The permanent exhibition at the Museum of the History of Religion in St Petersburg.

©Ksenia Elzes/Lonely Planet

Museum of the History of Religion

St Petersburg


Back in the day, this was called the Museum of Atheism; it had a very strong anti-religious bent and was housed in the Kazan Cathedral. Now the name has changed, as has the location, but the fascinating exhibition remains, describing the history of various world religions, including Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity, and taking in everything from Russian icons to Pacific cults and Greek gods. Very little is signed in English, but there is a good-value audio guide.


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