Peter and Paul Cathedral.

On the bank of the Olga pond in Peterhof stands a golden-domed church, which more than a hundred years ago became a real salvation for its parishioners. We recall interesting facts about the appearance of one of the most beautiful cathedrals located near St. Petersburg.

The picturesque church in Peterhof in its aesthetic and architectural relation in many ways resembles the famous Church of the Savior on the Blood in St. Petersburg, built in the period from 1883 to 1907. Curiously, the temple on the embankment of the Griboyedov Canal was built according to the project of Leonty Benois, and in 1893 the same architect submitted his idea of a temple in Peterhof to a competition approved by Alexander III. However, the emperor chose the project of Nikolai Sultanov, who died three years after the consecration of the cathedral.

It should be noted that the temple was vital for the city: at that time there were 13 churches in it, but mere mortal passage to the palace, military and those churches where she was going to know, was ordered. Only the Church of the Cross (now not preserved) remained. The temple was small and unsuitable for a large number of people: few of the gathered could watch the service, there was always a stampede, there was not enough air.

Three years later, Alexander III received a petition for the construction of a temple. He, choosing a site near Olga Pond, ordered to begin work.

The architect Sultanov conceived the temple under construction in the style of Moscow stone architecture, and also thought out details that could create all the amenities for clergy and parishioners.

Simultaneously with the construction of the cathedral, buildings of the parish school, boiler house and power plant were built, as a result of which a powerful church complex was obtained. The building of the cathedral has a pyramidal shape and is decorated with five chapters with a tent coating and gilded bulbs. Due to the fact that the temple stands on a hill, and the height of the middle head is equal to 70 meters, the cathedral is visible for many kilometers from the city and even listed as a landmark in the sea. For the decoration of the building, irrigated tiles, white stone, gilded domes and patterned skates were used, and the facades were faced with red and yellow bricks.

The construction was completed in 1905, with the solemn consecration attended by Nicholas II and Alexander Fedorovna. For a quarter of a century, the church was the main religious center of St. Petersburg, and in 1937 it was closed and even planned to blow up, as happened to a dozen churches throughout Russia.

However, the temple still survived: limited to the fact that in 1941 they tore off the cladding of the heads. During the war, the temple, like the whole country, had to go through difficult times. During the days of the battles, inside it was a fascist spotter who monitored the movement of Soviet warships. Our troops noticed him and tried to shoot him down, causing damage to the northern part of the cathedral.

Preparing for the Olympics-80, the Soviet authorities finally decided to restore the dilapidated temple and restored its outer part. The interiors did not touch, as they did not decide what would appear here: a museum or a concert hall.

The temple was destined to be resurrected in 1989 (the year of the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Russia), when the faithful achieved the transfer of the cathedral to them. In 1990-1995, repairs were carried out, the interiors were restored, and the temple began to work in the same way as before 1935.