The golden dome of St Isaac's can be seen from any part of the city, and in clear weather even from the suburbs. This impressive monument designed by the Parisian Montferrand has one of the largest domed structures in the world.
The site on which it stands has seen three previous incarnations, the first being in 1710 under the reign of Peter the Great. The current structure took forty years to build, being completed in 1858 and in the same year was consecrated as St Petersburg's principal church. Location: Isaakiyevskaya Ploshad.