The Holy Wisdom of God in Kremlin also known as Saint Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod.It is the mother church of the Novgorodian Eparchy and one of the oldest orthodox church. The feature of this church is its divergence from the Byzantine pattern. Veliky Novgorod is a historic city and infact one of the most historic in Russia. It is along the Volkhov River in the northwestern part of Russia. This cathedral was built by Vladimir and it is an expression of gratitude to the people of Novg... [ read more ]
To start with, let’s look at the Russian Architecture and the Russian architects. Palace of Facets can be found in Moscow Kremlin. This is where the main banquet reception hall of the Muscovite Tsars used to be. The Muscovite tsars were the Grand Duchy of Moscow which we know in English as Muscovy. Amongst the secular buildings in Moscow, this palace of Facets is one of the oldest. If you are walking near the Kremlin Cathedral Square, or the Cathedral of the Annunciation and the Dormition ... [ read more ]
Perm is a city on the banks of Kama River. It is near the Ural Mountains with a population of about one million. Being the 13th most populous city in Russia, Perm’s modern city today is a cultural, scientific, administrative and industrial center. They have leading food industry and oil refining, timber and wood processing industries. Also their oil production is three percent of Russian output making their chemical and petrochemical industry a vibrant one. When you are traveling in Perm, ... [ read more ]
Some provincial towns with about 30,000 to 300,000 people are named with military glory. Why they have been awarded as such is that there were Soviet soldiers here that displayed heroism during the World War 2. Altogether there are 39 of them, we will highlight a few. The seven hero cities in Moscow, Volgograd and St. Petersburg are also included in this list. You may check out the memorials in the Alexander Garden which is just next to Kremlin.MaloyaroslavetsThis town in Kaluga Region o... [ read more ]
The Arbat District has a population of about 28,000 people and it belongs to the district Tsentralny Administrative Okrug or Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow. The meaning of the Russian Okrug is referring to the ‘area’ or region’ and there about ten such districts other than Arbat. The others are Basmanny, Krasnoselsky, Presnensky, Tverskoy, Zamoskvorechye, Khamovniki, Meshchansky, Tagansky and last but not the least Yakimanka. Matreshkas in this terms is the Russian nesting/nest... [ read more ]
Heading southwards of Saint Petersburg leads you to Chesmenskiy Palace. A court architect by the name Yuri Felten had design it with this early early gothic revival style. It has the a certain manner like the Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill villa which you can find in Twickenham. The shape is triangular which makes this building special. The three corner towers were build around a central turret. This name Chesme was after the Chesme Bay as in that year, Russia won the Russo-Turkish War i... [ read more ]
Though Sochi is an unofficial summer capital, being unofficial itself as a capital of Russia has landed it a great name. Partly geographic reasons since it is right at the base of the Caucasus Mountains. Sochi is not just known for the winter sports, it is a place to lounge yourself on the beach, even it is possible to swim in the ocean. Sochi is full of healing springs spas and such, a total heaven for relaxation and rejuvenation. You will not believe but walking even recommended by the spa... [ read more ]
From Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Suzdal and Vladimir. Sightseeing the eight cities of the Russian Golden Ring can be such an adventure. Let's start with Sergiyev Posad, it is located in Moscow Oblast in Russia, the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is one of the greatest Russian Monasteries. It is also the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church or the Moscow Patriarchate. It all begins with the Baptism of Rus' at Kiev and restored in the 1917 and reinstituted in 1943 during the World W... [ read more ]
Oblasts of Russia, this is the way countries are subdivision and organize in Russia as well as some countries of former Soviet Union. In Russia, oblasts are subjects of the Federation as they do have some degree of autonomy. First the federal cities of Russia are St. Petersburg and Moscow. Of the 83 subjects, 46 of the Russian Federation are oblasts. Always with the nicest climate, the Southern Russia borders the Volga Regions, Russia's Central Region, the Caspian Sea, Black Sea, Georgia, Uk... [ read more ]
It's a travel mission possible if you are in Russia for at least ten days to cover best of St. Petersburg and Moscow. Your travel can be on a cruise after you arrived in the beautiful baroque styled St. Petersburg. Enjoy the architectures all around the city center, checkout the Nevsky Prospect, Smolny Convent and the Palace Square. The other highlight is the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Cathedral not to be missed. That is where the tombs of the Romanovs are buried under the 122 meters ... [ read more ]
