Zayachy Island was for the most part swampy, uninhabited, and unremarkable until 1703, when
Peter the Great began the construction of the
Peter and Paul fortress there, himself laying the foundation stones. Until the late 19th century, there were three canals inside the fortress, dividing the island into four parts. The canals were filled up by the late 19th century. Zayachy Island is the site of
Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral where many members of the
House of Romanov are buried. On July 17, 1998, the remains of Czar
Nicholas II and his family were buried there, eighty years to the day after they were murdered by the
Bolsheviks.
Massacres During the
Red Terror, the island was the site of massacres of enemies of the state. Bodies were discovered during the building of a road linking a car park. Some estimates put the number of buried in the hundreds and potentially in the thousands. Human rights charity
Memorial tried to convince the authorities to investigate the graves properly. == References ==