St. Petersburg - the Cornerstone

St. Petersburg is a magnificent city in Russia. It is the place of kings, Czars or Tsars. Until my visit to St. Petersburg I didn’t truly understand the significance of St. Petersburg to the Peter the Great nor its place in the history of the Romanov’s (My apologies to Mr. Stroud the Haverford School World History teacher). St. Petersburg has a dynamic history up to and including the Russian revolution and its significance is now better understood as we visited and observed the canals, rivers and Baltic Sea throughout the city. The influence of the Swedes is apparent and now I understand why so many Russians have “blond hair”. From the Black Sea came the Turks and I learned a great deal about the “Orthodox” Church and how it came to be the “relevant” religion in Russia. The Churches are magnificent and the post card images of The Christ Resurrection Church or the Church of the Spilled Blood simply don’t do it justice. The Mosaic Portrait walls are almost beyond words. The Old and New Testament stories are captured beautifully in the colored glass so carefully placed. From the “Calming of the Galilean Sea” to the “Washing of the Feet” to the “Raising of Lazarus” and “The Last Supper” there wasn’t a wall, column or ceiling that wasn’t depicting some story or symbol of Christ or God like significance. The cupolas were magnificent in their breath and depth, lit wonderfully by both natural light and carefully placed lamps. We finished the day attending Mass at the Church St. Catherine’s which didn’t begin holding Mass until 1992 after being shut down in 1918 due to the Russian revolution. One of the Crosses in the Church was held in a parishioner’s house hidden from the revolutionaries so it wasn’t destroyed. She hoped to see it back at St. Catherine’s one day and her prayers were answered as it hangs in the Church where we prayed tonight. Amazing story. All in all a stunning experience that makes me want to expedite the visit to Rome.