790 
PETERSBURG. 
Place, on which the church of that name is built, is in 
the form of an obtufe triangle, and is enclofed by hand- 
fome houfes. Peter’s Place, in which the famous ftatue 
of that monarch ftands, is the grandeft of all, whether we 
confider it in itfelf, or in the profpefit from it, compofed 
of the noble river, the pafling (hips and boats, the 
thronged bridge, and the oppofite (hore of Vafiily-oftrof, 
bordered by palaces, the imperial academies, and fump- 
tuous houfes. In this quarter of the town originate 
three ftraight, long, and elegant, ftreets, denominated 
Perfpeftives, becaufe from their feveral points of view 
they afford a profpedl of the admiralty’s gilded fpire. It 
proceeds in a direft line, one little curvature excepted, 
from the admiralty to the monaftery of St. Alexander 
Neufky; and in breadth it may vie with the find! ftreets 
in Europe ; being, according to the above-mentioned au¬ 
thor, by one-half broader than Oxford-ftreet, in London. 
Rents in this part of the town are confiderably higher 
than in every other; and even the price of provifions 
and other neceffaries is here much enhanced by the rea- 
dinefs wherewith the luxury of the inhabitants complies 
with the moft exorbitant demands. 
The principal public edifices of the Second Admiralty 
Quarter are the court-ftables, the college of medicine, and 
the opera-houfe. This laft is a fpacious maffy ftruffure 
in a noble fimplicity of ftyle, in the conftruction of which, 
due regard was had to the feveral requifites of its deftina- 
tion. Within the purlieus of this quarter of the town 
Hand two of the principal Greek churches. In that 
dedicated to God’s Mother of Kazan, containing her 
portrait, which is held in the higheft veneration, the 
folemn thankfgivings for the fuccels of public affairs are 
ufually celebrated, at which the fovereign is occafionally 
prefent in perfon. The church of Nicolai, or the Sailors’ 
Church, confifts of two ftories, whereof the lower may 
be heated in winter. Its five cupolas are richly gilded. 
The greateft curiofity of the Third Admiralty Quarter 
is the Eank, perhaps the moft elegant building in all Pe- 
terfburg. Of the churches in this quarter, only the Ca¬ 
tholic and the Armenian are deferving of fpecification ; 
both of them are rather confpicuous for the tafte dis¬ 
played in their ftrufture, than for their grandeur and 
magnificence. The inhabitants of the two laft-mentioned 
quarters belong chiefly to the trading claffes. 
Among the public buildings of the Styckhof, the 
Arfenal is the moft remarkable. It forms an open qua¬ 
drangle of three ftories, is built in a grand ftyle, and wears 
an afpeft of dignity, correfpondent to its defign. Facing 
the Styckhof-road it has a magnificent portico, and the 
roof is ornamented with trophies and allegorical figures 
of excellent fculpture. Oppofite the principal front, on 
the other fide of the ftreet, is a large fquare court filled 
with piles of cannon-balls and bombs. Remarkable of 
itfelf, and from the viciflitudes it has undergone, is the 
edifice that was formerly the Pantheon of prince Potem¬ 
kin, which the emprefs Catharine II. afterwards pur- 
chafed, and deftined for her autumnal refidence, denomi¬ 
nating it the Tauridan Palace.. At that time, thisfuperb 
edifice confifted properly of only one floor; but the body of 
the building, having wings extending along the ftreet, 
liad over the grand portal, fupported upon columns, two 
ftories furmounted with a large cupola. The left wing 
was greatly lengthened by the emprefs, by a feries of 
additional erections, taking in one entire ftreet, fitted up 
as dwellings for her retinue, orangeries, &c. She like- 
wife changed the whole interior of the principal ftrufture, 
and augmented it by the addition of a theatre. Above 
fifteen hundred labourers we"e employed in this work, 
which was even profecuted during the night by the light 
of torches, as the emprefs had refolved to pafs the 
enfuing autumn there. Dying a few years after its com¬ 
pletion, this gorgeous palace was by her fon and fuccefl'or 
converted into barracks. 
In this compartment are the Italian Gardens, the Ta- 
peftry-manufaftory, the Foundery of Cannon, the Impe¬ 
rial Brewery, and the Slobode of the Horfe-Guards. 
Here are likewife the churches of St. Sergius'and of the 
Preobajenfkoi-guards, dedicated to the transfiguration of 
Chrift, with the church of St. Pantaleon and Simeon on 
the Fontanka, and the fubaltern Yager church on the 
Ligova canal, which is the only one of timber. The 
Lutheran church of St. Anne, belonging to the Germans, 
ftands here in the Third Artillery-ftreet. The Styckhof 
contains likewife the palaces of the princes of Wurtem- 
burg, and on the Fontanka that of prince Sheremetof, 
with its fpacious court ornamented with ftatues and a 
pleafure-garden in the Dutch tafte. 
The Rojeftvenfkoi Quarter, though comparatively fmall 
and inconfiderable, yet contains the only monaftery and 
the only convent within the city. The Vofkrefenflcoi 
nunnery, or convent, was originally built and inhabited 
by the emprefs Elizabeth, wdiile grand-duchefs; and on 
heracceflion to the throne it was, in 1744, converted into 
a convent for twenty nuns. The building and walls 
inclofe a large quadrangle, in the centre of which ftands 
the church. Catharine II. fuffered the nunnery to re¬ 
main, but enlarged the ftrufture, and founded in it a fe- 
minary for young ladiesof noblefamilies. The monaftery 
of Alexander Neufki is built in the fhape of a fpread 
eagle, and contains in its ample bounds the palace of the 
metropolitan, the cells of fixty monks, five churches, a 
fchool, See. The famous (brine of St. Alexander, com¬ 
pofed entirely of wrought folidfilver, occupies a confider- 
able fpace in the elegant church, erefted exprefsly for that 
purpofe. Beneath the pavement is the vault conftrufted 
by Catharine II. for her relics, and thofe of her imperial 
lucceffors. 
Among the public edifices of the Moflcoffkoi Quarter, 
is theimperial Yaegerhof forthe corps of chaffeurs. This 
fpacious and noble edifice was juft finifhed at the detnife 
of Catharine II. and her fon Paul converted it into bar¬ 
racks. The town-hofpital is likewife fituated here, and 
deferves notice from the grandeur of its arcliiteflure. 
Vaflili-oftrof is the feat of commerce and of literature. 
The Exchange and Academy of Sciences (land on this 
ifland. The Academy of Arts alfo here raifes its majef- 
tic front on the (hore of the Neva, over-againft the 
Galherenhof. Afcending the river, the coaft is lined 
with the fpacious edifices of the land-cadet-corps; and 
the eaftern promontory of the ifland is decorated with 
the three large ftruftures which form the Academy of 
Sciences, at the extremity of which appears the fuperb 
Exchange. Among the numerous churches fituate on 
the Vaflili-oftrof, the Lutheran church of St. Catharine 
is principally confpicuqus for the neatnefs and fimplicity 
of its architecture, the portico of which is from the 
model of the Temple of Concord. 
The Peterfburg Quarter of the town confifts of feveral 
iflands.; and, though it has no fumptuous edifices to 
boaft of, yet contains the parent of all that exift in the 
imperial refidence, namely, the original wooden palace 
or cottage of Peter the Great, over which is ereCled a 
brick building, on arches, to preferve it from the incle¬ 
mencies of the weather, as a facred relic of that creative 
genius. Thefe iflands are Petroflki-oftrof, which, befides 
a fmall wooden fummer-houfe belonging to the grand 
duke Conftantine, has nothing worth mentioning, and is 
partly covered with foreft-trees. Of the fame defenption 
is the Apothecary-ifland, which has its name from the 
garden upon it belonging to the medical college. Ano¬ 
ther petty ifland is occupied by the hemp-magazines, on 
which account, during the fummer, a numerous fleet of 
barks and galleots are conftantly collected about it. 
Kammenoi-oftrof, belonging to one of the imperial 
family, has upon it an elegant villa, an hofpital for in¬ 
valids, and a number of beautiful pleafure houfes. The 
ifland Yelagin, fo defignated from the name of its pro¬ 
prietor, is highly embellifhed by art, and laid out in walks, 
parterres, and avenues, with plantations and (hrubberies, 
lb as to referable the pleafure-grounds of an Englifli 
4 nobleman. 
