The Znamensky Convent is one of Irkutsk's oldest religious foundations, established in 1693, and its turquoise baroque belfry is one of the most recognisable landmarks on the Angara embankment. The complex remains an active convent — nuns live here and services are held daily in the cathedral church.
The grounds are open to visitors. Inside the cathedral, a carved iconostasis and a series of Siberian baroque frescoes have survived in good condition. The convent grounds also contain the grave of Grigory Shelikhov, the 18th-century merchant and explorer who founded the first permanent Russian settlement in Alaska, making this a place of unexpected significance for American history as well as Russian.