Russia 2019 (28) UGLICH - First Port Down the River

Our first river port was the town of Uglich--249 km (155 miles) out of Moscow, population 37,000, founded 927. It is sometimes called the Switzerland of Russia because of its cheese production and old Chaika watch factory. Also known for being the location where Ivan the Terrible's youngest son Dmitry and his mom were allegedly assassinated by Boris Godunov (see my blog on Czar history).

Tour boat traffic was so busy they were lined up three abreast at this town. This happened in several ports, but our ship was always closest to shore in those cases. I think the widest spread was five ships.

This time we were in the middle. On our starboard side we met a few "neighbors" from our veranda. We could shake hands, if we stretched.

We had to walk through another riverboat to get to the dock area.

Once on shore, we gathered in front of this colorful mural to find our tour guide for the day.

This church was the first we saw, but we did not tour it. There are a couple of yellow churches in this town, so I'm not sure the name of this particular one (even after researching).

Instead, our walking tour headed the other direction over a short bridge from the mainland to a little island. A local in traditional garb singing "Lara's Theme" from Dr. Zhivago greeted us there. It nearly brought tears to my eyes...the singing, the song, and the lady were all so lovely.

We noticed a "No Drone" sign. Was there something high security-ish ahead?

No, not really, mostly more churches. An exception was this pink painted 1930s tractor. All I could glean about it is that it was owned by a woman, she painted it pink, and the town is quite proud of it. By the way, 80% of town residents here are women.

Our first stop was the Church of Tsarevich Dmitry on the Blood. It was built on the assumed spot where Dmitry, youngest son of Ivan the T, was assassinated at age 8 (1591). It is painted red to represent the spilt blood of the boy.

Inside and out, it is ornate and humbling. Some of the murals depict his short life as well as the usual religious stories.

Ceiling.
Adam and Eve (originally nude, but later covered with greenery in the "hot spots").

The 300 kg (661 pound) bell that rang announcing Dmitry's death was "punished" and sent to Siberia for a time. It was returned in 1892 and is again displayed in the church.

This is the litter in which relics of the little tsarevich were taken from Uglich to Moscow in 1606.

 

The floor is made of iron and warmed from below with steam pipes. No one is allowed on it when it is wet weather. Otherwise, the floor rusts. Even on this dry day we had to where footies over our shoes.

The next building was the Chambers of the Uglich feudal princes (1480) and is one of the oldest civil buildings in Russia. We didn't get to tour inside.

As we strolled further we saw this Orthodox priest in his priestly finery.

Maybe he had just married this couple.

I think this yellow church is the Cathedral of Transfiguration, another one that we did not enter.

At the next church, Epiphany Cathedral, we were allowed to enter, but could only take photos in the lobby. This metal art was well-crafted.

Inside, the church was decked out beautifully. There we heard a men's quintet sing several songs. They all wore black and white and did some fantastic harmonizing. One fellow also played a huge balalaika (maybe four feet in width) and another sang a little opera. It was a wonderful performance.

And, of course, there was an area selling religious books and objects as we exited.