This morning we had a St. Petersburg canal tour, which included stops at the Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood, and St. Isaac’s Cathedral. St. Petersburg was called “Venice of the North” because of all the rivers and canals. This city is newer and more modern than the rest of Russia. None of the buildings were allowed to be taller than that of the Tsar’s, so as you look down the rivers all the buildings are the same height, many of them in pale colours with pillars.
The church was amazing inside, as the walls and ceilings are completely made up of colourful mosaics. Everywhere I turned my mouth was gaping open in awe (and I’ve seem some pretty impressive churches in my time!) The name comes from the fact that Tsar Alexander II was assassinated on this site. The Cathedral was named after the patron saint of Peter the Great. It’s the fourth largest in the world, and it’s huge pillars and paintings inside were also impressive.
When taking the buses to the Hermitage, as well as to the canal cruise, I was struck by the stretches of run down apartments, with the occasional beautiful mosque or church. There are no single family dwellings except for country homes about an hour outside the city. I heard that one tiny 270 square foot apartment in one of the newer buildings was renting for the equivalent of $500/month!
No comments:
Post a Comment