The book by the famous Russian historian and art critic Yuri Maximilianovich Ovsyannikov (1926-2001) is dedicated to the creators of one of the most beautiful cities in the world — St. Petersburg. It fascinatingly and at the same time strictly documents the fates of three great architects, those who created the unique look of Northern Venice — Dominico Trezzini (1670-1734), Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (1700-1771) and Carle Rossi (1775-1849). The remarkable buildings and ensembles they built — the Peter and Paul Fortress, Smolny Cathedral, the Winter Palace, the Mikhailovsky Palace (now the Russian Museum), the Alexandrinsky Theater, the Senate and Synod buildings — have been decorating the streets and squares of St. Petersburg for centuries. That's why this city itself has become one of the heroes of the book, which is now being published in the series "The Lives of Wonderful People."