I was not ready for St. Petersburg, it's beauty and grandeur took me by surprise. I guess I had always heard how bad things were in the Soviet Union, all the years of fighting the Cold War and all the poverty caused by it and the Communist party. St. Petersburg was conceived and founded by Emperor Peter the Great. Near the city center a statue has been mounted of him on horseback. It is a source of great pride by the citizens. We were told that it is a tradition that as a part of their celebrations, newlyweds will go to this statue to greet the founder of their city. 
Peter and Paul Fortress, located on a island in the Neva river was nice. The church steeple, within the fortress, has a very tall thin spire. Overall St. Petersburg has many very strong buildings, huge in size. the fortress is in very good shape with all it's walls and towers still in place.
Tombs of Tsars and the Royal Family are spaced throughout the cathedral and in the many naves. The recently identified remains of Tsar Nicholas and the royal family, except for Maria & Alexi, have recently been interned here.
Most of the Russian churches are Orthodox churches. They do not have seating in them. Church interiors are highly decorated, with paintings, murals and statues, using granite, marble and gilding.
The columns of the Peter and Paul Cathedral are not marble, just skillfully painted to appear to be. It does not lessen the grandeur of the interior.
St. Issac's Cathedral looks more like an impressive government building rather than a church. When you walk inside, though, you see that it is an extremely impressive church.
The interior of the Great Dome has been painted with a mural.
The green columns are actually a mosaic of green marble. There are also mosaic columns of lapis lazuli. The pieces have been fitted together so well that they appear to be solid stone.
Puschkin is a city outside of St. Petersburg where the Summer Palace is located. The Summer Palace was built by Peter the Great for his wife Catherine and is called Catherine's Palace. The size and length of the palace is incredible.
The domes of the cathedral seen behind Catherine's Palace.
The Amber room in Catherine's Palace was amazing. From floor to ceiling the walls are covered with Amber panels. Mosaic pictures were created with amber & framed with more amber. We were not allowed to photograph the room.
The Ballroom. Enlarge the photo to see the intricate parquet floor, mural ceiling and gilded architectural details. All visitors to Catherine's Palace and Peterhof are required to don "museum shoes" before entering. The cloth covers protect the wooden floors from the many shoes that walk across them each day.
The Portrait room was very interesting. All four walls were covered in this manner. Notice the elaborate crown molding and the edge of the mural ceiling. The fireplace is made of Royal Delft porcelain imported from the Netherlands.
Peterhof is another small town outside of St. Petersburg, not far from Puschkin. It is the location of a palace and gardens that gives the town its name. Peter the Great was much impressed with the Palace of Versailles, near Paris. So much that he directed that a palace be built that would be more magnificent than Versailles, and it may be.
The East Chapel has lovely golden spires.
The many rooms are richly decorated in silk wall and furniture coverings, parquet floors, ceilings painted with large, detailed murals, picture frames and architectural details gilded, or covered in gold leaf. This palace is larger and more lavish even than Catherine's Palace.
The scale of the architecture is much grander than we are used to seeing, and to have the rich details in addition is quite overwhelming. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed within the palace so we had to limit ourselves to outdoors.
The Peterhof fountains are quite extensive and truly magnificent, the best gardens/park/fountains in Europe. I am not convinced that the palace is nicer than Versailles but the gardens are.
The palace sits on a bluff overlooking a cascade of gold fountains and statues that lead to the Gulf of Finland.
The central fountain is a rendition of Samson prying open the mouth of a lion. From the open mouth of the lion shoots a tall spray of water.
The views from the bluff looking down, as well as the views from below looking up are equally striking.
The double headed eagle is the symbol of Russia. This is actually a three headed eagle, that from any angle shows two heads.
The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, located in St. Petersburg, was another magnificent structure. The pictures do not do it justice. We were not allowed to photograph the interior. There is a story behind the name you will find in the attached link.
Here are TJ and the Camel Queen in front of the church. Although we had a great time seeing all the different cities and countries, I think our time in St. Petersburg was the highlight of our trip.
Cheers, TJ & EA
No comments:
Post a Comment