This Armenian monastery was carved out of cliffs and named after the spear used to stab Jesus.

During the Soviet era, the medieval capital of Volga Bulgaria served as a substitute for Mecca.

The largest art park on the European continent.

A solemn, monumental, kitschy palace of worship honoring victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Thousands of biblical and pagan images are carved into this small 12th-century church.

Russia's own leaning tower was built on a tragic historical fable.

A former military outpost of Ivan the Terrible, the 16th-century church contains some of the rarest examples of Eastern Orthodox mural paintings.

A monument to the defenders of the Arctic in Murmansk, Russia.

300-year-old villagers houses and traditional churches preserve a nearly lost piece of Russian history.

This massive monument honors the first human in space.

One of the world's tallest statues is also one of its most hated.

The world's tallest statue of a woman wields the world's tallest sword and is at risk of toppling over.

Replica of mosque destroyed by Russia in the 16th century.

Church built on the site where the last tsar of Russia and his family were killed.

Dozens of padlock-trees along the Moscow River.

A small part of Russia that does not touch any other part of Russia.

World's largest bell sits on the grounds of the Kremlin in Moscow.

Moscow's imposing monument to the Space Age.

A 250-year-old timepiece-automaton adorned with golden mechanical birds, which still sing to this day.

Moscow's most popular cemetery includes the graves of numerous cosmonauts.

Former headquarters of the KGB.

The oldest museum in Russia is home to a fascinating collection of nearly two million anthropological artifacts and anatomical curiosities.

This Russian religious complex is a Frankenstein's chapel that includes influence from almost all the major faiths.

The gorgeous entrances into the city's underbelly look more like grand halls than subway stops.