The Belozersky Monastery near the small village of Kirillov, Russia, is one of the few that was not destroyed under Communism

Smolny Cathedral and Convent was built to house Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great, after she was banned from succession to the throne. The Baroque cathedral was named Smolny – ‘tar’ in Russian – for the tar pits that once occupied the site where it now stands.

Antonio Canova’s sculpture “The Three Graces” in the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, depicts the three daughters of Zeus, who represent beauty, charm and joy

Church of the Savior on the Blood in St. Petersburg, Russia was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated and was dedicated to his memory

Typical street scene along Nevskiy Prospekt, the main retail thoroughfare in St. Petersburg, Russia. Buildings are an intriguing mix of Russian Brutalist and European architecture, and the result is thoroughly cosmopolitan.