The monument’s namesake, Alexander Nevsky, was a military commander also known as Alexander of Novgorod. A brilliant leader, Nevsky’s successes on the battlefield against Germany and Sweden in the 13th century. Peter the Great had the monastery built on the spot which he thought was the site of the famous Neva Battle (1240): the eastern end of St Petersburg’s most famous street, Nevsky Prospekt. However, it turned out this site was actually about 12 miles away.
An important and vibrant holy site for Russia’s Orthodox community, Alexander Nevsky’s status as a lavra, a high accolade for a religious institution in Russia and one which it achieved in 1797, makes the monastery a popular place of worship.
The Alexander Nevsky Lavra complex includes two churches, the first built in 1712 and the second in 1724, both in a baroque style. The complex also includes the famous Tikhvin Cemetery, where many of Russia’s famous artists are buried.The Alexander Nevsky Lavra graveyard is burial site of writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, composer Peter Tchaikovsky, Prince Alexander Suvorov, linguist and scientist Mikhail Lomonosov and all the members of the musical ensemble, Group of Five. Alexander Nevsky’s remains are also found here.
Whilst much of Alexander Nevsky Lavra’s riches and original pieces have been looted and destroyed over the years, this remains a beautiful and holy site as well as one imbued with history.
Alexander Nevsky Lavra is still very much a working monastery – it’s open year round with seasonal hours, and visitors are free to stroll around most of the grounds free of charge. To visit the most important graveyards (and to see the graves of Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky), you’ll need to purchase a ticket from the kiosk to the right of the main entrance.
Visitors to Alexander Nevsky Lavra can also see the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Look out for the bread sold in Alexander Nevsky Square which is baked daily by the monks.
The monastery is at the far eastern end of Nevsky Prospekt. The nearest metro station is Ploschad’ Aleksandra Nevskogo 1/2, which is the intersection of Green Line 3 and Orange Line 4. Realistically it’s 3-4km from most of St Petersburg’s other major tourist sites, so if you don’t feel comfortable navigating the metro (the Cyrillic can be a challenge), you’ll need to hop in a taxi.
]]>The Crimean War was fought between 1853 and 1856, ostensibly to preserve the rights of Christian minority communities in the Holy Land (which was then part of the Ottoman Empire). In 1854, Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire were attempting to capture the port of Sevastopol, a Russian naval base, and had established camps nearby as part of the Crimean War. They were besieging Sevastopol, but their siege lines were weak: the Russian plan was to break these siege lines and recapture the port of Balaklava.
Russian forces attacked Balaklava on 25 October 1854, in what became known as the Battle of Balaklava. Famously – or perhaps infamously – the battle ended when the British Light Brigade charged into the “Valley of Death”, the area between the Causeway Heights and the Fedyukhin Heights. This dramatic incident is now known as the “Charge of the Light Brigade” and ended in significant losses for the British. It was immortalised in a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Despite its fame, the Battle of Balaklava ended in something of a military stalemate, with roughly equal losses on both sides. This defeat also set the stage for a much bloodier subsequent battle – the Battle of Inkerman.
Today, the Balaclava Battlefield is mostly made up of vineyards, however the town of Balaklava has many monuments to the battle. There are also the remains of a Genoese fortress in the town.
Several tour companies run specific Crimean battlefield day trips and tours in the area: without one of these, you’ll need to do some serious research and use your imagination to come anywhere close to imagining what the battle would have actually been like. The town of Balaklava has a museum dedicated to its history, including some material on the battle.
Balaklava itself is a small settlement on the Crimean Peninsula, not far from the city of Sevastopol. The actual battlefield is located slightly north of town, just off the Krestovs’koho St. Wear good shoes to reach the actual sight!
]]>Grand Prince Vasily III – ruler of Moscow from 1505 to 1533, and often mockingly known as Vasili the Adequate – commissioned the Church of the Ascension to celebrate the long anticipated birth of the heir to the Russian throne, Ivan IV Vasilyevich. Ivan, who was born on 25 August 1530, would become known as Ivan the Terrible. The Church of the Ascension was consecrated on 3 September 1532 and was revolutionary for its time. Kolomenskoye, where it stands, was a former royal estate.
Unlike other Russian churches of the time, this was probably built by Italian architects – masters of their trade. It’s also the first brick church with a tent-shaped roof found in Russia: a break with tradition that would be echoed with the construction of St Basil’s Cathedral, built 25 years later by Ivan himself to commemorate the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. The white stone and Renaissance details are some of its dominant characteristics.
Alterations have been made over the centuries, particularly brickwork renovations in the 19th century, along with some decorative and ornamental work. In 1994, it joined UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites due to its contribution to Russian ecclesiastical architecture
Nestled in the Kolomenskoye Reserve, overlooking the river, the church is particularly attractive and worth a visit for its significance – it’s closed Mondays. The interior is smaller than you’d expect from outside. Kolomenskoye also provides a pleasant respite from the intensity of central Moscow, and exploring the park for a day or an afternoon is a lovely way to
There is an exhibit on milestones in Kolomenskoye history in the tent-roofed gatehouse near the church.
The Church of the Ascension is located deep in the Kolomenskoye Museum Reserve, on the edge of the Moskva River. The nearest metro stations are Kashirskaya (south) or Kolomenskaya (north): both are about a 2km walk through the leafy parkland to access the church itself. A map is helpful as there are lots of paths and it’s easy to get lost or distracted in the wealth of surrounding buildings.
]]>Officially called the Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, initial construction on the church began in 1883, when Emperor Alexander III commissioned it to commemorate his father, Alexander II. Alexander II was actually assassinated on the site where the church was built in 1881: anarchists bombed his carriage, and he died hours later from his injuries, thus lending the Russian Orthodox cathedral its alternative name referring to spilled blood.
Completed in 1907 during the reign of Nicholas II – and running an estimated 1 million roubles over budget – The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood is an incredible mixture of colours and design. Unlike most of the buildings in St Petersburg, it is not built in a Baroque or neoclassical style, but rather a more medieval Russian one. Inside, the Church Of The Saviour On Spilled Blood is densely adorned with 7000 square metres of vivid mosaics created by world famous Russian artists such as Mikhail Vrubel and Viktor Vasnetsov.
The church was looted and damaged quite severely during the Russian Revolution of 1917: the new Soviet Government closed the church to the public in 1932. During the Secodn World War, it was reopened to be used as a morgue throughout the Siege of Leningrad, and was later used as a storehouse for potatoes. Evocative photos show the land surrounding the church being used as a vegetable garden during the war. During this period, some nicknamed it the Saviour on Potatoes.
It was only in the 1970s that the church was reopened and in 1997, after 27 years of renovation, that it was returned to its former glory. The church has never been reconsecrated, meaning it is effectively simply a mosaic museum.
Today, the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood is one of St Petersburg’s most popular tourist attractions and rightly so: the ornate mosaics are truly remarkable and photographs will never do them justice. Unsurprisingly, it can get very busy, so go later in the afternoon if you want to avoid the worst of the crowds. Expect to spend an hour or two here enjoying the fabulous interiors. Closed Wednesdays.
The church is located at the west end of the Mikhailovsky Garden: it’s hard to miss. The nearest underground station is Nevsky Prospekt, on Blue Line 2: it’s a 5 minute walk north along the canal to reach the church itself. If you want to approach the church in its full majesty, come through the Mikhailovsky Gardens, from the entrance on Sadovaya Street.
]]>It was the Slavic Krivich tribe which founded Izborsk, then a modest settlement, yet it was in the 10th century that the first wooden version of Izborsk Fortress was built. A stone incarnation of the fortress took its place in the 11th century. The current Izborsk Fortress dates mostly from the 14th century, when it was relocated a few hundred metres away from its initial site.
Supposedly impregnable, the fortress was seized by a small Lithuanian regiment in 1569, much to the shock of the Russian army – and particularly Ivan the Terrible. This feat was only managed because of a Russian turncoat, and once the fortress was retaken, Ivan had many of the senior figures associated with Izborks and the fortress executed because he was worried other disaffected cities and men would follow the example set at Izborsk unless those on the ground faced serious retribution.
The fortress gradually lost importance and status due to changing borders, and was eventually abandoned in the 18th century. Unsurprisingly, it quickly began to deteriorate, until Tsar Nicholas I implemented a regime of repairs.
More recently, a 2012 restoration of Izborsk Fortress was accompanied by a major scandal over embezzlement of funds intended for arts projects: 60 million rubles were unaccounted for in the project, and the deputy minister of culture was implemented in the scandal.
The fortress is primarily comprised of ruins today: it’s still undeniably impressive, and normally relatively quiet. Audio guides are available for hire by the entrance – expect to spend half a day exploring here fully as there’s plenty to see. Be sure to climb the stone tower for great views over the surrounding countryside. Some of the fresh pierogi sold on the walk to the fortress are delicious – the whole town of Izborsk is a peek into a slower, rural pace of Russian life.
The fortress is located on a ridge above the town of Izborsk. The town of Izborsk itself is on the A-212/E77, about 30km east of the Russia-Estonia border. Buses run regularly from Pskov to the old town of Iskov, and take about 40 minutes. Once you’re there, everything can be accessed by foot.
]]>Designed by Andrei Voronikhin, Kazan Cathedral was modelled on Rome’s Basilica of St Paul: many leading Russians disliked the idea of building a Catholic-style basilica in Russia’s capital. Nevertheless, construction started in 1801, and it’s thought the Tsar, Paul I, intended to build a similar monument on the opposite bank of the river. The cathedral was completed in 1811 by his son, Tsar Alexander I.
The finished cathedral still has traditionally Orthodox overtones, including a dark interior and a huge, 80m high dome. The icon of Our Lady of Kazan resides inside, and remains extremely popular with believers. The colonnades stretch over 111m, and enclose an ornate garden. Many view the cathedral’s construction as Paul’s great attempt to unite Eastern and Western Christianity.
During the Napoleonic Wars, commander-in-chief of the Russian army, General Mikhail Kutuzov, asked for the intercession of our Lady of Kazan, and from then on the cathedral became closely associated with this war, and Russia’s victory. Statues of Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly stand outside the cathedral, and Kutuzov is buried inside. The famous Russian poet wrote verses
The cathedral is notable as the site of the first major political protest in Russia in 1876 – the Kazan Demonstration. The cathedral was closed in January 1932, and reopened later the same year as the ‘Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism’.
In 1992, religious services were once again held in Kazan Cathedral, and four years later, it was reconsecrated. Today, Kazan Cathedral is the mother cathedral of St Petersburg.
The cathedral is open daily and entry is free. Visitors are expected to act respectfully, particularly if visiting during mass. The building and grounds are large – allow a couple of hours to explore properly as there are plenty of nooks and crannies. There’s somewhat limited English signage, although there is a map of graves near the entrance. It’s gently suggested women cover their heads (although not with a hat), as is customary.
The cathedral is located on the south side of Nevsky Prospekt. The nearest metro stations are Nevsky Prospekt / Gostinyy Dvor: both are a few hundred metres away. The cathedral is wheelchair accessible and unmissable.
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