I have always been fascinated with Russian history. Peter and Catherine the Great, the Czars, the Revolution, Lenin, Khrushchev (I have read the 620-page book on Khrushchev) the vast country and the people make for an incredible history. A few years ago I spent two days in that Russian city where so much of that history played out — St. Petersburg.
I’ve been inside great churches, huge cathedrals, giant palaces, and unbelievably- sized castles and they fascinate me how they were constructed so many years ago.
It was in the city of St. Petersburg, in northern Russia, that I was mesmerized at the sight of several pictorial cathedrals. I stood inside huge Russian Orthodox cathedrals, memories of which I’ll cherish forever. I say stood because there are no pews inside those magnificent structures. People stand.
St. Petersburg, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, was the capital of the Russian Empire for a little over two centuries (1712-1918).
One of the tours I took while in the city was the Cathedrals of St. Petersburg. Nothing compares to the nine-domed Cathedral of the Resurrection, or better known as The Church of the Spilled Blood. It was put up on the bank of the Griboyedov Canal — on the site where Emperor Alexander 11 was mortally wounded by the terrorist in 1881 who exploded a hand-made bomb. The 24 years of construction work (1883-1907) resulted in the creation of a masterpiece of architecture. This very unique cathedral is the most beautiful stone building I have ever seen. It is the biggest tourist attraction of the city.
The Church contains over 7,500 square metres of mosaics, more than any other church in the world. The walls and ceilings inside the Church are completely covered in intricately detailed mosaics — the main pictures being biblical scenes or figures — but with very fine patterned borders setting off each picture.
We toured the famous structure on a Saturday afternoon and were able to witness a wedding taking place inside the cathedral. The groom was dressed in a black suit; the bride was in white. People took an incense stick as they entered the cathedral, lit it in a candle and then put the burning stick in a pot or holder.The Russian Orthodox priests with their long beards and long robes look like they are from another century.
We (our tour group) also visited the St. Nicholas Cathedral, which was started in 1753. The Peter and Paul Cathedral was built in the 1700s. Its bell-tower supports a tall spire crowned with an angel carrying a cross. The height of the spire is an amazing 123 metres.
St. Isaac’s Cathedral is the largest church in the city with a capacity of 12,000 standing worshippers. It is 102 metres high, faced with marble and crowned with a awesome steeple. It is embellished with 150 pictures and ceiling paintings, which are veritable masterpieces of Russian monumental art. What’s so amazing is that many of those beautiful paintings are up in the very high ceiling. It took 200 artists 16 years to complete the inside after the church was built.
There is very little traffic on the streets on a Sunday. People stay home — a family day.
