Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter the Great in 1710 and later raised to the rank of lavra, one of the highest statuses in the Russian Orthodox Church. Its churches, courtyards, and monastic buildings make it one of St Petersburg's major religious complexes.
The Tikhvin Cemetery is the main reason many visitors come. It holds the graves of figures such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Modest Mussorgsky, Mikhail Glinka, Alexander Borodin, and other major names in Russian culture.