<P> The current building, the first stone church in St. Petersburg, was designed by Trezzini and built between 1712 and 1733 . Its gold - painted spire reaches a height of 123 metres (404 ft) and features at its top an angel holding a cross . This angel is one of the most important symbols of St. Petersburg . </P> <P> The cathedral's architecture also features a unique iconostasis (the screen which separates the nave of the church from the sanctuary). In the Eastern Orthodox Church the iconostasis is normally a flat wall or screen with three doors through it, the central Holy Doors used only for very solemn entrances, and the two side doors, by which the clergy and others enter and leave the sanctuary . However, at St. Peter and Paul, the iconostasis rises to form a sort of tower over the sanctuary . </P> <P> The cathedral has a typical Flemish carillon, a gift of the Flemish city of Mechelen, Flanders . </P> <P> The cathedral is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, the patron saints of the fortress (Saint Peter being the patron saint of the city). The current cathedral is the second one on the site . The first, built soon after Peter's founding of the city, was consecrated by Archbishop Iov of Novgorod the Great in April 1704 . </P>

Who is buried in peter and paul fortress