Alexander Nevsky Lavra

Founded by Peter the Great in the early eighteenth century at the eastern end of Nevsky Prospekt, this is the most important monastery in Saint Petersburg and one of only a handful of Orthodox houses granted the elevated rank of lavra. Its walled precinct contains a grand Neoclassical cathedral and historic cemeteries where composers and writers are buried, including Tchaikovsky, Dostoevsky and Glinka. Relics of the medieval prince Alexander Nevsky are enshrined here.