Fedorovskii Sobor (Fyodor's Cathedral), St. Petersburg

Until the late 1980s only a pile of bricks remained of what was once the Fedorovskii Sobor, the personal church of the last tsar. Designed by Vladimir Pokrovsky, the cathedral was constructed as a copy of the Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Moscow Kremlin—the family church of the first Romanovs. Today the Fedorovskii Sobor is once again a working church. The exterior has nearly been restored, while the interior, which once held a spectacular ikonostais with gilt and precious stones, now contains a rapidly expanding collection of icons and Orthodox treasures. Twice daily mass welcome visitors of all ages inside.