The first structure to be built in St. Petersburg, and thus the birthplace of the city, the Peter and Paul Fortress never served its intended defensive function. Instead it has had a rich, hugely varied, and sometimes sinister history as a military base, a home of government departments. In the middle is the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. 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.

Built 1712-1733, it was arguably the greatest work of architect Domenico Trezzini, and a bold statement of Peter the Great's desire to adopt Western European styles in architecture and in religion. The multi-tiered cathedral bell tower is crowned with a landmark needle, upholstered with copper gilded sheets. The needle, built by Dutchman German von Bolis, is topped off by the figure of a flying angel bearing a cross. The clock for the bell tower was delivered in 1720 from Holland where it was purchased for 45,000 rubles - a huge sum for the time

Standing next to the Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Grand-Ducal Burial Vault is the final resting place for 13 junior members of the Romanov family, as well as for Grand-Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, who was head of the Russian Imperial Family in exile until he died in 1992. Later, the remains of his parents were also moved to the vault. The eclectically styled building was constructed 1896-1908 by a team of architects including Leontiy Benois.

Artists will appreciate the wooden gilded Baroque iconostasis, designed by Ivan Zarudny and carved by Moscow craftsmen in the 1720s.

The iconostasis contains 43 original icons of the eighteenth century.

The central part of the iconostasis is designed in the form of the triumphal arch that spans the Royal Doors and rises into the space beneath the dome to a height of almost twenty meters.

Holy Doors and lower portion of the iconostasis. Just in front is the tombs of Catherine II, Peter III, Elizabeth I, Catherine I, and Peter I

On this side, in front of the iconistasis is Paul I, Alexander I, Nicholas I, amoung others.

A significant event took place in the cathedral on July 17, 1998. On this day the remains of Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, Grand Duchesses Tatiana, Olga and Anastasia, who were executed in Yekaterinburg in 1918, were interred in the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral. Here are the tombstones marking the burial of Tsar Nicholas II and his family in St. Catherine's Chapel.

In 2006, the Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral also welcomed the remains of Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III and the mother of Nicholas II.

Tombs of Alexander II and his wife made of semi-precious stones at the Peter and Paul Cathedral. These sarcophagi differ from the others. They were manufactured at the Peterhof Lapidary Works from semi-precious stones: a gray-green Altai jasper tomb for Alexander II and a pink Ural rhodonite tomb for his wife Maria Alexandrovna.

What's a fortress without a some anti-aircraft guns