Alexander Nevsky Lavra

Russia's most important lavra (highest monastic rank), with graves of Tchaikovsky and Dostoyevsky.

Alexander Nevsky Lavra is St. Petersburg's most significant religious institution, holding the highest rank in Russian Orthodox monasticism — only four monasteries worldwide bear the lavra designation. Founded by Peter the Great in 1710 at the eastern end of Nevsky Prospekt, it houses the relics of the national saint Alexander Nevsky. The Tikhvin and Lazarus cemeteries within the complex contain the graves of Tchaikovsky, Dostoyevsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and other luminaries of Russian culture.