St Sophia Cathedral & Museum

Atop a small hill past the western end of vul Lenina is the finely moulded façade of the St Sophia Cathedral, its twin baroque bell towers rising high over the Dvina River. It's the oldest surviving monument of architecture in Belarus and one of two original 11th-century Kyivan Rus cathedrals (the other is in Novgorod) modelled and named after the St Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.

Its original appearance, however, has long gone. Damaged by fire in the 15th century, it was turned into an armoury which was subsequently destroyed by retreating Russians in 1710. About 40 years later the Poles reconstructed it - inside and out - as a baroque Catholic cathedral. The interior is a museum, and parts of the 11th-century foundations can be seen in the vaulted basement. Out front is a large stone on which a cross was carved in the 12th century by Prince Boris, who etched Christian symbols on every formerly pagan rock or stone he could find.