St Petersburg - The remains of the Danish-born mother of Russia's last tsar, Maria Fyodorovna, were finally laid to rest Thursday near the former Russian capital St Petersburg in accordance with her wishes.

At a service attended by dignitaries and royalty from both countries, her casket was interred at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in the Peterhof Palace, next to her husband, Tsar Alexander III.

Earlier in the day, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexy II, led a commemoration service at St Isaac's Cathedral for the empress, whose remains arrived by ship from Denmark on Tuesday.

Their burial in her adopted homeland symbolized the continuity of Russian history, the Patriarch said.