The
Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul is the oldest church in St. Petersburg, and also
the second-tallest building in the city (after
the television tower). It is intimately linked to both the history of the city
and to the Romanov dynasty, as it is home to the graves of nearly all the rulers
of Russia since Peter the Great.
Work
began on the first, wooden church to be erected on the site just one month after
St. Petersburg was officially founded, and the church was consecrated on April
1, 1704. In 1712, the current, stone Peter and Paul Cathedral started to be
built, to a design by Domenico Trezzini. This one took slightly longer to build
- 20 years, in fact - and was consecrated on June 29, 1733.