St.Petersburg

In 1703, Peter, Czar of Russia, captured Nienskans at the mouth of the Neva River and built there the city of St. Petersburg, Russia's one portal to the sea. The city served as Russia's capital until 1918. Peter, who was jealous of Paris, vowed to outdo it and began the adornment of his newborn capital with classical columns. Catherine the Great continued the process by consoling her discarded suitors with palaces more lasting than her love. By 1787 St. Petersburg was described as "the finest city in the world." In 1812 it was judged to be "one of the finest cities in the world."

Renamed Leningrad in 1924, the beautiful city suffered the deadliest siege in history by the German army carrying out Hitler's manaical orders to take and totally destroy the city at any cost in blut. Leningrad was cut off from the rest of the Soviet Union for 900 days, leaving next to nothing on which its 2,5 millions inhabitants could live. The siege claimed more than 632,000 lives. When Leningrad was liberated by Russian soldiers in 1944, devastation was wideapread. What the Nazis could not loot, they left wantonly destroyed.

Fortunately for Russia, many of their priceless treasures were preserved by the heroic efforts of thousands of women, [men were fighting] who laboured tirelessly to save their city's magnificent artifacts by packing them in wooden containers and shipping them deep within the heart of Russia. Many of the marvelous statues and sculptures that adorned the palace parks and the lawns were buried in the very soil on which they stood.

Ruins, rocks and ashes were left by the retreating Germans, who smashed what they could as they fled, then planted explosive devices within any still-standing structures to be accidentally triggered later by the Russians themselves. Many of these were discovered and disarmed. Despite the ravages and ruin of bombs, bullets and shells, the priceless architectural buildings and monuments were miraculously restored, the breathtakingly beautiful structures and their treasured contents awing thousands of visitors every day.

Many monuments commemorate Peter the Great [*] in St. Petersburg and clearly illustrate the power of his personality and the significance Russians placed on his great contribution to their country. A French sculptor, lured to Russia by Catherine the Great, carved and chiseled an epochal statue of Peter.

"A horse and a man of bronze raised into the air."

Peter the Great b.1672 - d.1725. Tsar of Russia from 1682 to 1725 photo by G.Wilson

Voltaire asked, "By what steps do men pass from barbarism to civilization?" He attempted to answer his own question by studying the stooping giant, Peter the Great, who stood six feet eight. Peter embodied the effort in his person, soul and his citizenry. He opened Russia to the western world, not for its graces and arts, but for its military might, commerce, industy and wealth. No man in history was more eager to absorb information from other countries and use it to improve his own. In addition to informing himself about life in other lands, Peter sent back to Russia guns, compasses, marble, anchors and tools. He also engaged and dispatched skilled people to Russia like doctors, ship pilots, captains and cooks, for Russians to learn their skills, so that, "having mastered them thoroughly, we can, when we return, be victors over the enemies of Jesus Christ," By this he meant to conquer the Moslem capital, Constantinople and so allow Russia to pass through the Bosporus into the wider world.

Peter the Great's Throne Room photo by G. Wilson

Peter the Great's Study photo by G. Wilson

Peterhof , Peter the Great's Summer Palace photo by G. Wilson

Staircase of Peterhof photo by G. Wilson

Waterfall and the Great Cascade at Peterhof photo by G. Wilson

Guilded Figures and Fountains Adorn Peterhof Grounds photo by G. Wilson

Peterhof's Figures and Fountains photo by G. Wilson

Peter the Great's Coach photo by G. Wilson

Pavilion constructed solely to shield the Czar from rain when he took a walk in the rain. photo by G. Wilson

A noble Russian family, the Yusupovs, was one of the richest families of Russia. In the XIX century they were related by family ties to the Romanovs,

Felix Yusupov

Irina. Yusupov photo by G. Wilson

Prince Boris Yusupov (1794-1849) bought a house on the Moika River in 1830. Seven years of remodeling transformed this modest mansion into a sprawling, luxurious palace, a very fitting, sumptuously decorated St. Petersburg residence for the Yusupovs. Prince Boris soon relocated his priceless collection of paintings, marble and porcelain artifacts into the new St. Petersburg estate. This Palace on the Moika Embankment was one of four palaces the Yusupovs had in St. Petersburg. The last Yusupov owner of this palace was Felix Yusupov, who married Irina, niece of Nicholas II.

Ladies in Waiting and Gentlemen Ushers awaiting our arrival on the Yusupov Palace Stairway photo by G. Wilson

One of many Chandeliers in the Yusupov home. photo by G. Wilson

Yusupov's Dining Room photo by G. Wilson

A highlight among many during our visit to St. Peteresburg, was a formal evening spent at the former home of the Yusupovs, where we were treated to champagne and caviar followed by a concert performed by a classical quartet and some formally gowned and garbed dancers.

Classical Quartet photo by G. Wilson

Following the classical quartet and dancers, we were led down a long hall into a small theatre with a stage had been constructed by the Yusupov's on which their daughter, Zenaida, could perform. This theatre was the most popular of the private theatres in St. Petersburg. The Golden Theatre is a copy of the Bolshoi of Moscow. The most famous actors, dancers and singers considered it an honor to perform on this stage. We were thrilled by the excellent concert performed by a 30-piece chamber orchestra and several very fine female and male singers.

Ensemble Performance photo by G. Wilson

Box from which Zenaida's proud parents could view her performances. photo by G. Wilson

We were treated in the basement of the palace to the setting for a performance of a much different type. The original action had taken place on the night of 17 December, 1916 and the starring role was played by none other than the morose, mysterious, mystic monk named Grigory Rasputin. This Siberian peasant intriguer was the weird, bearded, spiritual mentor and friend of Tsar Nicholas II and his Tsarina in the early 20th century. That night aristocrats Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitry and other monarchist conspirators undertook the touchy task of ridding Russia of Rasputin, and the mayhem and murder that took place that night is memoralized by an historical exhibit in a private annex of the palace.

Rasputin was invited by Prince Felix Yusupov to visit his palace on the Moika Canal. The pretext was the opportunity for Rasputin to meet Felix's wife, Irina, who was a great beauty and niece of the Tsar. Rasputin had a fondness for females and wanted desperately to meet Irina. He was also flattered by the attention of Felix who claimed he had been nurturing a relationship with Rasputin for a number of years before the invitation. This relationship has never been fully explained.

In any case Felix and other nobles now believed that Rasputin's influence over the Tsarina and through her over the Tsar made him a far-too-dangerous threat to the empire. They decided to rid Russia of Rasputin.

Conspirators Dimitry and Felix photo by G. Wilson Sev

A Rather Ragged Rasputin photo by G. Wilson

While he awaited the appearance of the beautiful Irina, Rasputin washed down two pieces of poisoned cake with several glases of Madeira, well laced with potassium cyanide, As he watched and waited for the poison to take effect, Felix strummed his guitar to entertain his guest, who hummed happily along with the music. Meanwhile, upstairs, Yusupov's co-conspirators steadied their nerves by playing Yankee Doodle Dandee over and over again. After an hour or so, Rasputin, who showed no ill effects, laughingly suggested they find some gypsies for fun. Aa incredulous Felix, who found this fantastc, excused himself and raced upstairs to inquire what he should do. He was handed a revolver and told to persevere. When Felix returned, he walked up behind Rasputin, who was admiring a crucifix in a cupboard. and shot him in the back. With a piercing cry, Rasputin fell to the floor, seemingly silenced forever.

It proved difficult to keep a bad man down, for after being pronounced dead, the motionless monk's eyes suddenly opened and he lunged at Felix's throat. Convinced he was dealing with the devil, Felix yelled for help. Rasputin raced out the door followed by two of Felix's co-conspirators, firing away at the fleeing Russian. Several missed him before one hit his shoulder and another his chest, dropping him like a stone to the ground. His assassins approached warily. They weren't taking any chances this time, and kicked his battered body about to be sure. The blood-spattered corpse was then wrapped in a blue curtain and taken to the Neva River, where it was pushed through a hole in the ice. Was Rasputin really dead? No, not yet. Later police discovered one of Rasputin's boots by the hole and removed his frozen corpse from the river. An autopsy revealed that his lungs were full of water, indicting that he was still breathing when he was dumped into the river. Despite the poison and lots of lead, Rasputin's demise was due to drowning. An anguished Empress ordered him buried in a corner of the imperial park. Meanwhile, Petrograd society managed to restrain itself from celebrating Rasputin's death.

Police amassed evidence against his killers, but Tsar Nicholas II feared a public backlash if he punished them. Felix always portrayed his murder of Rasputin as a political act to save Russia, but some suspect he acted for less loyal reasons. The consequences of the crime were different from those anticipated. While the conspirators thought they had saved the monarchy from its chief corrupter, their act, in fact, confirmed in the minds of the public that corruption had existed. It resulted in the Tsarina being even more determined to follow Rasputin's counsel beyond the grave. She continued to give harmful advice to the Tzar, who because he was securely tied to her apron strings, followed it to his folly and fatality. Things went from bad to worse and led eventually to the death of the Tsar, Tsarina and their family on July 5, 1918.

The spot on the floor where Rasputin fell wounded. photo by G. Wilson

Subsequently, for other reasons, Felix became personna non grata in Russia, and after hurriedly collecting some of his most valuable paintings, he left St. Petersburg for Paris.

Catherine The Great aka Catherine II b.1726 d. 1796 Reigned 1762-1796

At enormous cost, Catherine the Great achieved her object: to leave her mark upon her capital and make it a magnificent city.. She had a mania for spending money on buildings. "It is," she said, "a disease like drunkenness." One observer after seeing much of Europe, opined that "in spite of Catherine the Great's many shorcomings, the public and private edifices she made possible make St. Petersburg the finest city in the world."

Gate to the Palace of Catherine The Great photo by G. Wilson

Catherine The Great's 978-foot-long Palace photo by G. Wilson

The Palace of Catherine The Great photo by Kate

Catherine's Throne Room photo by G.Wilson

Catherine's Commode photo by G.Wilson

Catherine's Study photo by G.Wilson

The Hermitage photo by G.Wilson

Catherine described the Hermitage, which became her art gallery, as her refuge from court etiquette. This magnificent building constructed along the embankment of the Neva River contains more than 3,000,000 items. In 1790 Catherine described it as "my little retreat so situated that to go there and back from my room is just three thousand paces.There I walk about amid a quantity of things that I love and delight in." Today it is one of the principal museums of the world through which thousands walk to be delighted by the illustrious collection of things that once delighted her.

Picasso photo by G. Wilson

Gaugin photo by G.Wilson G. Wilson

Ruben's Woman photo by G. Wilson

Rembrandt's Pregnant Wife photo by G. Wilson

Van Gogh's View from the Institution photo by G.Wilson

Leonardo Da Vinci's Madonna and Child photo by G.Wilson

Older Catherine the Great photo by G. Wilson

Hall of the Winter Palace photo by G. Wilson

The Winter Palace is part of a complex of buildings known as the State Hermitage Museum. As part of the Museum, many of the Winter Palace's 1,057 rooms and halls like this one are open to the public.

Giant Vases of the Winter Palace photo by G. Wilson

Bye Bye

[*] In 1991 the Russian navy commissioned a nuclear-powered missle cruiser which they named, Pyotr Veliky - Peter the Great. It recently paid a visit to Venezuela,

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