Iconostasis of St. IssacsWe had an uneventful trip from Denver to Frankfurt to St. Petersburg yesterday.
Our guide, Misha, joined us this morning for our first day. St. Petersburg was found in 1703 by Peter the Great after he regained this territory from the Swedish. He built the Peter and Paul Fortress to defend the city and personally created the plan for the city. Today, there are 5 million people and 80 rivers or canals separating the city into 42 islands.
We started our tour at St. Issac's Cathedral, the third largest domed cathedral in the world, though it didn't seem that big. Built on former swampland, they pounded tree trunks into the ground and then cut off the tops evenly to provide a solid foundation. It also has one of the first non-masonry domes, it is a triple dome built of cast iron. Originally, the cathedral had many paintings, but due to the high humidity they blackened before the church opened in 1858, so they were replaced with mosaics. Another major restoration was required after World War II since the Cathedral suffered heavy damage. The mosaics had turned black and even the marble was stained. The Mosaics were cleaned, but the marble had to be shaved about 1" in order to recover the colors.
Our guide, Misha, joined us this morning for our first day. St. Petersburg was found in 1703 by Peter the Great after he regained this territory from the Swedish. He built the Peter and Paul Fortress to defend the city and personally created the plan for the city. Today, there are 5 million people and 80 rivers or canals separating the city into 42 islands.
We started our tour at St. Issac's Cathedral, the third largest domed cathedral in the world, though it didn't seem that big. Built on former swampland, they pounded tree trunks into the ground and then cut off the tops evenly to provide a solid foundation. It also has one of the first non-masonry domes, it is a triple dome built of cast iron. Originally, the cathedral had many paintings, but due to the high humidity they blackened before the church opened in 1858, so they were replaced with mosaics. Another major restoration was required after World War II since the Cathedral suffered heavy damage. The mosaics had turned black and even the marble was stained. The Mosaics were cleaned, but the marble had to be shaved about 1" in order to recover the colors.
Little Hermitage PavilionAfter a light lunch with vodka, we visited the Hermitage. The Hermitage consists of several buildings, the most historic is the Winter Palace was built in 1762 to serve Catherine the Great. It has 1024 rooms. We saw only a few of the masterpieces in the museum: the Peacock clock, Italian paintings including 2 of DaVinci's 10 known paintings and works by Raphael, the gallery of Canova sculptures and works by Rembrant. As remarkable as its contents are the frescoed ceilings, parquet floors, and ornate doors of the museum itself.
Michangleo's Crouching Boy
No comments:
Post a Comment