Today's photo-of-the-day is of the onion domes of the
Smolny Cathedral on the Neva River in St Petersburg, Russia. According to Wikipedia, "This Russian Orthodox convent was built to house Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. After she was disallowed succession to the throne, she opted to become a nun. However, her Imperial predecessor, Ivan VI, was overthrown during a coup d'état (carried out by the royal guards in 1741). Elizabeth decided against entering monastic life and accepted the offer of the Russian throne."
Yeah, that's the story. As if Elizabeth had nothing to do with the coup and would have been happy retiring forever to a convent. Russian women could be just as ruthless and cunning as any Russian man in history.
