Wender·Vista
Peter and Paul Cathedral
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileRussia
on Hare Island, inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg

Peter and Paul Cathedral

— — a gold needle above the Neva.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The first stone church of Saint Petersburg, set inside the fortress that founded the city. Domenico Trezzini designed it for Peter the Great between 1712 and 1733, and its gilded spire — 122.5 metres to the tip of the angel — was the tallest structure in Russia for two centuries. Inside, the Romanov tsars are buried, from Peter himself to the last of the line, reinterred here in 1998. The angel turns slowly above the Neva. from the studio

from the studio
Peter and Paul Cathedral
— bring it home

Peter and Paul Cathedral, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Peter and Paul Cathedral

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul stands inside the Peter and Paul Fortress on Zayachy (Hare) Island in the Neva river, opposite the Hermitage and the Winter Palace. The fortress, founded by Peter the Great in May 1703, marks the birthplace of Saint Petersburg. The cathedral was begun in 1712 to designs by the Swiss-Italian architect Domenico Trezzini and consecrated in 1733. The historic centre of Saint Petersburg, including the fortress and cathedral, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.

— the stone

Trezzini's design broke with Russian Orthodox tradition. Rather than the clustered domes of older Muscovite churches, he gave the cathedral a single tall bell-tower in the Petrine Baroque manner, more Dutch than Byzantine, with a gilded spire crowned by a flying angel. The spire reaches 122.5 metres and held the title of tallest structure in Russia from 1733 until the Ostankino Tower was completed in 1967. Inside, a carved and gilded iconostasis by Ivan Zarudny rises like a triumphal arch above the nave, very different from the painted screens of older churches.

— the visit

The cathedral has served as the burial place of nearly every Russian sovereign since Peter the Great. Forty-nine members of the House of Romanov rest in its walls, including Catherine the Great and Alexander II. In July 1998, eighty years after their execution, the remains of Tsar Nicholas II, the Empress Alexandra and three of their daughters were interred in a side chapel of the cathedral. The Peter and Paul Fortress today operates as a branch of the State Museum of Saint Petersburg History, open to the public daily.

— where
Russia · Saint Petersburg
— position
59.9502° N · 30.3167° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km S
Hermitage Museum
art museum
1 km S
Winter Palace
imperial palace
1 km E
Trinity Bridge
bridge over the Neva
1 km N
Petrogradsky Island
island district
N
Peter and Paul Cathedral
Hermitage Museum
Winter Palace
Trinity Bridge
Petrogradsky Island
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Peter and Paul Cathedral — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Inside the Peter and Paul Fortress on Zayachy (Hare) Island in the Neva river in Saint Petersburg, directly across the river from the Winter Palace and the Hermitage Museum.

It was begun in 1712 and consecrated in 1733, designed by the Swiss-Italian architect Domenico Trezzini for Peter the Great. It is the oldest stone church in Saint Petersburg.

The gilded spire, topped by the figure of a flying angel, reaches 122.5 metres. It was the tallest structure in Russia from 1733 until the Ostankino Tower was completed in 1967.

Almost every Russian sovereign from Peter the Great onward. Forty-nine Romanovs rest here, including Catherine the Great, Alexander II, and Nicholas II and his family, reinterred in a side chapel in 1998.

Yes. The Peter and Paul Fortress is a branch of the State Museum of Saint Petersburg History and is open to the public daily, with an admission ticket that covers the cathedral and the main museum buildings.

Peter the Great wanted a Western-facing capital. Trezzini designed the cathedral in the Petrine Baroque manner, with a single tall bell-tower and gilded spire instead of the clustered domes of Muscovite tradition.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The cathedral and its spire are one of the defining shapes of the city's skyline. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well as a remembrance gift.

Yes. The cathedral is the resting place of the Romanovs, and the piece reads as both a city portrait and a quiet historical reference for households drawn to that period.

Traditional, library-modern, and grand-tour rooms with darker woods, brass, leather, and panelled walls. The gold and grey palette also reads well in colder Scandinavian-modern interiors.

A single Large suits a console or mantel where the verticality of the spire is the focus. For a sofa wall, a 4-tile Mural carries the river and skyline together, and a 9-tile Mural anchors a longer hall.

Yes. Choose Dura Satin or Matte for any room where steam or grease is present. Both finishes resist scratching and clean easily with a damp microfibre cloth.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water handles routine dust. Near a cooktop, a drop of mild dish soap in water lifts grease film without affecting the surface or the gilded passages.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted and finished in our Knoxville studio, with no outside licensing. A single studio, one curator's eye, all hand-finished in-house.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.