The first Petrovsky Gate with a stone base and a wooden upper part, decorated with carvings, was built in 1708 and completely rebuilt in stone in 1716–1717 — both times according to a design by Domenico Trezzini. They are faced with limestone and stand out against the dark walls. Originally, D. Trezzini created a special design for them, but in 1707 he received an order to build the gate "similar to the Narva Gate" (built in 1705 at the entrance to the Narva fortress).

During the stone reconstruction, the western facade of the gate was closed due to the expansion of the walls for the construction of casemates; the eagle sculpture was removed from it, and the statues that stood in niches were placed in front of the eastern facade on special pedestals.

The height of the gate is about 16 meters, the width is almost equal to the height, the length of the arch is 20 meters, the height of the vault is about seven meters, the width is more than four. The width of the wooden bas-relief is 4.9 meters, the height is 3.35 meters.

The arch is horizontally divided into two tiers by a complex stepped cornice. It is crowned by a massive attic with a semicircular segmental pediment, flanked by two spiral volutes. The attic is decorated with a wooden carved panel "The Overthrow of Simon the Sorcerer by the Apostle Peter" by sculptor Konrad Osner (according to one version, transferred from the 1708 gate, according to another — made especially for the stone gate). This panel symbolizes Russia's victories in the Northern War: Simon is identified with the Swedish King Charles XII, the Apostle Peter — with Peter I, while among the spectators stands a figure endowed with the face of Peter I, and the action takes place against the backdrop of a building resembling the fortress's first cathedral. The bas-reliefs on the volutes depict military trophies; they appeared in 1730.

On the pediment of the attic is a high relief depicting the blessing Sabaoth, more voluminous in modeling than the pediment bas-relief and more perfect in artistic execution.

In August 1720, above the arch, in the keystone in the middle of the lower tier, the Russian coat of arms (double-headed eagle) was installed, made of lead by master François Vassu (before that, the gate was decorated with a molded alabaster coat of arms painted "to look like oak," probably also by Osner; the coat of arms required frequent repairs, the first of which took place in 1719). The weight of the coat of arms was 68 poods and 20 pounds (~1120 kg). In 1723, artist Alexander Zakharov and gilder Ivan Uvarov painted the figure black and gilded the crowns, scepter, orb, and shield details. After the October Revolution, the coat of arms was not removed but covered with decorative shields.

Originally, the gate featured a wooden sculpture of the Apostle Peter with two keys, flanked by Faith and Hope (a total of 7 statues, 9 in 1740 — two in niches, two on pedestals, Paul, two geniuses of glory, and Faith with Hope). After replacing the coat of arms, there was a proposal to replace the molded figures on brick bases of Athena, the wooden relief, and two alabaster ones with lead ones. Trezzini clarified the order in August 1722. Vassu refused to work for the proposed price, Rastrelli became interested in the artistic significance of the order and took it on, but the Chancellery did not find funds for the buildings, and the plan was not realized. In April 1725, Trezzini requested at least the replacement of lime statues cracked by frost with wooden ones; the order (bas-reliefs "Military Trophies") was completed by 1730, after it was given to Peter Fyodorov, a carver from the Pino workshop.

On the sides of the lower tier of the gate stand rusticated Tuscan pilasters, niches with rocaille terminations are arranged. The gate facade is almost entirely rusticated. In the niches are statues created by French sculptor Nicolas Pino: in the left niche of the gate is a statue symbolizing prudence, holding a mirror and a snake, dressed in a peplos: "be wise as a serpent, and looking in the mirror, think as it really is." In the right niche is bravery in armor; on her helmet is depicted a Salamander (which is a deviation from the canon of depicting the goddess), and on the shoulder decoration is a mask of Pallantus. The statues are also known as Caution and Fortitude; both statues embody different images of Athena, Polias, and Pallas. Bellona and Minerva are made from a mixture of gray hydraulic lime and sand.

The appearance of the gate echoes the view of the Peter and Paul Cathedral: both structures are tiered, with horizontal bands, volutes, both are part of a triumphal ensemble, which became less obvious after the 1750s when the weathered sculpture was removed from the eastern facade of the cathedral.

The walls were made of soft stone; the masonry was covered and distorted by plaster as early as the 19th century.

In 1941, the Petrovsky Gate was damaged by shell fragments during artillery shelling in the Siege of Leningrad. In 1951, architects A. A. Kedrinsky and A. L. Rotach carried out restoration. The roof of the gate was torn off by the blast wave, the left volute was almost completely destroyed by fragments. During restoration, a layer of plaster up to 18 centimeters thick was removed from the walls. "The Overthrow of Simon the Sorcerer," the bas-relief with Sabaoth, and the carved ornaments were restored by carvers I. N. Boldosov and P. S. Rumyantsev. Old paint and putty were removed from the bas-reliefs and ornaments, cracks were filled with pine slats, lost parts were restored; the bas-reliefs were impregnated with hot linseed oil with a sodium fluoride solution for protection against decay and covered with oil paint. Small lost details of the double-headed eagle were restored according to models by A. F. Gurzhiy, who was simultaneously engaged in restoring Athena. The sculptures were cleaned of layers of putty and paint, lost details restored, and the surface impregnated with hot linseed oil.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Петровские_ворота_Петропавловской_крепости
http://spb.infagrad.ru/journal/?id=2895

http://spb.infagrad.ru/journal/?id=2895