Saints Peter & Paul Cathedral

The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul is the oldest church and the second tallest building in St Petersburg (sadly, the tallest being the television tower). At the birthing of the city of St Petersburg, this church was the first structure to be built. Its original intention as a fortress was never realised although it had been used in the past for the incarceration of highly prominent political prisoners.

Today, its tourist value lies in the fact that it has as its permanent residents the remains of most of the Romanov rulers of Russia from Peter the Great to the last Tsar Nicholas II and his family, who were re-interred there after the Second World War.

The heavily gilded altar is eye catching as a centrepiece but is by far not the only gold adornment in the cathedral. I have seen many an ornate gilded carving in churches around the world but this arguably takes craftsmanship to its pinnacle. The typical icons of the Virgin Mary and Child,  and all the saints in gilded gold,  beckon one to draw closer for an intimate study of the artisans’ labour of love.