Built in 1886, this Orthodox synagogue represents the turbulent status of Moscow's Jewish community over the years. The interior is a fine example of Moorish synagogue architecture.

Blagoveschensky Sobor was built 1484-1489 by Russian architects and was the personal church of the royal family until the 20th century.

The small town of Ivolginsk in East Siberia is home to Russia's most important Buddhist monastery and a miracle - the body of the last Khambo Lama, who died in 1927, remains upright and undecayed today.

Founded in 1345 by St. Sergius and containing his relics, this is the most important monastery in Russia and the spiritual center of Russian Orthodox Christianity.

New Jerusalem Monastery is located on the river Istra outside Moscow. It was founded in 1656 by Patriarch Nikon, who patterned it after Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Built 1712-33 in the heart of the Peter and Paul Fortress, this yellow cathedral is characterized by unique Protestant-influenced Baroque architecture. It is the oldest and second-tallest building in St. Petersburg.

The New Monastery of the Savior was founded in 1491 but entirely rebuilt by the Romanovs in the 1640s. Its cathedral contains frescoes by the best 17th-century painters.

Uspensky sobor in the Kremlin was built 1475-79 by an Italian architect. The relatively austere gray facade hides an interior covered in frescoes on every available space.