The 18th century saw Petersburg develop not only into
Russia's political and economic center but into its
cultural center as well. Russian and European culture
met in St. Petersburg, with more and more members of
the aristocracy studying abroad and learning foreign
languages at home. While the rest of Russia remained
mired in backwardness, Petersburg flourished under
the auspices of the nobility and the merchant classes
that were based here. By the end of the 18th century
secular literature and art (previously forbidden) had
begun to develop, setting the stage for the
tremendous flowering of the arts during the 19th
century.
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