The Peter and Paul Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox cathedral located inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is the oldest landmark in St. Petersburg, built between 1712 and 1733 on Zayachy Island along the Neva River. Both the cathedral and the fortress were originally built under Peter the Great and designed by Domenico Trezzini. The cathedral’s bell tower is the world’s tallest Orthodox bell tower. The gilded spire is 402 feet (122.5m).
Russian tsars from Peter I to Nikolai II are buried in the cathedral and in the nearby Grand Dukes Mausoleum.

The cathedral was closed in 1919 and turned into a museum in 1924. It’s still officially a museum, but religious services resumed in 2000. We didn’t get inside, but the spire is visible from many parts of the city.

Speaking of Russia, I just finished a great book set there: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. It’s about an aristocrat who’s been sentenced to house arrest in a grand old hotel in Moscow. You’d think the story would be dull, but it’s very entertaining. I can’t remember many characters more charming than Count Alexander Rostov.

Great weekend, everyone!

{carole}