Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Sinichya Gora is one of Russia's oldest churches, dating from 1192. The church is located at the Saint Peter Cemetery, on the left bank of the Volkhov River. It is on the World Heritage list as a part of Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings. The small stone church is built as a cube and has one dome. The type of a small church was developed in Novgorod in the end of the 12th century, and there are several churches of this type, in Novgorod and in Staraya Ladoga.
The church was built collectively by the inhabitants of the former Lukina Street, and was a part of the female Saints Peter and Paul Monastery. The monastery was plundered in 1611 by Sweden during the Time of Troubles and never recovered, finally being abolished in 1764. After the monastery was abolished, the church was converted into a cemetery church. It is the only surviving monastery building. It was closed for service in 1925 and fell into increasing dilapidation, though currently it is undergoing a restoration.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.