Peter's Gate - one of the gates of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.
Peter's Gate is the triumphal and most beautiful gate of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
This gate is the first front entrance gate in Russia (the first Triumphal Gate).
It is unlikely that you will come to the Peter and Paul Fortress and not see the Peter and Paul Gate, since most people who visit the fortress pass through the Peter and Paul Gate to its inner territory.
A small courtyard leads to the Petrovsky Gate from the city side Ioannovsky Ravelin, which, in turn, can be entered through the eponymous Ioannovsky Gate, connected to the city (Petrograd side) Ioannovsky Bridge.
View of the Ioannovsky Gate, Ioannovsky Ravelin and Ioannovsky Bridge
Peter's Gate is the main main entrance to the Peter and Paul Fortress.
The gate was built in 1703 in honor of the liberation of Russian lands from the Swedes in the Northern War. This gate has long served as the only entrance to the fortress.
The architect and fortification engineer Domenico Trezzini designed the gate. Originally, the gate was built in the Baroque style, had a stone base and a wooden upper part.
In 1916-1917, the upper wooden tier of the gate was rebuilt in stone.
The name "Peter's Gate" was given in honor of the Apostle Peter, whose two-meter statue crowned the pediment of the gate. The statue is now lost. Also, the name of the gate "Petrovsky" is associated with Peter I.
During the history of the gate was subjected to restorations. In the late 18th and mid - 19th centuries, the seven sculptures and reliefs above the niches that originally decorated the gate were lost.
In 1941, the Petrovsky Gate was damaged by military shelling. The restoration took place in 1951 under the supervision of architects A. A. Kedrinsky and A. L. Rotach.
Today, the Petrovsky Gate is a monument of architecture of the "Petrovsky Baroque".
Peter's Gate rises to 16 meters and leads to the fortress through a wall 20 meters thick.
The front facade (east) of the Peter's Gate faces the city and has an elegant and bright appearance, decorated with sculptures, bas-relief, high relief and stucco.
This facade is decorated with two pairs of bas-relief columns with small capitals. Between each pair of columns in niches are allegorical statues created by the French sculptor N. Pinot: on the left-a statue symbolizing Prudence, in her hands a mirror and a snake, on the right- "Courage", on her helmet is depicted a Salamander.
Above the arch of the Petrovsky Gate is the coat of arms of the Russian state - a double-headed eagle with a large imperial crown. The coat of arms was placed on the gate for the first time in 1720. The lead statue weighing 1069 kilograms was cast by the French master F. P. Vassou.
The attic (upper part) of the gate is decorated with carvings made by the German master K. Osner: an allegorical bas-relief "The overthrow of Simon the Magus by the apostle Peter" and a high-relief depicting the blessing of the God of Hosts.
Peter's Gate is part ofPetrovskaya Kurtina (part of the rampart), which connects Gosudaryov and Menshikov bastions.
The curtain wall was built in stone in 1917-1719, as well as the Peter's Gate, according to the project of D. Trizini, instead of a wood-earth fortification.
The curtain had twenty two-tiered casemates.
The casemates were adapted for the barracks of the Invalid, Artillery and Engineering companies of the fortress garrison, officers ' quarters, warehouses of food and construction materials.
To the right, at the Petrovsky Gate, there was a guardhouse-a guardhouse, with two casemates for the general detention of prisoners.
The western facade (internal) of the Petrovsky Gate, in comparison with the eastern one, looks simple and unremarkable.
The facade has no decorations, is built into the curtain wall and is distinguished only by a gabled roof. Learn more about Petrovskaya Kurtina...
Practical information
Through the Peter's Gate, the tourist route goes directly to the inner territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
The entrance to the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress is free (free of charge). Only certain objects on the territory of the fortress are paid for (if you want to visit them).): museums and exhibitions, Peter and Paul Cathedral and the Grand Ducal Tomb, Trubetskoy Bastion prison, Nevsky panorama.
Peter's Gate is located on the eastern side of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
The nearest metro station is Gorkovskaya.
You can walk from the central part of St. Petersburg to the Petrovsky Gate at Trinity Bridge. The distance from the Palace Square is just over 2 kilometers.
You can also visit the Peter and Paul Fortress with one of the excursions
All accommodation facilities in Saint Petersburg, including in the city center and near the Peter and Paul Fortress, can be viewed and booked here
