The positioning of this magnificent, onion-domed Russian Orthodox cathedral (completed in 1900) at the heart of the country's main administrative hub was no accident: the church was one of many built in the last part of the 19th century as part of a general wave of Russification in the empire’s Baltic provinces. Orthodox believers come here in droves, alongside tourists ogling the interior’s striking icons and frescoes. Quiet, respectful, demurely dressed visitors are welcome but cameras aren't.
