SeePublic artVasilievsky Island
Authentic Ancient Egyptian Sphinxes
Сфинксы из Фив
You wouldn't expect it, but these two granite sphinxes are three thousand years older than the city! They date from the 14th century BC and were excavated in 1820 in the temple of Amenhotep III near Thebes in Egypt. Upon seeing them, the Russian writer and diplomat Muravyev wrote to the Tsar, and convinced him to purchase the statues for display in Petersburg. They were installed in 1834. Oddly enough, sphinxes seem to be popular in the city - there are another six made by Russian sculptors lurking about.
- Address
- Universitetskaya Embankment (Университетской наб.)
- Getting there
- on a quay in front of the Academy of Arts
- Hours
- Open now · open 24 hours
Weekly hours
Sun Open 24 hours Mon Open 24 hours Tue Open 24 hours Wed Open 24 hours Thu Open 24 hours Fri Open 24 hours Sat Open 24 hours - Price
- Free
Listing from Wikivoyage: Saint Petersburg/Vasilievsky Island, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Location and details from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.