Add to ORKGView of the piazza created by set back from Nevskiy Prospekt Street; Vallen de la Motte was one of the first to introduce the ideas of Neo-classicism to Russia, but the retention of certain Baroque features lent his works a particular grace and beauty. In the Roman Catholic church of St Catherine (1762-1783) on the Nevsky Prospect, the spatial effect of a portal in the form of an immense arch is combined with shallow decorative detail in the French Rococo style. This is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Russia. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 12/17/2008