Grand Ducal Burial Vault

The Grand Ducal Burial Vault (Russian: Великокняжеская усыпальница) is the purpose-built mausoleum of the Grand Dukes and Duchesses of Russia in the Peter and Paul Fortress. The Neo-Baroque domed structure is frequently mistaken for a part of the Peter and Paul Cathedral due to architectural similarities. A covered passageway leads from the mausoleum to the cathedral, where the Russian emperors and empresses are buried.

The building was designed by David Grimm in 1896. It was constructed in order to remove the remains of some of the non-reigning Romanovs from the cathedral, where there was scarcely any room for new burials. Antony Tomishko and Leon Benois were responsible for the actual construction work. The interior is richly decorated with marble, mosaics and ormolu.^[1]

The mausoleum was expected to hold up to sixty tombs, but by the time of the Russian Revolution there were only thirteen. The Soviets destroyed the uniform tombs with a view to converting the building into a city history museum; the tombs were later restored.^[1]