Ostrovsky is one of 13 squares designed by the Neapolitan Carlo Rossi, the major architect in St Petersburg from 1818 to 1832. Lined by the Alexandra Theatre, it boasts a statue of Catherine II in its centre, endowed with the symbols of power (sceptre and laurel crown) and surrounded by her favourites: Suvorov, who defeated Napoleon in Italy, Potemkin, the victor in Crimea, and Prince Orlov. This statue escaped the fury of the Soviet government, which toppled all the other ones of the tsarina.