Today was rough and entertaining at the same time. I had to get up an hour earlier than usual to go to Smolny and do dialogue homework with a fellow classmate. However, everyone seemed to be on the early wavelength today. Ergo, we got nothing done and instead everyone sat around talking about whatever. After class (one of which was phonetics and makes you want to kill yourself) some of the girls and I decided to go to Smolny Institute, which is right next door past the British Consulate. The institute itself was the original home of the provisional revolutionary government and now it serves as the governor’s residence. As a result, there are police everywhere (what’s new?) but the public gardens in front of the building are beautiful. On either side of the walkway, there are statues of Marx and Engels, our primary reason for going. After taking pictures, sitting in the park, and talking for a while, we followed the Neva south to the east end of Nevsky.
Our destination was the Alexander Nevsky Lavra Monastery. The word “lavra” is used to indicate a church of the highest order in Russian Orthodoxy. There are only 4 lavras in Russia (one’s actually in Ukraine). Alexander Nevsky Lavra was built in the early 1700s by Peter the Great in honor of the battle Alexander Nevsky fought to stop German and Polish incursions into Russia. The church was awarded the title lavra about 80 years later. Once you enter the monastery grounds it is forbidden to take pictures so I don’t have any pictures for you guys. But below are some pics from the internet so you can see how beautiful the lavra is. In addition, women are advised to wear knee-length skirts and it is mandatory to cover your hair with a scarf (hence today’s skirt ensemble and why I brought a scarf to Russia in the summer). The lavra and the surrounding cemeteries were beautiful. The trees were veryyyy old and everything was peaceful and quiet. There were birds in the trees and a slight breeze, with the sun dappled leaves, it was borderline magical. The cemetery we walked through was the one right outside the lavra, the only free one actually, which I later learned was the Communist Cemetery. Most of the people there died in the years following the revolution, others were listed as party members during the original revolutionary movement, and others were listed as officers/soldiers who died in 1944 during the Siege of Leningrad on the “Leningrad Front”.
After walking around the graves for a while, we headed into the church itself, which is so beautiful and awe-inspiring that what I describe it as simply doesn’t do it justice. Much of the church is gilded, and while it does hold services, people primarily come to see the absolutely beautiful icons that dot the church. The bones of Alexander Nevsky sit on a raised platform surrounded by flowers and gilding in the far right side of the church. People stop, pray, cross themselves, and write prayers to the icons for people they know. There are also mass candle holders everywhere, and people buy small candles to light and leave after they pray. The church smells like the good kind of incense and is very quiet. Out of respect, I crossed myself when I left the cathedral (just for you mom!). The Lavra was so beautiful and I’m glad I got to see it during my lifetime!
It’s amazing to think that all of these beautiful churches and historical buildings made it through the Siege of Leningrad mostly unscathed. There are stories of preservation like how the Soviets painted the gold leaf dome of St. Issac’s with tar so it wouldn’t stand out (though the church still took fire) and how they sank and later brought back up the Battleship Aurora (which fired the first shot of the revolution) so the Germans wouldn’t sink it themselves. This truly is a resilient city and a resilient people. So much has happened in the past 100 years. When you’re here, and you find time to sit and think about it all, it makes you even more grateful to be here. I’m constantly amazed, and as if I didn’t already have a complete respect for a foreign people already, it is now at least ten-fold what it was.
Katherine and Ben: I know you guys are on your way home, be safe and have a good flight. Home is waiting for you guys with American food and comfortable beds! Have a Blue Moon (or two) for me!
Love and hugs to all!
P.S. Saw my first Gazprom commercial today. It was pretty epic. Also read an article about it in a Russian newspaper today. I totally know who the people are and what they were talking about. Yay, VICS research!
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