Abroad in 2012: A Year of Travel: SAINTS PETER & PAUL FORTRESS

Below are photos taken over three separate days I visited the Saints Peter & Paul Fortress.

Why three days?

Because I didn't finish seeing everything Tuesday. Wednesday, everything other than the cathedral is closed, and I returned on Thursday to see the commandant's house (history of SPB) and the engineer's house (history of Russian/Soviet space exploration).

APPROACHING IVAN'S GATE. SPIRE OF CATHEDRAL IN DISTANCE.

IVAN'S GATE - INITIAL ENTRANCE TO THE FORTRESS

PETER'S GATE - INTO THE INNER SANCTUM

CLOSE UP OF THE GATE - SYMBOL OF IMPERIAL RUSSIA WITH A TABLEAU DEPICTING DIVINE RIGHTS BESTOWED UPON PETER THE GREAT AS HE DEFEATS THE SWEDES.

THE CATHEDRAL.

ICON CASE LEFT OF THE ICONOSTASIS WITH TOMBS OF ROYAL FAMILY. THE CATHEDRAL SERVES AS THE ROMANOV BURIAL MAUSOLEUM.

ALL THE TOMBS ARE WHITE CARRARA MARBLE EXCEPT THESE TWO: ALEXANDER II IN THE GREEN JASPER AND HIS WIFE IN THE PINK RHODONITE. ALEXANDER II WAS KILLED BY A BOMB ON THE SPOT WHERE THE CHURCH OF SPILLED BLOOD NOW STANDS (PHOTOS TO COME IN A LATER POST).

TOMB OF PETER THE GREAT.

ROOM WHERE THE REMAINS OF THE LAST TSAR AND HIS FAMILY WERE INTERRED IN 1998 AFTER BEING DISCOVERED IN YEKATERINBURG, WHERE THEY WERE EXECUTED IN 1918.

PULPIT IN THE CATHEDRAL.

BEAUTIFUL SPACE.

GORGEOUS CEILINGS AND CHANDELIERS. THE ICONOSTASIS IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING RECONSTRUCTION.

THE BELL TOWER OF THE CATHEDRAL. THE SPIRE IS 394 FT. TALL, THE TALLEST POINT IN SPB.

UNDER THE BELL TOWER STAIR CASE IS WHERE PETER THE GREAT'S SON, ALEXEY, IS BURIED.

TOUR UP TO THE BELL TOWER WITH A STOP AT THE CARILLON.

THE CARILLON CONTROL ROOM. WE HAPPENED TO HAVE A DEMONSTRATION AS ONE OF THE CARILLON PLAYERS CAME TO PRACTICE RINGING THE BELLS FROM HERE.

LOOKING DOWN ON THE CARILLON.

WAT IN THE BELFRY. THIS IS APPROXIMATELY 134 FT. HIGH. WE ARE OVERLOOKING THE MINT ON THE FORTRESS GROUNDS, THE NEVA AND WEST TOWARD THE GULF OF FINLAND.

BIG BELL.

TRUBETSKOY BASTION, WHERE OPPONENTS OF EVERY RUSSIAN REGIME HAVE BEEN INCARCERATED, STARTING WITH PETER THE GREAT'S SON, ALEXEY, THROUGH 1924 AND ANTI-SOVIET SUBVERSIVES.

MOCK UP OF HOW A GUARD AND SUPERVISOR WOULD WATCH PRISONERS.

A CELL. THE WALLS WERE SPECIALLY PREPARED WITH FABRIC AND OTHER MATERIALS TO PREVENT PRISONERS FROM COMMUNICATING WITH ONE ANOTHER. WHILE SPARSE, THE CELLS ARE RELATIVELY LARGE. EACH HAD A WASH BASIN AND TOILET.

LEON TROTSKY'S CELL AT TRUBETSKOY BASTION. THE LIST OF WHO'S WHO OF RUSSIAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS, ANARCHISTS AND ANTI-IMPERIALISTS IS IMPRESSIVE.

THE NEVA CURTAIN, WHICH OVERLOOKS THE NEVA RIVER TO THE SOUTH WITH A VIEW TOWARD THE HERMITAGE, ADMIRALTY, ST. ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL... YOU'VE SEEN THIS VIEW DOZENS OF TIMES ALREADY FROM MY PREVIOUS PHOTOS.

FROM NEVA GATE OVERLOOKING THE NEVA RIVER AND PALACE EMBANKMENT.

NEVA GATE INTO THE FORTRESS FROM THE RIVER BANK.

CONTROVERSIAL BRONZE STATUE OF PETER THE GREAT MADE IN 1991 USING PETER'S DEATH MASK FOR THE FACE.

IN FRONT OF THE COMMANDANT'S HOUSE ARE TWO RODIN SCULPTURES FOR AN EXHIBIT INSIDE. THESE ARE THE BURGHERS OF CALAIS, PHOTOGRAPHED BACK IN EARLY JUNE WHEN AT THE RODIN MUSEUM IN PARIS.

RODIN'S BALZAC IN FRONT OF COMMANDANT'S HOUSE, WHICH IS NOW AN EXHAUSTIVE MUSEUM ABOUT THE HISTORY OF ST. PETERSBURG.

A MID 1800S POSTER IN THE MUSEUM PROMOTING SMOKING. CIGARETTES ARE VERY INEXPENSIVE IN RUSSIA (ABOUT $2.50 FOR A PACK OF MARLBORO RED OR THE "HOT" CIGARETTE ALL THE COOL KIDS SEEM TO SMOKE, PARLIAMENT.) EXPORTING AMERICAN-MADE CIGARETTES AND PROMOTING SMOKING MAY THE MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON THE WEST CAN EMPLOY TO DESTROY RUSSIA!

MUSEUM DISPLAY OF LATE 1800S SINGER SEWING MACHINE POSTER. SINGER WAS VERY BIG IN RUSSIA AND DRASTICALLY IMPROVED THE LIVES OF RUSSIAN WOMEN WHO PREVIOUSLY HAD TO SEW BY HAND.

THE ENGINEER'S HOUSE AT THE FORTRESS. THIS DISPLAYS A SOYUZ SPACE CRAFT AND THE SUIT USED IN THE FIRST SPACE WALK. AGAIN, I HAD THOUGHT ASTRONAUTS - NOT COSMONAUTS - WERE THE FIRST TO SPACE WALK.