Catherine the Great's pyramid unveiled in Tsarskoye Selo
This unusual architectural pavilion was built in the tsarist residence’s ‘Catherine Park’ outside St. Petersburg by order of Catherine the Great herself.
The architect was a Scotsman named Charles Cameron (the Cameron Gallery is also named after him).
Building such pyramids in the Ancient Egyptian style was all the rage among European monarchs and wealthy nobles back in the 18th century.
During Catherine's era, the pyramid housed part of her collection of antique items – marble urns and vases among other things. And, nearby, her beloved Italian greyhounds were buried. Restorers have recreated the tombstone slabs that were lost during World War II: Sir Tom Anderson, Duchess and Zemira…
On Zemira's grave, they've restored a touching epitaph written by the then French ambassador Louis-Philippe de Ségur – all about a dog's loyalty.