Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral was the only church we entered in SP. But we stopped to view the outside of several others. This one is the Church of Spilled Blood. It was constructed between 1883-1907 and is now converted to a museum.
It got its name to honor Alexander II who was assassinated on this site. I guess his blood that was spilt. It was quite lavishly decorated. The art in the center arch is a mosaic. There is also a small chapel across the street that is open 24/7 for worshippers
Even its gates, fences, and columns are beautifully designed.
Another church we saw from afar was the Smolny Cathedral of the Resurrection. The church is part of a larger complex originally built as a convent to house PtG's daughter Elizabeth. She was disallowed succession to the throne and decided (or was "strongly urged," shall we say) to become a nun. Later Tzar Ivan VI was overthrown and she accepted being empress after all. The convent is now a college for girls. The church is a concert hall with singing only, no musical instruments.
Near the end of the tour we had one last stop with a little free time to explore. In this photo you see at least a dozen busses filled with tourists and many cars in the parking lot of Saint Isaac's Square. This is Saint Isaac the Confessor's Cathedral, another impressive structure.
This church took 40 years to build and was completed in 1858. In 1931, the Soviet government converted it to a museum and it remains so today. Read the long story at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Isaac%27s_Cathedral.
During WW II the golden dome was painted gray to divert attention from enemy aircraft.
We saw the big balalaika.
The little balalaika and lovely peasant costumes.
The grand finale was the Russian Cossack dancers. I was a little disappointed because the low kicks only lasted about 15 seconds. But I should not complain as I couldn't even do one kick if I tried my very best.
There are 112 red granite columns with Corinthian capitals.
It must be a very special place, as a bride and groom were hanging out here for photos. Ah, young love! So sweet!
We could pay to go into the museum or wander the area. I meandered through the nearby park to see what people were doing. There was a kiddie amusement park, food (corn on the cob) and souvenir peddlers, and lots of benches for chit-chat or relaxing. Birds twittered and squirrels scampered. It felt peaceful after all the running, touring, bussing, and time-tabling of the last two weeks.
More photo opportunities to mix with the "imperials." I loved seeing these folks dressed in period attire. Made the history of the place all the more real.
Nearby was the Senate and Synod Building with its columns and arches, built 1829-1834. See a great overall photo and short history at: http://www.saint-petersburg.com/buildings/senate-and-synod-building/
At the end of the park I found this famous statue of Peter the Great, commissioned by Catherine the Great. Notice her name is a little bigger font than his!! The title of this sculpture is "The Bronze Horseman" and comes from a poem of the same name by Pushkin (1833).
The artist was Étienne Falconet, except for PtG's face. That was fashioned by an 18-year old apprentice named Marie-Ann Collot. Design began in 1866, casting took twelve years, and the statue was unveiled to the public in 1782.
The statue is 6 m (20 feet) tall. It displays PtG on his horse, pointing toward the River Neva. His horse is trampling a long serpent which is interpreted in various ways. One says the serpent represents treachery and evil. Another says it represents PtG's enemies.
The enormous pedestal called the "Thunder Stone" is almost as famous as the statue. It represents a cresting wave. It is an additional 7 m (25 feet) tall and weighs 1,500 tons and is the largest boulder ever moved by humans (although it was carved down to its current size during transport).
It was moved 6 km (3.75 miles) overland from the Lakhta area to a shipping port along the River Neva. Read more interesting info regarding the Stone here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Horseman and move down.
It was moved 6 km (3.75 miles) overland from the Lakhta area to a shipping port along the River Neva. Read more interesting info regarding the Stone here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Horseman and move down.
Our bus was parked in a "bus only" zone. As we pulled out of that angled spot an Uber driver was illegally parked along side. Our driver did not see it and, oops, kaboom. I was worried it would take forever to sort out the red tape, but after about 20 minutes we were on our way back to the Akun.
After dinner that night, we viewed a Cossack folk song and dance show. Marina (our vodka tasting hostess a few days before) offered us a final vodka toast during intermission. Not sure why she was so shy on this occasion.
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