bell tower. In the fall of 1760, the chimes were delivered to St. Petersburg. Oort-Kras was paid the promised first part of the fee, however, due to the fact that the bell tower had not yet been completed, the chimes were placed on a small temporary bell tower. Oort-Kras died before the completion of the construction of the new bell tower. The chimes were installed in the late 1770s.

The used figure of an angel (fourth) on the spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The second version of the angel on the cathedral's spire was destroyed during the 1778 hurricane. The figure was broken by a strong wind. Antonio Rinaldi designed the third angel. In Rinaldi's project, the centers of gravity of the cross and the angel were combined, the figure now did not "fly" holding the cross with both hands, but seemed to be sitting on it. In addition, the angel stopped performing the functions of a weather vane. It was still spinning under the gusts of the wind, but this time only to stabilize and reduce its sail.

At the end of the 1820s, a strong gust of wind from an angel placed on a spire, a wing was torn off. The restoration of the figure required the construction of scaffolding around the bell tower, which was very costly, but a young roofer from the Yaroslavl province, Pyotr Telushkin, came to the authorities' aid. He himself volunteered to climb the spire of the bell tower without scaffolding and fix the angel. Moreover, he left the payment for his work open and left it on the conscience of the authorities. The discussion of this version of the restoration of the angel lasted for a year and a half, and as a result, in October 1830, the work by Peter Telushkin was completed. A large crowd gathered to see the work of the master, who uses only ropes with loops and a movable knot. The renovation lasted six weeks. For his work, the roofer received an award of 3,000 rubles and a silver medal "For diligence" on the Anninskaya tape.

In the middle of the 19th century, the need arose again to restore the spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Engineer Zhuravsky is in the competition for the work. The new spire was created in the years 1857-1858 in the Urals, at the Nivyansk plant. The spire was made of a metal frame, sheathed with gilded copper sheets. The spire is 47 meters high and weighs 56 tons. Inside the spire there is a staircase 2/3 of the height, then there is an exit to the outside, brackets lead to the end of the spire. The total height of the spire with the cross and the figure of an angel is 122.5 meters. The figure of an angel was replaced, which slightly changed its appearance, in which it remains today. At the same time, the chimes were reconstructed, a minute hand was added, and the chimes began to play one of two melodies - "If our Lord is glorious" and "God save the king."

After the revolution of 1917, the Peter and Paul Cathedral was recognized as an architectural monument, the decoration of the cathedral was preserved. The cathedral was closed in 1919, while the valuables were removed. The Museum of the History of the City was opened in the building of the cathedral. The spoils of war were donated to the Hermitage and other museums. The grand ducal tomb was plundered, marble tombstones were smashed. For a long time there was a warehouse. In the 1930s, workers put forward an initiative to replace the angel with a ruby ​​star, but the planned work was not completed due to the outbreak of World War II.During the siege of Leningrad, the spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral was painted over, the angel was covered with sackcloth. In 1992, a member of the Romanov family, Vladimir Kirillovich, was buried in the restored grand ducal tomb. Another burial in the Peter and Paul Cathedral took place in 1998, when the remains of Nicholas II and his family were transferred to the Catherine limit. The last to be buried here was the wife of Emperor Alexander III. Her remains were brought here from Denmark.

Grand ducal tomb

The Grand Ducal Burial Vault against the background of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The Grand Ducal Tomb was built in the period 1896-1908 by the project of the architect D.I. compiled in 1896, architects Tomishko A.O. (1896-1901), Benois L.N. (1901-1907), Stukolkin N.T. (1907-1908) were responsible for the implementation and completion in different years. Benois L.N. interiors were designed, a gallery connecting the Peter and Paul Cathedral with the tomb, a fence in front of the Tsar's entrance. In the design of the burial vault, Baroque and Renaissance motifs were used, when designing the burial vault, they started from the architecture of the already erected Peter and Paul Cathedral, and the burial vault harmoniously blended into the overall architectural series. The Grand Ducal Tomb is one of the last buildings on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress of that time. Serdobolsk granite, Italian white marble and labradorite were used in the design of the interiors. On the facades there are three mosaics with icons of the Mother of God: Iverskaya, Kazan and Feodorovskaya, which are associated with the history of the Romanovs' house. The mosaics were created in the workshop of V.A. and installed in 1907. In the period from 1906 to 1908, a chapel was built in the name of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky.

The Grand Ducal Burial Vault, Peter and Paul Fortress.

Initially, the tomb was intended for the burial of uncrowned members of the imperial family (for persons who had the title of Grand Duke and Princess), but, in addition, members of the Beauharnais family, who had the title of Dukes of Leuchtenberg and the Most Serene Princes of the Romanovs, could also be buried in the tomb. The tomb is designed for 60 burials. In the period from 1908 to 1915, 13 burials of members of the imperial family were made. In 1992, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich was buried in the tomb, and in 1995, his parents, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and his wife, Grand Duchess were reburied in the tomb. Victoria Fedorovna.

Since 1994, the Grand Duke's tomb has been administered by the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg.

Complex of the St. Petersburg Mint

The main building of the Mint. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The mint was transferred from Moscow to St. Petersburg by order of Peter in 1724 and is one of the oldest industrial enterprises in the city, the date of foundation is December 12, 1724. The stamp on the coins of s.p. b appeared 175 years later in 1899. Initially, the mint building was located in a curtain between Naryshkin and Trubetskoy bastions. In March 1800, the project of a new building of the mint was approved according to the project of Porto A. In June of the same year, the construction of the main building began, which ended in 1806. The main facade is 157 meters long. The main building is crowned with a low triangular pediment. The side wings end with round towers covered with domes. The originality and expressiveness of the composition of the facade, the skillful solution of the plan make it possible to classify the building of the Mint as one of the best structures of the Russian industrial architecture of Russia in the period of late classicism. Gradually, new annexes and buildings began to appear next to the main building, thus the area of ​​the mint gradually increased. In the 40s of the 19th century, food stores, laboratories for separating gold from silver, a stamp forge, an administrative wing and shops for medal redistribution and instrumental were additionally built. The construction of new buildings was completed in 1844. In parallel, from 1810 to 1841, the territory of the mint was surrounded by a fence on the north and west sides, on the east side the fence was erected after 1917. After the revolution of 1917, the Ober-officer and Platz-major houses were annexed to the territory of the Mint.

At the Mint, coins were minted not only for the Russian Empire and its successors, but also for foreign states: Dutch ducats, Turkish piastres. Coins were also minted for other mints in Russia. In addition to minting coins at the Mint, medal works were also carried out. In the middle of the 18th century, a laboratory for the separation of noble metals was founded on the territory of the plant.

In August 1941, in connection with the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, the bulk of the equipment of the Mint was evacuated to Krasnokamsk and located in the premises of the Goznak paper mill. In connection with the blockade of Leningrad and the entry of many workers and employees of the Mint into the detachments of the people's militia, only about forty skilled workers were seconded to the Krasnokamsk Mint being created, who in October put it into operation. The Krasnokamsk Mint, in terms of its production capacity, did not meet the increased demand for orders and medals, and there was no room for its expansion. Therefore, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR instructed the USSR People's Commissariat of Finance to create a Mint in Moscow, which was allocated production facilities on the territory of the Moscow Printing Factory.

At present, the St. Petersburg Mint, the oldest enterprise of the famous Russian association "Goznak", is considered the leading manufacturer of awards, orders and medals, commemorative coins made of precious metals, badges, and commemorative signs. Along with government orders, the company carries out work on the orders of individuals and companies. Its products are distinguished by a high level of decoration, impeccable minting quality, and are invariably recognized and in steady demand both in Russia and abroad.

Letter coin sign - SPB, SPM, SPMD, SP, CM, L, LMD.

Guardhouse

Guardhouse. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The guardhouse was built in 1748-1749 and was a one-story building with an open gallery on the main facade, the building came to replace the old dilapidated wooden guardhouse. The guardhouse was intended to contain officers and lower ranks who were arrested. In 1908, the building was rebuilt, a second floor was added, and instead of an arcade, four columns joined in pairs were used. The restructuring was carried out according to the plan of Asmus V.F. (presumably).

From 1970 to the present, the building houses the directorate of the St. Petersburg State Museum of History.

Bot house

Botanical house. Peter and Paul fortress.

A copy of Peter the Great's boat in the Botniy House, Peter and Paul Fortress.

The Botanical House is made in the style of early classicism and baroque, the house is a shelter for the boat of Peter I. The house is located next to the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The construction and finishing works of the Botniy House lasted from 1762 to 1766, according to the project of A.F. Vista. Decorative decorations over windows, cornices, shapes and curves of the roof, shapes of platforms and pedestals under the statue on the roof, the combination of different styles during construction are an outstanding work of their time. The boat of Peter I was on the territory of the house in the period from 1767 to 1931, later it was moved to the Naval Museum, where it is now. On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet, a reduced copy of the boat on a scale of 1 to 10 was placed in the house. During the Great Patriotic War, the house was badly damaged and in the 1950s it was restored according to the surviving drawings.

Initially, there was a wooden statue on the pedestal on the roof of the house, but in 1826 it was replaced by a stone figure of Naiad designed by the sculptor N.A. Tokarev. In 1891, this statue was also replaced by a terracotta statue of a woman with a paddle by sculptor D.I. Jensen.

Engineering house

Engineering house. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The engineering house was built according to the project of N.I. Muravyov. in the years 1748-1749. Initially, the buildings of the building formed a quadrangular courtyard with two gates, but in 1886 the gates overlooking the main alley were built up and both buildings were brought under the same roof.

At different points in time, the building housed a drawing workshop, an archive of files of the Engineering Department, living quarters for employees of the Engineering Department. Now the building of the Engineering House houses the expositions of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg.

Cavalier of Anna Ioanovna

Cavalier of Anna Ioanovna. Peter and Paul Fortress.

Cavalier of Anna Ioanovna. Building plan of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The cavalier of Anna Ioanovna was originally an auxiliary structure inside the bastion for the purpose of additional protection of the Kronwerk with artillery fire, at the same time the cavalier would be used to organize defense when the enemy penetrated the territory of the fortress itself. The cavalier was built in 1731-1733 according to the project of B.Kh. Minich. On three sides, the cavalier was surrounded by a moat, which was filled up in 1812. In 1795-1796, the cavalier was connected to the left flank of the Golovkin bastion, in order to lift the guns, using a two-span arched bridge. The cavalier was rebuilt in 1836-1837, the facade decor was changed, which became decorated in the style of late classicism, the brick parapet was removed, and a pitched iron roof was built. In 1837 the Artillery tseikhhaus was placed in the cavalier. Since 1961 it has been under the jurisdiction of the State Enterprise "St. Petersburg Mint".

Treasury Department

Treasury. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The building of the Treasury was built in 1837-1838 according to the project of I.I. Galberg in order to accommodate the Main Treasury and store the finished products of the Mint, and also included the building of the Secret Chancellery and the Treasury of residual and staff amounts. Since 1862, the building housed the administration of the St. Petersburg Engineering and Artillery Districts. Since 1868, the building was adapted by the Mint for administrative and residential premises. In 1900, the buildings of the boiler room, laundry and garrison workshops, designed according to the project of V.F. Asmus, were added to the building. Currently, the building is under the jurisdiction of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg.

Cartwheel

Cartwright Peter and Paul Fortress.

The coach house was built in 1846 according to the project of Batorsky, the official name of the "Service of the commandant department", in everyday life it is just "the coachman". The building was a one-story building in the late Classicism style, with a gateway located in the western part of the facade. The building included two carriage sheds, a stable with six stalls located in it, a covered courtyard with a manure pit, and a glacier. Geographically, the coachman is located between the Commandant's House and the Naryshkin Bastion. Since 1994, the building has been administered by the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg.

Commandant's house

Commandant's house. Peter and Paul fortress.

Commandant's house, courtyard, Peter and Paul fortress.

The commandant's house was built in 1743-1746 according to the project of J. de Marina. In 1747-1748, on the western side of the commandant's house, a detached U-shaped stone one-story service wing was erected. In 1750, the building of the commandant's house and the outbuilding were merged, resulting in a rectangular courtyard. The facade of the commandant's house is decorated in the Baroque style. The building is located between the Naryshkin bastion and the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Initially, on the site of this building, there was a wooden commandant's house built in 1704. In 1874 and 1892, the service wings were built on a second floor, on which the living and ceremonial rooms of the commandant of the garrison were located, as well as the house church in the name of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos. On the first floor and on the territory of the wing there were a kitchen, a laundry room, servants' rooms, office, stable. In honor of the celebration of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg in 2003, a glass roof was erected over the courtyard. In the 19th century, investigations and trials were held in the commandant's apartment in the case of the Decembrists, Petrashevists, and Narodniks. On October 25-26, 1917, the field headquarters of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee operated in the building. Currently, the Commandant's House houses the permanent exhibition of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg on the history of the city.

Kronverk

Plan of Kronverk and Peter and Paul Fortress. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The construction of the crownwork began in 1705. Kronverk was a fortified polygon with earthen ramparts in front of it, separated from the Peter and Paul Fortress by a moat with water, now called the Kronversky Canal. Kronverk was used to protect the fortress from land, trees were cut down to observe the approaches to the fortress to organize an open space. Kronverk of the Peter and Paul Fortress

Entrance to Kronverk. Peter and Paul Fortress.

In the middle of the 18th century, the kronwerk was rebuilt on a stone foundation. The remaining wooden fortifications were converted into semi-bastions and bastions, in addition, work was carried out to expand and strengthen the canal. In the 60s of the 19th century, a stone building of the Arsenal was built on a flat building according to the project of Tomansky P.I., on the territory of the Aleksandrovsky Park, which had been laid out shortly before. The building was made in the forms of medieval architecture, with brick-faced walls and Gothic motives of interior decoration. Banners, medals, orders, standards and weapons were kept in the building.

Courtyard of Kronverk. Peter and Paul Fortress.

Since 1872, the Arsenal was redesigned into the Artillery Museum, which included in its expositions everything that was in the warehouses of the Arsenal. Halls and galleries are used to showcase exhibits. During the Great Patriotic War, the museum building was used for the repair of tank equipment. After the end of the war, the building was reconstructed and the number of exhibits increased. The reconstruction works were headed by architects Khalturina K.D, Benois I.N., Smetannikova D.I. Since the 60s, the Artillery Museum has been merged with the Central Historical Military Engineering Museum, and a new department on the history of the signal troops was opened.

At present, the museum is called the Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps; it is in charge of more than 200 thousand exhibits from different military eras of Russia. Expositions and exhibits are located both inside the building and in the courtyard: self-propelled guns, tanks, armored vehicles.

Prison of Trubetskoy Bastion

Yard of the Prison of the Trubetskoy Bastion. Peter and Paul Fortress.

Plan of the Trubetskoy Bastion Prison, Peter and Paul Fortress. 1-27, 29-35 - cells, 28 - punishment cell, I - guardhouse, II - reception room, III - prison kitchen, IV - security service room, V, VI - storage rooms, VII - prison bath, VIII - courtyard, a place for prisoners to walk.

The prison of the Trubetskoy Bastion was built in 1870-1872 according to the project of K.P. Andreev. and Pasypkina M.A. The building is a two-story pentagonal building, erected on the site of the demolished inner walls of the Trubetskoy bastion. The prison was intended for political prisoners. Initially, there were 73 solitary confinement cells in the building, but in 1878 their number was reduced to 69. The political prisoners held in this prison were completely isolated both from the outside world and from the rest of the prisoners, a ban was imposed on books, dating, smoking, correspondence. Such harsh conditions of detention of prisoners sometimes led to mental illness. The prison was guarded with the help of the only Observing Team in the country, to which a team of gendarmes was later added.

In the years 1872-1917, more than one and a half thousand people were prisoners. In the 1870s-1880s, the populist revolutionaries P. A. Kropotkin, G. A. Lopatin, V. N. Figner, A. I. Zhelyabov, N. A. Morozov, A. I. Ulyanov, M. F. Vetrova and many others, in the 1890s - 1900s - the Social Revolutionaries B.V. Savinkov, E.K.Breshko-Breshkovskaya, S.V. Balmashev, V.M. Chernov, members of the Union of Struggle for Liberation the working class and the RSDLP (N. E. Bauman, A. S. Shapovalov, P. N. Lepeshinsky, M. A. Olminsky), Konoplyannikova, Zinaida Vasilievna; during the revolution of 1905-1907 - the writer M. Gorky and other members of the deputation who protested against the shooting of the demonstration on January 9, 1905; members of the St. Petersburg Soviet of Workers' Deputies L. D. Trotsky, A. L. Parvus.

In 1879, there was a riot on the territory of the prison due to the refusal to supply tobacco to one of the prisoners. Demands were made by the inmates to improve their lives, the demands were not met by the prison administration, and the inmates were beaten by soldiers. After that, the inmates went on a hunger strike that lasted for several days, as a result of which their demands were partially met.

During the February Revolution of 1917, former ministers, leaders of the political police and other persons were imprisoned in the Trubetskoy Bastion prison, whose cases were investigated by the Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry of the Provisional Government. During the October Revolution of 1917, members of the Provisional Government were imprisoned, then participants in the junkers' performance on October 29. In November 1917, the leaders of the banned cadet party PD Dolgorukov, AI Shingarev and FF Kokoshkin became prisoners. The cells of the prison were turned into general cells, and solitary confinement was applied only to individual arrested persons.

The prison was officially closed in March 1918. But, the prison functioned until 1921. In 1919, four Grand Dukes were in custody: Nikolai Mikhailovich, Georgy Mikhailovich, Dmitry Konstantinovich and Pavel Alexandrovich, who were subsequently shot.

The prison became a museum in 1924.

Gates

Vasilievsky gates

Vasilievsky gates. Peter and Paul fortress.

The Vasilievsky Gates were first mentioned in 1729, the name of the gate was given due to the fact that they are located on the Vasilievskaya curtain, directed towards Vasilievsky Island. In 1792-1794, according to the project of De Rankour F.O. the western facade of the gate was supplemented with a classicistic portico with two pairs of pilasters of the Tuscan order and a triangular front with the monogram of Catherine II, the brickwork of the gate was plastered, and the cornice, belts and pilaster bases, the keystone and the plinth were made of limestone. The archivolt was decorated with a keystone, and as a result of the work, the width of the gate arch remained the same, but its height increased. The portico was dismantled in 1872-1874 as a result of work on expanding the gate and was restored only in 1952-1953 according to the project of A.A. Kedrinsky. In the middle of the 19th century, the "treasury of the monetary office" was kept above the Vasilievsky Gate.

John's gate

John's Gate. Peter and Paul Fortress.

John's Gate was built in 1739-1740. according to the project of B.Kh. supervised the work of De Marin H. The inscription "1740" is placed on the gate, indicating the date of the end of the construction of the stone fortress - this gate was the last object of the reconstruction of the Peter and Paul Fortress in stone. In the tympanum of the gate there is a cartouche, which is topped with the Russian imperial crown and is surrounded by military attributes - banners, halberds, drums. In the design of the eastern facade of the Ioannovsky gate, the experience of decorative processing of the lower tier of the Peter gate was used. A little later, a similar composition was used in the construction of the Nevsky Gate. The restoration of the gate was carried out in the 1960s under the leadership of I.N. and Rotach A.L.

Kronverkskie gates

Kronverkskie gates. Peter and Paul fortress.

Until the 1730s, the Kronverkskie Gates were called the First Kronerkskie Gates. The gate was erected during the construction of the Kronverkskaya curtain of the fortress. In 1791-1792, the gate was altered and increased in width and height by the artel of the peasant Y. Stepanov. In 1826, a major overhaul was carried out over the gate. In 1829, the northern arch of the gate was decorated in the form of an archivolt. In 1836, a wooden bridge was erected near the gate, connecting the Peter and Paul Fortress with the glacis of the crownwork.

Nevsky gates

Nevsky gate. Peter and Paul fortress.

The Nevsky Gates were built in a tree in 1714-1716, along with the gates, a wooden pier was also built. In the early 1720s, the gate was rebuilt in stone under the leadership of Trezzini D. In 1731-1732, another rebuilding was carried out. This project has been preserved in the modern appearance of the gate from the side facing the Peter and Paul Cathedral: a four-meter arch with a keystone flanked by pilasters and crowned with a triangular pediment. The pediment is decorated with a relief composition depicting a shield, a banner and military armor. In 1746, another rebuilding of the gate was carried out and their facing with powdery stone. In 1762-1767, a project was developed for a new granite pier to replace the wooden one by N. Muravyov and D. Smolyaninov. This project was implemented in 1777, under the leadership of R. T. Tomilov. a grand three-arched granite pier with parapets, ice cutters and a platform with three staircases to the water was built. In 1780, the architect N. Lvov completed a new project of the gate, which was built in 1784-1787 and has survived to this day. The height of the new gate was 12 m, width - 12.2 m. They are located on a plinth one meter high. To the right and left of the arch, there are double columns of the Tuscan order with diamond rustication, supporting a triangular pediment. The plinth, columns and pediment are made of polished silver-white Serdobol granite. The pediment is decorated with a relief image of an anchor with crossed palm branches and a fluttering ribbon (unknown sculptor after Lvov's drawing, alabaster). At the edges of the pediment are two bombs with tongues of flame. The gates are located in the southern part of the wall and create a unique panorama of the Neva and the Peter and Paul Fortress. Prisoners were taken out through the Nevsky Gates for execution or life imprisonment in Shlisselburg.

The Nevsky Gates were silent witnesses to the terrible pages of Russian history. Through them, prisoners were taken out of the fortress to be sent to execution or life imprisonment in Shlisselburg.

Nikolsky gate

Nikolsky gate. Peter and Paul fortress.

The Nikolsky Gate was built in 1729 according to the project of architects B.Kh. Minich and D. Trezzini; the gate served as the main entrance to the fortress from the north-west. Initially, the gates were called the Second Kronverkskie. In 1792-1793, according to the project of the architect De Rankroix F.O. on both sides of the gate were installed four-column porticoes: the southern portico at the end had a stepped attic with decorative bombs along its edges, the northern portico was crowned with a triangular pediment. In 1874, the gate was rebuilt and expanded, according to the project of A.A. Carbonier. After all the work, the height of the gate became 5.25 m., The width was 6.3 m. In 1966, the gate was overhauled according to the project of I. N. Benois.

Peter's gate

Peter's Gate. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The Peter's gate made in wood was built in 1708 and was rebuilt in stone according to the project of D. Trezzini in 1716-1717. The arch of the gate is crowned with an attic with a semicircular bow pediment, decorated with a carved wooden panel "The Overthrow of Simon the Magus by the Apostle Peter" by the sculptor Kondrat Osner. Regarding the panel, there are two versions: according to one of them, the panel was transferred from the wooden gate, according to the second version, the panel was made specifically for the stone gate. The panel symbolizes the victory of Russia in the Northern War. On the pediment of the attic there is a high relief depicting the blessing God of hosts. The niches contain statues created by the French sculptor N. Pinault: in the left niche of the gate there is a statue of Athena in the image of Poliada, the patroness of the city. She is wearing long clothes - peplos. In her hand is a snake - a symbol of wisdom. In the right niche is a statue of Athena in the image of Pallas - a victorious warrior. In 1720, the Russian coat of arms was installed over the arch in the form of a two-headed eagle, cast from lead by the master Vassu F. In 1723 by the artist A. Zakharov and the gilder I. Uvarov, the eagle was painted black and the crown, scepter, orb and some details of the shield were gold plated. The sculptural group of the gates included seven more statues, but these statues have not survived to this day. During the Great Patriotic War, the gates were damaged and their reconstruction took place only in 1951 under the leadership of architects A.A. Kedrinsky and A.L. Rotach.

Bastions

The bastions are located clockwise according to the time of their laying.

Sovereign Bastion

Sovereign Bastion. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The sovereign's bastion from the inside. Peter and Paul fortress.

The sovereign's bastion was laid on May 16, 1703 on Hare Island. Peter I personally supervised the construction process, thanks to which the bastion got its name. The work was supervised by V.A. Kirshtenstein. according to the project of Lambert J.G. (presumably) with the personal participation of Peter I. The sovereign bastion is one of two bastions located on the eastern side of the Peter and Paul Fortress facing the Neva. The sovereign's bastion is connected by the Nevsky curtain with the Naryshkin bastion and the Petrovsky curtain with Menshikov. On the east side, the bastion is covered by the Ioannovsky ravelin. In October 1703, after the completion of the construction of the earthen ramparts, the fortress keyser-flag was raised on the bastion. In 1704, the first lighthouse in the city was lit. In 1717-1732, according to the project of Trezzini D. and Burchard Christoph von Minich, the bastion was rebuilt in stone. Inside the bastion there were two-tiered battle casemates, which were converted into single-tiered ones in the middle of the 19th century. There was a postern under the bastions. In 1752, a ramp was brought up to the bastion. In 1782-1784, the Neva facade of the Tsar Bastion was faced with granite blocks. From 1726 to 1766, Peter I's boat was kept on the territory of the Sovereign Bastion. In the 1920s, these premises were occupied by the services of the Leningrad Military District. During the Great Patriotic War, direction finders were installed on the bastion to detect enemy aircraft on the way to the city. In 1954, the Tsar's Bastion became part of the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg. In 1999-2003, the porch and footbridges "for the passage of sentries" from the spitz of the Gosudarev to the Naryshkin bastion were recreated. On May 27, 2003, a memorial sign "Three hundredth anniversary of St. Petersburg" was unveiled at the Tsar's bastion.

Naryshkin Bastion

View of the Naryshkin Bastion and the Nevsky Gate. The Peter and Paul Fortress.

Naryshkin Bastion. Peter and Paul Fortress.

Naryshkin bastion was built in 1725-1728 under the leadership of D. Trezzini and B. Minich. Naryshkin K.A. supervised the construction process, thanks to which the bastion got its name (as in the case of the Tsar's bastion). In the side (for frontal fire) and front walls there were two-tiered casemates, which were rebuilt into single-tiered in the middle of the 19th century. From that moment they were adapted for production and used as warehouses for the Mint. In 1780, the Neva facade was faced with granite blocks. In 1731, the Flag Tower was erected on the Naryshkin Bastion, on which the flag was raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. This tradition was interrupted during the USSR, but in the 1990s it was resumed, however, now the flag is constantly on the mast. Every day at noon, a cannon shot is fired from the Naryshkin Bastion. At present, Naryshkin Bastion is part of the St. Petersburg State Museum of History.

Trubetskoy Bastion

Trubetskoy Bastion. Peter and Paul Fortress.

Trubetskoy bastion in wood was erected in 1703 under the leadership of engineer V.A. Kirshtenstein according to the project of Lambert de Guerin (presumably) with the personal participation of Peter I. and in the case of the Gosudarev and Naryshkin bastions). On May 13, 1708, Peter I himself was present at the laying of the stone Trubetskoy bastion. The construction of the stone bastion was carried out according to the project of D. Trezzini and was completed in 1709. The Trubetskoy Bastion became the first bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The left face and flanks were equipped with two-tier casemates and a porch - a tunnel for safe communication between the casemates. The right face of the bastion was continued by an orilion - a ledge protecting its right flank, and under the cover of the orilion a sort was arranged - a secret exit for landing sorties. In 1711, the keyser-flag was transferred to the Trubetskoy bastion from the Tsar's bastion and on holidays the standard (they rose over the bastion until 1732). The first prison premises of the Peter and Paul Fortress were organized on the territory of the Trubetskoy bastion. Since 1724, the Mint has been located in the bastion. It was originally equipped with a signal cannon for the midday shot. In 1779-1785, according to the project of Tomilov R.R. and under the leadership of F. Bauer, the outer walls were faced with granite slabs. In 1869-1870, the valgang wall was dismantled in the Trubetskoy bastion, and a two-story pentagonal prison building was erected in the vacant place.

Zotov Bastion

Zotov Bastion. Peter and Paul Fortress.

Zotov Bastion on Google Maps. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The Zotov tree bastion was built in 1703. And in 1707-1709 the right side of the Zotovy Bastion was rebuilt in stone. The rest of the bastion was rebuilt and in stone in 1727 - 1729, led by Trezzini D. and Minich B.Kh. In 1752, a ramp was attached to the Zotovy bastion for lifting guns and ammunition, the ramp was designed by V. Sipyatin. In 1832-1834, the walls of the bastion were re-faced according to the project of I. Opperman. As in the case of other bastions, two-story casemates were built in 1840-1860. were rebuilt into one-story. In the 18th century, the casemates of the Zotov Bastion were used as detention facilities, in addition, it housed the services of the Garrison and Secret Chanceries, the workshops and forge of the fortress Engineering Team, the archive of the General Treasury, the archive of the Provisional Expedition, and then the artillery armament warehouse.

Golovkin Bastion

Golovkin Bastion on Google maps. Peter and Paul Fortress.

The Golovkin bastion was built in wood in 1703, the bastion was rebuilt in stone in two stages in 1707-1709 (the right side of the bastion) and 1730-1731 (the left side of the bastion). Like the rest of the bastions of the fortress, it is , a pentagonal structure with two front walls - facades and two side - flanks, intended for frontal and flanking fire. The bastion received its name, like the rest of the listed bastions, by the name of the associate of Peter I, who supervised the construction of the bastion, Golovkin. After the final restructuring under the leadership of B.Kh. Minich, during the time of Anna Ioannovna, the bastion was renamed into the Anna Ioannovna bastion (the original name was returned to it by the Bolsheviks). Three powder magazines were located in the faces of the Golovkin bastion. In the flanks there were two-tiered defensive casemates, which in the 19th century were rebuilt into single-tiered (as in the rest of the bastions), at the same time the walls are faced with new bricks. In 1752, according to the project of Sipyatin, a ramp was attached to the bastion. In the left Orleon there was a sort - an exit to the Kronver Strait. As in many bastions, there were chambers for keeping prisoners of the Camora (chambers) in the faces and under the ramp at the end of the 18th century - in the first half of the 19th century, they served as solitary cells for keeping prisoners. A cavalier was erected in the gorge of the bastion in 1731-1733. Since 1920, the Golovkin bastion, like the rest of the bastions, was under the jurisdiction of the NKVD. Currently, the bastion houses the services of the Mint.

Menshikov Bastion

Menshikov Bastion, Peter and Paul Fortress, 1970s photo

The Menshikov Bastion was founded on May 16, 1703 and became the second bastion laid in the Peter and Paul Fortress and is one of the two bastions on the east side. Get your name, like other bastions of the Peter and Paul Fortress, after the associate of Peter I, who supervises the construction process. The first St. Petersburg pharmacy was located on the territory of the Menshikov bastion. On May 30, 1706, the rebuilding of the entire fortress in stone began, and already in 1706-1708 the left side of the Menshikov bastion was rebuilt. The final reconstruction of the stone bastion ended in 1729, when the bastion was already named after Peter II (the bastion was renamed back by the Bolsheviks after 1917 (the exact date is not known, but in 1920 all the bastions already had their initial names)). In 1828, the walls of the bastions were faced with new bricks, in 1837-1860 the two-tiered casemates were rebuilt into single-tiered ones (which was done with all the bastions of the Peter and Paul Fortress), at the same time, iron roofs were made. At various times, the bastion housed the services of the Secret Chancellery, the Mint (left flank) and the workshops and forge of the fortress engineering team; in the 19th century, the premises were adapted for the placement of the Complete Battalion and the lower ranks of the artillery warehouse command, as well as for the premises of the 2nd company of St. -Petersburg artillery garrison. At the beginning of the 20th century, the bastion also housed the kitchen and dining room of the commandant's office clerks.

Ravelines

Alekseevsky ravelin

Botardo Alekseevsky Ravelin. Peter and Paul Fortress.

Alekseevsky ravelin. Peter and Paul fortress.

The Alekseevsky Ravelin was considered the most important prison of the Russian Empire, the heart of the Peter and Paul Fortress - the "Russian Bastille". The Alekseevsky ravelin was built in 1733-1740 according to the project of B.K. Minich. The ravelin was intended to cover the Vasilievsky curtain and the gates located there. The Alekseevsky Ravelin got its name in honor of the father of Peter the Great, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The Alekseevsky ravelin was separated from the main part of the fortress by a moat filled with water at the end of the 19th century. There were only window and doorways in the ravelin walls. In 1787, the counterguard of the Alekseevsky ravelin, facing the Neva, was faced with granite slabs. Almost from the very beginning, the ravelin was used to house political prisoners. For the first time, a wooden prison house was built in the ravelin in 1769. In 1797, the wooden prison was destroyed and instead of it, according to the project of P. Yu. Paton, the "Secret House of the Alekseevsky Ravelin" was erected, a secret prison for the Russian emperors. The prisoners who got there were considered primarily as personal enemies of the Russian tsar. A court verdict was not required to be imprisoned in the Alekseevsky Ravelin. Only one royal word was enough to be placed in the fortress or to be freed from it. Prisoners were always brought to the ravelin at night. Once in the secret house, the prisoner was deprived of his name and surname. All his connections with the outside world were cut off. Meetings and correspondence with prisoners were allowed only with special royal permission. The Alekseevsky Ravelin performed prison functions until 1893, at the same time the fortifications of the Ravelin were dismantled to accommodate the buildings of the archives of the War Ministry. In the 1730s, along the coastline, the main shaft was designed by B.Kh. It was connected to the ravelins by the botardo system, which served as dams to maintain the required water level in the ditches and canals of the fortress and to prevent the penetration of enemy ships from outside. The botardo walls (above-water part of the lintel) were originally made of hewn slab stone; the underwater part of each dam consisted of two semicircular water gates. In 1787, round turrets were faced with granite on the two southern botardos, and the wooden palisades of the botard were replaced with cast iron ones. The botardo turrets on the north side in 1794 were covered with a flaky slab. In 1862-1865 the wooden palisades of botard were replaced by cast iron ones.

John's Ravelin

Botardo Ioannovsky Ravelin. Peter and Paul Fortress.

John's Gate and John's Ravelin (from the outside). Peter and Paul Fortress.

The Ioannovsky Ravelin was built in 1704 in a tree, but initially the Ravelin did not have its own name and was unnamed, it got its name in 1740, when it was rebuilt in stone (perestroika began in 1731). The ravelin was named in honor of the brother of Peter I - John Alekseevich. The ravelin was separated from the fortress by a moat with water, which was filled up at the end of the 19th century (like the moat of the Alekseevsky ravelin). There were window and doorways only in the ravelin's valgang walls. In 1787, the counterguard of the Ravelin, facing the Neva, was faced with granite. In 1829, the walls of the rest of the ravelin were faced with new bricks. In 1894, on the left side of the ravelin, a one-story building was built for the emergency reserve of the Izhora reserve battalion, this building was rebuilt for the Gas-Dynamic Laboratory in 1932-1933. In 1908-1909, on the right side, a separate house was erected for the apartments of the commander and senior officers of the machine-gun company of the Life Guards Semyonovsky regiment, this house was transferred to the restaurant "Austeria" in the 1960s. Currently, the Ioannovsky Ravelin houses the Museum's ticket office, as well as the Museum of Cosmonautics and Rocket Engineering.

Curtains

Vasilievskaya curtain

Vasilievskaya curtain. Peter and Paul fortress.

The Vasilievskaya curtain got its name due to the fact that it faces Vasilievsky Island. In wood, the Vasilievskaya curtain was built in 1703 and already in 1709-1710 was rebuilt in stone under the leadership of Trezzini D. In 1834, the curtain walls were re-faced with new bricks. In the second half of the 19th century, the curtain was rebuilt and became one-story. In 1870-1872, several extreme casemates of the curtain were dismantled, this is due to the fact that the construction of the Trubetskoy Bastion Prison was underway and a free space was needed. On the left side of the curtain were the premises given to the Mint, in the 18th century on the right side of the premises were given to the services of the commandant department, in the 19th century on the right side were the archives of the State Treasury, the Commandant’s Directorate and the Audit Department of the War Ministry, together with the archives of the artillery department. At this time, the premises of the curtain are given to the Mint and the workshops of the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg are located there.

Catherine curtain

HISTORY OF THE PETROPAVLOVSK FORTRESS

PETROPAVLOVSKAYA FORTRESS IN THE DEFENSE SYSTEM OF THE NEVA

The fortress of St. Petersburg (Petropavlovskaya) was founded on May 16 (27), 1703 on a small island in the Neva delta to defend the Russian lands captured by Sweden in the 17th century and reclaimed during the Northern War (1700-1721). The Finns called the island Yenisaari (Hare Island), and the Swedes called Lust-Eiland (Merry Island). In just four months, fortifications of wood, sod and earth were erected here. Although during its existence the Peter and Paul Fortress never took part in hostilities, during the Northern War it was an important link in the chain of fortifications of the Neva and the Gulf of Finland. This defensive system also included the ancient Novgorod fortress Oreshek (Shlisselburg) located at the source of the Neva, the Admiralty shipyard fortress founded in 1704 on the left bank of the Neva, and the new Russian fortress Kronshlot (Kronstadt) in the Gulf of Finland.

PETER-PAVEL'S FORTRESS- CITY HISTORICAL CENTER

In the history of St. Petersburg, the Peter and Paul Fortress played a special role. The city, the future capital of the Russian Empire, began on the Hare Island. Here was the first church of the city - the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, the Lutheran Church of St. Anna (founded in 1704), the Main Pharmacy (1704-1720), the wooden building of the Senate (1713-1717), the Mint (from 1724 ) and the house of the city commandant. The trading and administrative center of early Petersburg was formed next to the Peter and Paul Fortress, the port and the first city square, Troitskaya, were located.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE PETROPAVLOVSK FORTRESS

The Peter and Paul Fortress was built according to the rules of the Western European bastion system according to the project of J.-G. Lambert de Guerin, a French engineer in the Russian service. It has the shape of an elongated hexagon with six massive bastions pushed towards the enemy.

Initially, the fortress was made of wood and earth. The foundations for the walls of the curtains and bastions were ryazhs - square log cabins filled with stone, on which earthen ramparts were poured. The general management of the construction in 1703-1705 was carried out by a military engineer from Saxony V.-A. Kirshtenstein. The emperor himself oversaw the construction of one of the bastions. He entrusted the supervision of the construction of others to his closest associates - A. D. Menshikov, G. I. Golovkin, N. M. Zotov, Yu. Yu. Trubetskoy and K. A. Naryshkin. Five bastions were named after them, the sixth was named "Tsar". The bastions are interconnected by curtains: Petrovskaya, Nevskaya, Ekaterininskaya, Vasilievskaya, Nikolskaya, Kronverkskaya.

In September 1703, the construction of the original timber and earth fortress was completed. In the eastern part of the Hare Island in 1704-1705, an additional fortification was erected - an earthen ravelin. In 1705-1709, on Berezovy Island, to the north of the fortress walls, the Kronverk was built - a fortification designed to strengthen the defenses of the fortress in the event of a new attack. Under the guidance of engineer V.-A. Kirshtenstein in 1705, a pentagonal earthen cavalier was erected in the gorge (rear) of the Golovkin bastion - an additional fortification for conducting "overhead fire".

In 1706, the reconstruction of the fortress in stone began according to the project of the engineer J.-G. Lambert de Guerin and architect D. Trezzini. In 1727, the supervision of the construction of the fortress was entrusted to the military engineer B.-Kh. von Munnich, under his leadership in the 1740s, all major construction work was completed.

According to Minich's project, stone ravelins were erected in the 1731-1740s on the western and eastern ends of the Hare Island. In memory of the father and grandfather of Empress Anna Ioannovna, they were named Ioannovsky and Alekseevsky. The ditches that separated the ravelins from the main territory of the island were fenced off with the help of botardo - dams with lifting lattices. In 1730-1733, according to the project of B.-H. von Minich was rebuilt in stone a cavalier, which was named in honor of Empress Anna Ioannovna.

All the curtains of the fortress, with the exception of the Catherine's, have gateways: these are Petrovsky, Nevsky, Vasilievsky, Nikolsky and Kronverksky gates. The first in time to create were the Petrovsky Gates - the main entrance to the fortress, which appeared at the very beginning of the 18th century. In 1707-1708 they were rebuilt according to the project of D. Trezzini in the form of a stone triumphal arch with a wooden upper tier - an attic (rebuilt in stone in 1717-1718), crowned with a wooden statue of St. Peter the Apostle, from which they got their name. ...

Subsequently, the stone fortifications were subjected to separate rebuilding and reconstruction. Under Catherine II, the southern facade of the fortress was faced with granite slabs (1779-1786, engineers R.R. . Lvov). These works did not have a defensive significance: the fortress acquired an appearance corresponding to its important urban planning role in the ensemble of the center of St. Petersburg. During the reign of Nicholas I, the walls of the northern curtains and bastions were plastered and painted "like granite". Two-story fortress casemates in the 19th century almost everywhere became one-story.

Since the 18th century, Zayachiy Island with the Petrograd (Petersburg) side has been connected by one of the oldest city bridges, Ioannovsky (it has existed in its present place since 1736-1738). Previously, two more bridges led to the fortress: Nikolsky (built in the 1820s) and Kronverksky (built in 1853), both were demolished at the beginning of the 20th century. Only in 1938, in the northwestern part of the island, the now existing wooden Kronverksky bridge was built.

ARCHITECTURAL ENSEMBLE OF THE PETROPAVLOVSKAYA FORTRESS

The Peter and Paul Fortress was built as a defensive structure. However, since 1704, when the first center of St. Petersburg began to form on the territory of Hare Island, various buildings and structures were erected here. Over time, they formed a unique architectural ensemble, in which monuments from different eras and styles merged into a single harmonious whole.

The main architectural and high-rise dominant of the fortress is the majestic Peter and Paul Cathedral. Laid down on June 29, 1703 in the center of the fortress under construction, the wooden cathedral became the first church in St. Petersburg. On June 8, 1712, Peter I laid a stone church here. The Peter and Paul Cathedral was erected in 1712-1733 according to the project of D. Trezzini. This building is one of the most significant monuments of the early Russian Baroque, which is also called "Petrovsky". Until now, a multi-tiered bell tower with a thin gilded spire crowned with the figure of an angel dominates the panorama of the city's central embankments and is the tallest architectural structure in St. Petersburg.

During its long life, the cathedral has undergone many changes, and its modern appearance is somewhat different from the original: for example, a fire on April 30, 1756 destroyed the spire, roof and dome of the temple. The restoration work took several decades - a new wooden spire was recreated by 1773. The restoration of the cathedral was completed in 1780. In 1857-1858, according to the project of the engineer D.I. Zhuravsky, the wooden structures of the spire were replaced with metal ones. After the installation of a new spire, the total height of the bell tower increased from 117 meters to 122.5 meters.

During the 18th - early 20th centuries, many famous St. Petersburg architects and engineers took part in the creation of the fortress ensemble. Among them are D. Trezzini, H. fan Boles, A. F. Vist, N. A. Lvov, A. Rinaldi, A. Porto, D. I. Zhuravsky, D. I. Grimm, L. N. Benois and a lot others. Their work represents architectural styles from Petrine Baroque to Neoclassicism. In the first half of the 18th century, a whole complex of various buildings was located on the territory of the fortress. In 1704-1718, a number of wooden (from 1711 - hut or half-timbered) buildings were built. Active stone construction and improvement of the territory of the Hare Island developed under Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, when the buildings of the Main Guardhouse (1748, completely rebuilt in 1906-1907), as well as the Ober Commandant's House (1743-1746) and the Engineering House (1749) were erected. These structures still partially retain their original appearance, characteristic of the ordinary buildings of St. Petersburg of the early Baroque period. In the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries, significant changes took place in the architectural appearance and spatial organization of the fortress development. A new era in the formation of the ensemble was opened by the construction of the Botny House (1761-1765), designed by the architect A. F. Vista in the forms of early classicism. The building was erected to store the legendary boat of Peter I - “the grandfather of the Russian fleet”. In his youth, the tsar studied maritime affairs on this ship. The complex of buildings of the Mint has become an important dominant feature for the entire ensemble. The main building of this industrial enterprise, erected in 1799-1805 by the architect A. Porto, is an example of strict classicism architecture. In 1839-1844, on the site between the main building of the Mint, Ekaterininskaya, Vasilievskaya and Nikolskaya curtains, according to the designs of architects E. X. Anert and A. M. Kutsi, “food stores”, a laboratory for separating gold from silver, a stamp forge, a workshop medal redistribution and instrumental, administrative wing. During the period of late classicism, the Depot of Model Russian and Foreign Weights and Measures (1838) were built, the Ober Officer's House (1843) and the Plaza Major House (1843-1844) were rebuilt, the Main Treasury was erected (1837), the building of stock capital (1844) , Cartwright (1846). They were designed in order-free forms, which determined the nature of the building of the fortress in the 1830-1840s. In the era of eclecticism (the second half of the 19th century), the territory of the Alekseevsky ravelin underwent the most significant transformations, where in 1892-1900 a complex of new buildings was erected to house the Archives of the War Ministry and their employees.

The formation of the architectural ensemble of the Peter and Paul Fortress ended at the beginning of the 20th century with the restructuring of the building of the Main Guardhouse (1906-1907), which received a new neoclassical architectural decoration, and the erection of the Grand Ducal Tomb near the Peter and Paul Cathedral (1896-1908, architects D.I.Grimm, A.O. Tomishko, L. N. Benois, mosaics - workshop of V. A. Frolov based on sketches by N. N. Kharlamov) and the Church House (1906, L. N. Benois).

HOLIDAYS AND CEREMONIES IN THE PETROPAVLOVSK FORTRESS

From the first years of its existence, the Peter and Paul Fortress has become one of the centers for holding various church and citywide holidays, celebrations, illuminations and fireworks dedicated to the glorious victories of Russian weapons and other important events in the life of the state.

During the years of the Great Northern War, a tradition arose to accompany triumphs in honor of the "glorious victorias" with the construction of a triumphal gate. Such a construction was the Peter's Gate of the Peter and Paul Fortress, decorated with an allegorical sculpture that glorified the statesmanship of Peter I, his talent for leadership and victories over the Swedish king Charles XII. In the attic there is a bas-relief "The overthrow of Simon the Magus by the Apostle Peter" (K. Osner Sr., 1708), in the niches on the sides of the arch of the gate, there are allegorical figures "Courage" and "Prudence" (1716) created by the French sculptor N. Pino, above the arch is a lead double-headed eagle (F.-P. Wassu, 1720-1722). In 1730, the carver P. Fedorov decorated the gate with wooden bas-reliefs with military attributes. The sculptural decor included the figures of two angels with trumpets that have not survived to this day, reliefs depicting military armor that were placed above niches, allegorical sculptures "Piety" and "Hope", statues of the god of war Mars and the god of the seas Neptune on separate pedestals.

During the reign of Peter I, the holiday of the Day of Opening the Neva from Ice was established, which was of particular importance for the inhabitants of St. Petersburg. There were no permanent bridges across the Neva until the middle of the 19th century, therefore, during the ice drift, the communication between Vasilievsky Island, the Petrogradskaya side and the Admiralteyskaya part was terminated. It was renewed only after the official opening of river navigation.

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord was celebrated no less solemnly. In the midst of the Epiphany frost, on January 6 (according to the old style), in front of the Peter and Paul Fortress, to the ringing of bells, crowds of townspeople gathered to perform the ceremony of consecrating the Neva water. On the ice of the river, near the walls of the fortress, they built a chapel, and next to it they made a cruciform wormwood - "Jordan" (from the name of the Jordan River, where Jesus Christ was baptized). The ceremony always took place with the participation of the imperial family. On Wednesday of the fourth week after Easter, the feast of the Day of the Pre-Holy Pentecost was celebrated - the twenty-fifth day after Easter. On this day, crowded processions of the cross from the cathedral with the participation of the clergy of almost all the parish churches of the city took place on the pier. The procession walked around the walls of the fortress with the miraculous icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, taken from the house of Peter I. On every bastion and over every gate, prayers were performed, and then at the Nevsky Gate - blessing of water. It was believed that by the consonance between the words "Prepovenie" and "sailing", there was a custom to cross the Neva to the fortress.

PETROPAVLOVSKY CATHEDRAL - TENTAL OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILLA

In 1731, even before the consecration of the stone Peter and Paul Cathedral, Empress Anna Ioannovna signed a decree giving it the status of a cathedral church in St. Petersburg. However, since the 1770s, the Peter and Paul Cathedral began to gradually lose its dominant importance - there were no permanent bridges across the Neva at that time, the temple on Hare Island was cut off from the rest of the city during ice drift and freeze-up. In 1858, the new St. Isaac's Cathedral became the cathedral, the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul was transferred to the Court Construction Office of the Ministry of the Imperial Court, and in 1883, together with the clerk, was ranked among the Court Spiritual Department. The court status of the temple corresponded to its historical significance as an imperial tomb. Funeral services and memorial services for the deceased members of the imperial family took an important place in the church life of the cathedral.

The cathedral became a necropolis even before the end of construction - during the life of Peter I, his children who died in infancy, Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and his wife Princess Charlotte-Christina-Sophia, the sister of Tsar Maria Alekseevna and his daughter-in-law, Tsarina Martha Matveyevna, wife of Peter's half-brother were buried here. , Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich. During the 18th-19th centuries, many representatives of the reigning dynasty found their rest here, first of all, Russian emperors and empresses, with the exception of only Peter II (buried in Moscow) and John VI (deposed, imprisoned, killed, buried in Shlisselburg or Tikhvin ).In 1715, during the funeral of Princess Charlotte-Christina-Sophia, a new funeral ritual for Russia was tested for the first time. The traditional Orthodox funeral rite was supplemented by secular funeral ceremonies, mostly borrowed from the Protestant German states. In the new ritual, a special role was assigned to the solemn funeral procession, which accompanied the coffin with the body of the deceased to the Peter and Paul Cathedral, accompanied by the ringing of bells of all churches in the city and incessant cannon fire from the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The Peter and Paul Cathedral for the funeral was decorated in a special way. Leading Russian artists, sculptors and architects (V. Brenna, G. Quarenghi, C. Rossi, O. Montferrand and others) were involved in the creation of the funeral decoration.

The last burial before the revolution (Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, son of Emperor Nicholas I) was made in 1909: it was decided to bury only emperors and empresses in the cathedral in the future, and the Grand Duke's tomb was intended for the burial of uncrowned representatives of the Romanov dynasty.

From 1908 to 1915, 13 members of the imperial family were buried in the Grand Duke's tomb, including eight graves were transferred from the cathedral. Over the next seventy-six years, no burials were made in the Tomb. On May 29, 1992, the great-grandson of Alexander III, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, was buried in the Grand Duke's tomb. On March 7, 1995, the ashes of his parents, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna, were transferred from Coburg.

On July 17, 1998, the remains of the last Russian emperor Nicholas II, his wife and children (except for his son Alexei and daughter Maria) were buried in the Catherine's side-altar of the Peter and Paul Cathedral; in 2006, the ashes of Empress Maria Feodorovna were transferred to the cathedral from the royal burial vault in Roskilde (Denmark), wives of Emperor Alexander III.

GARRISON OF THE PETROPAVLOVSK FORTRESS

On June 22, 1703, troops (guards and other regiments) were brought into the Peter and Paul Fortress under construction and the first commandant was appointed - the dragoon colonel Baron K.-E. Rennes. From that time until October 1, 1926, the life of the fortress was associated with various military units and teams.

In the first years of the Northern War, the fortress remained the base camp and stronghold of all the troops defending the Neva delta. Its own garrison appeared in the fortress in October 1703, when the construction of timber and earth fortifications was completed and guns were installed on them.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the troops based in the Peter and Paul Fortress took an active part in the battles of the Northern War. In the 1710s-1790s, the garrison of the fortress was part of the entire St. Petersburg garrison, and the positions of the commandant of the fortress and the city were not delimited. At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries, a stable structure of the garrison was formed, enshrined in official documents and staffing tables. A similar structure of the garrison existed until the 1920s, when the need for its existence disappeared.

The fortress garrison consisted of a company of fortress artillery and a disabled team. The fortress artillery company, the only real combat unit, numbered only 168 people at the beginning of the 19th century. The company was armed with 45 guns, some of which were intended exclusively for salute shooting. The artillery garrison took part in military exercises. So, during the maneuvers of the Guards Corps in September 1840, he defended Kronverk, which was "stormed by open force." An essential part of the artillerymen's activities was salute and signal firing.

The disabled team was on guard duty in the fortress. Her duties included the protection of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the gates of the fortress and the prison premises. Guardrooms were equipped at all gates. External guards around the fortress were usually posted from the city garrison, and a special “mint team” of 80 people was responsible for guarding the Mint. The disabled team maintained cleanliness and order on the territory of the fortress.

The engineering team was involved in the organization and production of the repair and construction work, which included not only the military, but also civilians and military workers companies subordinate to the Engineering team. In 1810, a school was established under the Engineering team, which trained conductors and clerks of the Engineering Corps.

All the troops permanently in the fortress were quartered in casemates adapted for barracks, the fortress had clothing, wood and food warehouses, vegetable stores, bakeries, kitchens, canteens, etc. special rooms in separate casemates. In addition to the soldiers, most of the officers were also permanent residents of the fortress.

"RUSSIAN BASTILE"

For two centuries, the Peter and Paul Fortress was the main political prison in Russia. No wonder it was called "Russian Bastille". The history of the Peter and Paul Fortress as a tsarist political prison began in the time of Peter I. Its first prisoners in February 1718 were Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and others arrested in connection with the "tsarevich case." In the 18th century, “victims” of palace coups and court intrigues were kept here: cabinet secretary A.P. Volynsky, architect P.I. Minich, the impostor "Princess Tarakanova", the writer A. N. Radishchev, the leader of the Polish uprising of 1794 T. Kostyushko and his secretary, the writer Y. Nemtsevich. Twice - in 1798 and 1800 - Rabbi Shneur Zalman, a Jewish teacher and one of the Hasidic authorities, was a prisoner of the fortress.

Under Paul I, prominent military leaders A.P. Ermolov, Admiral P.V. Chichagov, and ataman of the Don army M.I. Platov were imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. In the year of accession to the throne of Nicholas I, the participants in the 1825 uprising against the autocratic power of the emperor were the Decembrists. In the 19th century, writer F.M.Dostoevsky, a prominent figure of Russian anarchism M.A. Bakunin, writer N.G. Chernyshevsky, ethnographer N.N. Sevastopol writer K.M. Stanyukovich and many others.

Initially, at the beginning of the 18th century, prisoners were housed in fortress casemates. Later, in the 1760s, a wooden prison house was built on the territory of the Alekseevsky ravelin. In 1797, a new prison was erected in its place - the Secret House (the building has not survived). In 1870-1872, according to the project of military engineers K.P. Andreev and A.M. Pasypkin, the prison of the Trubetskoy bastion was built on the site of the dismantled inner (valgang) walls of the Trubetskoy bastion. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, more than 1,500 people were its prisoners - members of the Russian liberation movement, populists, social democrats, and Socialist-Revolutionaries. Among them are A. I. Ulyanov (Lenin's older brother), writer A. M. Gorky. In 1917-1918, ministers of the tsarist and then the Provisional governments, opponents of Soviet power, were added to the lists of those arrested. In 1921, the last prisoners were the participants of the Kronstadt rebellion.

PETROPAVLOVSKAYA FORTRESS - MUSEUM

For the first time, the fortress was opened for visitors during the reign of Alexander I, when excursions around the imperial necropolis began to be held in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. In 1922, the temple became a museum (since 1926 a branch of the Museum of the Revolution), and in 1927 a museum exposition was opened in the prison of the Trubetskoy Bastion.

In 1954, the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Grand Ducal Tomb and some other buildings in the fortress became part of the State Museum of the History of Leningrad. Immediately, a huge work began on the study of the history of fortifications, the resettlement of residents from historical buildings and the restoration of premises for future exhibitions. The walls of the bastions were restored and the territory of the fortress was improved. In the 1950s-1980s, the monuments of the Peter and Paul Fortress were restored under the leadership of I. N. Benois, A. A. Kedrinsky and A. L. Rotach. A huge amount of work was carried out to restore the original decoration of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. In the 1970s-2000s, expositions and exhibitions were opened for visitors in the Commandant and Engineer Houses, the Nevskaya Curtain, the Ioannovsky Ravelin, the Tsar's Bastion: “The History of St. Petersburg-Petrograd. 1830-1918 "," History of the Peter and Paul Fortress "," Museum of Cosmonautics and Rocket Technology ", etc.

The Peter and Paul Fortress is annually visited by thousands of tourists from many countries of the world, cities of Russia, and St. Petersburgers often come here too. Today the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg is one of the largest museums in the country. In addition to the Peter and Paul Fortress, it includes the Shlisselburg Fortress Oreshek, the A. A. Blok Museum-Apartment, the S. M. Kirov Museum, the Rumyantsev Mansion, the Printing Museum, the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad and the Museum of the St. Petersburg Avant-garde (M. V. Matyushin's House).

The oldest architectural monument of St. Petersburg. May 27, 1703 - the day of the founding of the Peter and Paul Fortress is considered the day of the founding of the city. St. Petersburg was founded by Peter I on the land reclaimed from the Swedes. The plan of the citadel was developed by the emperor himself, together with the French engineer Lambert de Guerin. Let's recall interesting facts from the history of the Peter and Paul Fortress together with Natalia Letnikova.

Island-shaped fortress... Shape is a matter of military strategy. When laying the fortification, Peter used every meter of the Hare Island so that the Swedes who were threatening Russia had nowhere to land. Peter and Paul is the first bastion-type fortress in Russia. It was built without fortress towers for circular shelling of enemy ships.

Peter and Paul Cathedral- the tomb of the Russian emperors. It was built simultaneously with the fortress, first in wood, and since 1712 - in stone. With the transfer of the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg, a new custom arose - to bury crowned heads not in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, but in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. By the end of the 19th century, there were 46 burials in the cathedral, and the construction of the Grand Duke's burial vault was required.

Tallest historic building... The 122-meter bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral is no longer the highest point in St. Petersburg, but it is still a historical dominant. In the 18th century, due to a lightning strike, the spire tilted and the architectural monument was not damaged thanks to the father of "industrial mountaineering" in Russia, Peter Telushkin. For six weeks the Yaroslavl master climbed to the top on a rope ladder without scaffolding and repaired both the spire itself and the soaring angel.

The fourth angel of the Peter and Paul Fortress... A gilded figure appeared at the top of the spire under the cross in 1724 thanks to the architect of the stone cathedral, Domenico Trezzini. The first angel 30 years later "died" along with a wooden spire from a lightning strike, the wings of the second were torn off by a wind of unprecedented strength. The third angel of 1778 revolved at the base of the cross like a weather vane, and the current three-meter soaring angel crowned the spire after the reconstruction of the 19th century.

Peaceful history of a military citadel... The Peter and Paul Fortress did not participate in any battle, although the garrison was on full alert for centuries and was created to protect the lands conquered in the Northern War. Initially wooden, and later stone walls, 12 meters high and 20 meters wide, were protected by 60 guns on each bastion. But the cannons of the Peter and Paul Fortress fired only for peaceful purposes.

What are the guns talking about? The first cannon shot sounded in the citadel almost immediately after construction - at the moment the flag was raised. A cannon fired, notifying the townspeople of the beginning and end of the working day. And since 1865 it has been announcing the approach of noon. In the twentieth century, the tradition was interrupted for a while, and in the twenty-first century it developed: the presence of honored guests at a salvo. Among them were the creator of the legendary machine gun Mikhail Kalashnikov, Prince Charles, opera diva Elena Obraztsova.

Bells and sounds of the carillon... 51 bells for four octaves. The heaviest one weighs more than 3 tons. The new carillon of the Peter and Paul Fortress is both a musical instrument and a once international project. The first carillon appeared in Russia thanks to Peter I, but could not withstand the fire of the fire of 1756. Director of the Belgian Carillon School Jo Haazen found more than 300 patrons of art, thanks to whom St. Petersburg received a new carillon with a total weight of 15 tons for the 300th anniversary.

"Russian Bastille"... Fortress walls more than once became a casemate for political prisoners. Over the years, the Decembrists, Narodnaya Volya, and writers were in Petropavlovka: the Bestuzhev brothers, Nikolai Chernyshevsky, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Alexander Radishchev. One of the first prisoners was the son of the founder of the fortress, Tsarevich Alexei. And the most mysterious history of the casemate fortress, perhaps, is associated with the imprisonment of Princess Tarakanova.