Sphinxes of St. Petersburg

The sphinxes on the University Embankment are about 3.5 thousand years old. Carved from syenite, they stood at the entrance to the majestic temple built in Egypt near Thebes for Pharaoh Amenhotep III. The sphinxes took their place on the embankment during the reign of Nicholas I in 1834, thanks to A. N. Muravyov.

The legends about sphinxes are very monotonous: stone statues carry curses, you can't look into the eyes of a sphinx otherwise you can go crazy, and even walking alone with sphinxes causes people to go crazy.

It is also said that during the day their facial expressions change from calm to threatening, and those who observe this change may go crazy.

There is a belief that if you touch the griffin at the foot of the sphinx and make a wish, it will certainly come true.