Most Beautiful Churches I've Seen

One of my favorite things about traveling with Fun For Less is the opportunity to hear from Michal Wilcox.  And one of my favorite things about him is the respect he has for other religions.  I have learned so much from him and my appreciation of all religions has grown as well.  In Russia he taught us about the Russian Orthodox Church.  Surprisingly, we share many common beliefs.

During the Soviet times 98% of churches in the USSR were closed as well as thousands of monasteries and 60 seminaries.  Now churches are being rebuilt and faith is experiencing a reawakening.  During our visits, the beautiful cathedrals were state run museums but some are being returned to the church in 2019.

The two cathedrals we visited in St. Petersburg rank as the most beautiful churches I've ever seen.  I still have to rate Sagrada Familia #1 but then I have a soft spot for anything in Barcelona!  And, since 1995 when we moved there, we have seen it change from a construction zone to a stunningly beautiful basilica so it holds a special place in my heart.

In St. Petersburg we visited two main churches.  First St. Isaacs which was constructed between 1818 and 1858. 

And then the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.  Construction on this one began in 1893 and was finished in 1907. 

When we were there, the top was under scaffolding but it was still quite impressive! 

There is so much gold inside of St. Isaacs that the whole building seems to be filled with light.

The architects knew how to direct our gaze, and presumedly our thoughts, heavenward.

Absolutely beautiful!  Definitely celestial looking!

In Russian Orthodox churches there is a sacred doorway called an iconostasis which separates what we might call the 'holy of holies' from the rest of the church.  As you might guess these are simply divine.

The whole scene causes a person to pause and look at the Savior.

The iconostasis in the Church of the Spilled Blood is different but equally inviting. 

This main door of the cathedral is a work of art in itself.

 Look at the detail in that carving. 

The walls of the Church of the Spilled Blood are totally covered with gold mosaics depicting Bible stories. In the center of this area is an artistic representation of Jesus with the little children.  

My personal favorite - the Annunciation to Mary. 

In each of the very highest domes, there is a face.  Our guide warned us not to strain our necks looking up so high.  It was worth a stiff neck the next morning!  

In one is a very unusual mosaic of a young, beardless Jesus.

And in another a mature Jesus

In each of the others, one can see a woman.  

Not sure who they are but I assume Mary. 

George's brother John noticed this mosaic which clearly shows God the Father, Jesus Christ and a dove representing the Holy Ghost.  The official belief of the Orthodox on the trinity is "Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in a single God who is both three and one (triune); the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, "one in essence and undivided". The Holy Trinity is three "unconfused" and distinct divine persons (hypostases), who share one divine essence (ousia); uncreated, immaterial and eternal." Not sure I totally understand that.

One of their beliefs that Michael Wilcox shared with us is best explained through a metaphor on the atonement.  Western thought often describes  the atonement as more of a legal question.  Jesus pleads for us at the bar of God as an advocate.  We have broken laws so we need a defense lawyer to lessen our punishment.   This isn't incorrect, but the Orthodox explanation of the atonement is so tender.  They explain the atonement with the idea that we are born in his image but sin prevents us from remaining like him.  In essence, sin makes us sick and we are in need of a physician to heal us.  Jesus restores our divinity and makes us whole again.  

St Petersburg

I loved St. Petersburg!  It's known as the Venice of the North with its 342 bridges and Venice-like canals.  The architecture reminded me of Paris.  A truly beautiful city!

We started our day at the Peterhof Palace which was built by Peter the Great and, keeping with the Paris theme, is very reminiscent of Versailles. 

After exploring for several hours we took a hydrofoil back into the city.  Of course I noticed the World Cup Stadium.  Unfortunately this was where Russia beat Spain and sent them home earlier than we had wanted. 

We disembarked right in front of the world famous Hermitage Museum which has the largest collection of art in the world...yes more than the Louvre! Our guides said that if you took 1 second to see each piece of art, it would take you 10 years to see it all.  Others say that to see everything would take a visitor 18 years.  Either way it is just enormous.  See that line in the front.  That is the line for people who had tickets to enter at a certain time.  That was us.  The wait wasn't as long as I had feared when I first saw that the line went all the way around the corner.  

 Once inside, the place was absolutely packed.  Chinese tourists have discovered St. Petersburg and the museum was FULL!  The crowds and the heat didn't contribute to a relaxing experience. I wondered why they didn't have the priceless art in a temperature controlled environment - to say nothing of having the mobs of tourist more comfortable and more relaxed.  In spite of that, the art was just breathtaking.

Two  Di Vinci's were among my favorites. 

I had to fight the hordes to get this close but I am so glad I did.

After several hours absorbing the culture we were treated to a scenic boat ride on the canals and were able to enjoy a light lunch. 

Our guides continued to give us information and history of their much loved city but I'm afraid no one paid much attention to them.  

 Instead we all were focused on this little boy who was on every bridge, sometimes waving and other times blowing us kisses. 

 We were told that he runs 4.4 miles to keep up with our boat.  Can you see him?

 All of us were delighted...well, all the tourists were delighted our guides less so.  They don't like these kids since they take all our attention away from what they want to share. 

 I remember practically nothing of what the guides said, but I will always remember him.  

 Naturally when we got off the boat, he was waiting - just in case we wanted to give him a few rubles for his troubles.  We were all pretty generous which is good since we learned that he does have to share his spoils with the ship captain.  He is a cutie!

I'd love to spend a day in St. Petersburg in the winter when everything is covered with snow.  One thing we learned about Russians is that they don't see the winter as a negative.  They embrace it and even make a wish on the first snowflake they see.  I also LOVE the snow.  'Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow' is my mantra in the winter. 

Happy Birthday to Me!

I celebrated my 50th birthday with a trip to Dubai, my 60th in Barcelona at a FC Barcelona game, and my 65th flying from Tbilisi, Georgia to St. Petersburg Russia!  Can you tell that I love traveling?

When you have a birthday on a Fun For Less trip you get to wear the birthday hat. 

And enjoy a huge chocolate bar! 

Plus I got to celebrate at the very same restaurant where Vladimir Putin celebrated his birthday recently! 

Putin wasn't there but I did get to pose with this Russian bear...no collusion  involved!!!!

I also enjoyed birthday cake!

And a Russian version of Happy Birthday!

Now I'm officially a babushka! 

Off to Russia!

Russian Royalty

Tsar and Tsarina

This reminded me of a conversation I had years ago with our niece Andrea.  She mentioned to me that the Lewis line went back to British Royalty so her Dad could be the king.  She was not amused when I reminded her that George was the oldest son so he would be the King, not her Dad the younger son! 

For a few minutes in St. Petersburg  and again in Uglitch on the banks of the Volga River, we all got to see what it would be like to be royal! 

Monasteries and Crosses

After our days in Azerbaijan we flew to Georgia and then made a day trip to Armenia.  These two countries are among the oldest Christian countries in the world.  Our educator, Michael Wilcox, told us that Christianity had deep roots here.  Numerous invasions and years of communism couldn't weed out the religion among the people.  Because of this very old and very strong faith, there are many beautiful monasteries in both countries. Each is unique and quite beautiful.

And they are in some spectacular locations.  Like this one perched high above a lake. 

Or this one at the top of the hill 

 From the top of the hill there is  this view of the two rivers coming together.    

Here's another which looks out on a lake.   

Check out this view!  

With all these monasteries, there is a big variety of crosses.  I didn't know there were so many variations.  This one is a Georgian Cross.  Notice that the arms are of equal length. It illustrates that Christianity reaches the four corners of the earth.  And it's the national symbol of Georgia.                 

The Armenian crosses are especially beautiful. It wasn't until we got back home and I got on-line that I learned these 'Armenian Cross stones' are called Khachkars and are included in UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. They are carved, memorial stones bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosettes, interlaces, and botanical motifs.   

I love the lone green stone.  Makes the photos so interesting! 

Last year I came home from the Silk Road with hundreds and hundreds of pictures of Islamic  blue tiles.  This year I have hundreds and hundreds of pictures of crosses!  

At least I'm ecumenical.