Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
254
Lomonosov. Cross the bridge over tiny Chornaya Stream to the central monastery court-
yard, before you visit the incongruously cheerful Church of the Annunciation. The
churches here are more baroque and neoclassical than the medieval monasteries in Mos-
cow. The ticket desk is just inside the arched entrance; ask for a map of the cemeteries.
Allow at least an hour and a half to see the grounds and Lazarus and Tikhvin cemeteries
(also known as the Cemetery of Masters of Art).
1 Naberezhnya Reki Monastirka.
&
812/274-1702.
www.lavra.spb.ru. Free admission. Grounds daily
6am-8pm. Cathedrals Fri-Wed 6am-6pm; Sun 8am-6pm. Metro: Ploshchad Alexandra Nevskogo.
Buddhist Temple
(Budisky Khram) The red portico of this temple immediately
catches your eye as you drive along the otherwise nondescript avenue. At once eastern
and western, it is a blend of Tibetan Buddhist features and Russian Art Nouveau, built
in 1909. Construction was led by Czar Nicholas II's personal doctor, a Buddhist, who
rallied funds from open-minded sponsors in Russia and even from the Dalai Lama. It has
enjoyed renewed attention in Russia in recent years thanks to the eclectic Russian rock
legend Boris Grebenshchikov, a devout visitor. It's now run by monks from Buryatia, one
of Russia's primarily Buddhist republics, near Lake Baikal. Inside, the red-and-yellow
prayer hall and smell of incense transport you far from 21st-century St. Petersburg.
91 Primorsky Prospekt.
&
812/430-1341.
Free admission. Daily 10am-7pm; services at 10am and 5pm.
Metro: Staraya Derewnia.
Chesma Cathedral and Monastery
This Gothic, candy-cane cathedral is worth a
visit only if you're already in the neighborhood around Victory Park (Park Pobedy), since it's
well south of the city center. Architecture buffs will be fascinated by the cathedral's pink-and-
white vertical stripes and unusual column construction. The monastery across the street is
now an aviation construction institute, where students perform lab work in the former
monks' cells. The church was abandoned in Soviet times, and children climbed through
broken stained glass to romp through its chapels. It's now a functioning church once again.
12 Lensoveta St.
&
812/373-6114.
Free admission. Daily 9am-7pm.
Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood
(Tserkov Spasitelya Na Krovi) St.
Petersburg's most-photographed church, this cathedral is a mountain of blindingly
bright, beveled domes topped by glistening gold crosses. Its architects sought to revive
medieval Russian architectural styles, but the cathedral's bold cheeriness lacks the brood-
ing mysticism of similar churches in Moscow, instead reflecting the renewed nationalism
and material prosperity of late-19th-century Russia. It was built on the site where Czar
Alexander II was assassinated in 1881, prompting residents to come up with the Spilled
Blood reference. Its official name is Church of the Resurrection of Christ. Alexander II
was the forward-thinking czar who finally freed Russia's serfs in 1861, but he grew con-
servative in his later years and was targeted by a group of revolutionaries demanding
more reform. The church's interior mosaics were created by Russia's top artists of the day,
including Art Nouveau master Mikhail Vrubel.
2b Naberezhnya Kanala Griboyedova (embankment of the Griboyedov Canal).
&
812/315-1636.
Admission 300 rubles adults, 170 rubles students with ID, free for children 15 and under. Permission to
take photos 66 rubles, video 132 rubles. Daily 11am-7pm; Thurs-Tues also 7:30-11pm. Metro: Nevsky
Prospekt or Gostiny Dvor.
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Kazan Cathedral
(Kazansky Sobor) This prominent landmark on Nevsky
Prospekt is an example of nontraditional Russian Orthodox architecture adapted to sat-
isfy church tradition. To fit with the city's careful design, the cathedral's columned,
