The Alexander Nevsky Lavra is the very first, and therefore the oldest Orthodox monastery in St. Petersburg. Its huge complex includes several churches, cathedrals, outbuildings and necropolises. The Museum of Urban Sculpture also operates on the territory of the Lavra. The monastery was founded in 1710 by decree of Peter I, its mighty walls then also performed a defensive function. The Church of the Annunciation was built as the first temple, around which this entire cult complex grew. In addition to the main shrines of the Lavra (temples, holy relics, miraculous icons and other relics), visitors also visit the famous monastery cemeteries (the necropolises of the Lazarevsky and Tikhvin cemeteries), where members of the imperial family and prominent personalities of the 18th-19th centuries are buried. (F. Dostoevsky, I. Krylov, P. Tchaikovsky, M. Lomonosov and others). This oasis of Russian spirituality has been and remains a place for Orthodox pilgrimage.