St Petersburg Manege (riding-school) was built between 1804 and 1807 for the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment.  The building was designed in the classical style by Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi. The main entrance of the manage is decorated with copies of the statues of Castor and Pollux which stand outside Rome's Quirinal Palace, but these were moved at the request of priests from St Isaac's Cathedral who objected to statues of naked pagan gods being located so close to an Orthodox place of worship. They were only put back at the entrance during the Soviet period, after the manage was turned into a garage for the NKVD (the forerunner of the KGB).  Since 1977 the building has been used as an exhibition hall, holding exhibitions on a whole range of topics. 

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