The Cathedral of the Archangel in the Moscow Kremlin is now 500

Exterior of the Cathedral of the Archangel in the Moscow Kremlin

The Cathedral of the Archangel of the Moscow Kremlin is now 500-years-old. Inside it, are Orthodox shrines, the relics of grand dukes and Russian tsars. The cathedral was built in the tradition of Russian church architecture with five domes in 1505-1509 by architect Aleviz Novy, one of the Italian craftsmen invited by the Grand Duke of Moscow to build a stone Kremlin. The best Russian craftsmen painted the cathedral and the walls of the cathedral still preserve ancient frescoes done in the days of Ivan the Terrible.

Iconostas of the Cathedral of the Archangel

The Cathedral of the Archangel was the burial vault of the Russian ruling dynasty through the end of the 17^th century, when the capital was moved to St Petersburg. The necropolis of the temple contains the remains of grand dukes and tsars, including Ivan Kalita, Ivan the Terrible, Mikhail Fyodrovich, Alexei Mikhailovich, and others, 54 graves in total. In 1917, the cathedral was damaged by artillery fire. In 1929, when the Convent of the Ascension was torn down, the remains of the tsarinas and grand duchesses were moved to the lower part of the cathedral. The cathedral preserves the relics of great Orthodox saints, Ss Prince Dmitri Donskoi, Mikhail of Chernigov, and Tsarevich Dmitri of Uglich.

24 November 2008

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/photolents/20081124/118479178.html (in English)

Russian Businessmen shall Budget more than 20 Million Euros for Multi-Phased Restoration of Russian Holy Sites on Mount Athos

Russian Monastery of St Panteleimon on the Holy Mountain of Athos (Monastic Republic of Athos in Greece)

Moscow, 3 October 2008 (Interfax):

Over the next two or three years, more than 20 million euros (714.935 million roubles. 27.56 million USD. 15.535 million UK pounds) shall be budgeted for a multi-phased restoration of various buildings at the Russian Monastery of St Panteleimon on Mount Athos according to the Council of Trustees for the Restoration of Russian Holy Sites on the Holy Mountain. Mayor Yuri Luzhkov of Moscow, the co-chairman of the council, stated that one of the most important reconstruction projects on Mount Athos is the repair of the road that connects the monastery to the Old Rusikon Skete. “As we speak, we should be transporting heavy equipment [to Greece] for construction work on Mount Athos, otherwise, we shall not be able to carry out the planned work in the proper period”, Mr Luzhkov said during the course of the session.

He also emphasised the importance of refurbishing the monastery archives and library, which has a collection of over 1,000 manuscripts and 25,000 books. Mayor Luzhkov stressed that specialists from the Moscow City Archives shall help with this work. “Over the past years, much work has been done, and we restored many objects, but, the next few years shall be even busier”, he noted. At this session of the council of trustees, the members approved a new stage of the reconstruction of the Russian sites on Mount Athos. Besides the repair of the road to the Old Rusikon Skete, it also includes repairs on the sketes at Ksilugru and Nea Fivaida, and new construction in the north-western part of the monastery complex. Mayor Luzhkov also charged the council of trustees to develop a finalised action plan for construction work until 2016, which shall be the 1,000^th anniversary of the Russian presence on the Holy Mountain of Athos.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=26784 (in Russian)

Gergiev Musical Centre Projected For North Ossetia

Maestro Valery Gergiev (1953- ), musician, citizen, humanitarian, and Orthodox Christian

The project for the “Caucasus Valery Gergiev Musical Cultural Centre” will be presented to the 7th International Investment Forum in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. A prestigious venue for business meetings, the traditional Sochi forum brought together more than 4,000 participants from 36 countries (18 to 21 September). The Caucasus musical cultural centre is one of the biggest projects that was submitted for discussion at the investment forum. Its initiator is the “most famous Ossetian in the world”, as the prominent conductor Valery Gergiev is called. Maestro Gergiev hopes that a new centre will appear in the capital of the Republic of North Ossetia, Vladikavkaz, where he began his professional music studies.

The Caucasus musical cultural centre is, first of all, a big concert hall and a small multi-functional hall, and also a summer amphitheatre, art galleries and workshops, a cinema, and a children’s school of arts. The new centre will be situated in the historical part of Vladikavkaz and will occupy a space on the two banks of the Terek River, running across the city. A suspension foot-bridge will be built inside the huge complex, making it possible to pass from one building to another.

The key designer of the Caucasus musical cultural centre is the British architectural company, “Foster and Partners”, which is headed by the world-famous architect Norman Foster, who is actively working in Russia today. The construction of this complex will begin later this year and will be completed in 2014, at the latest. There’s much talk about the new musical cultural centre today, where it is rated as one of the best centres of such class existing today. “In time, the Caucasus Musical Cultural Centre will turn into one of the most attractive centres on the tour map of the world celebrities”, Maestro Gergiev said.

18 September 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=32651&cid=62&p=18.09.2008 (in English)

Moscow Believes UNESCO Must Condemn Georgia for the Barbarous Destruction of Cultural Sites in South Ossetia Including Ancient Christian Churches

The Jewish Quarter of Tskhinvali, totally destroyed on the direct orders of Mikhail Saakashvili. Dare we call it his Kristallnacht, as this quarter was more thoroughly wrecked than the others?

Moscow, 4 September 2008 (Interfax):

Russia asked UNESCO to condemn the Georgian invasion of South Ossetia as it not only caused many human deaths, but, it also destroyed historical and cultural sites, including many religious ones. “The Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO is outraged that the criminal Georgian invasion of South Ossetia resulted not only in grievous loss of human lives, but, also in a desecration of historical and cultural sites, including Orthodox religious shrines of the Caucasus and ancient Byzantium”, the Commission’s statement read as cited by the official website of the Foreign Ministry on Thursday. Its authors are convinced that “world community and UNESCO should decisively condemn these barbarous acts”.

The statement pointed out that unique buildings of the 3rd century, St Georgy Church of the 8th – 9th centuries AD, the Church of the Holy Virgin of the 17th century, a synagogue, and other historical and architectural sites of Tskhinvali were destroyed in the course of military actions. Furthermore, the document further says, “irreparable damage was inflicted to the original habitat of South Ossetian people. Thus, the Georgian government violated such fundamental international and legal treaties as the Hague Convention of 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, the Convention of 1972 Concerning the Protection of the Global Cultural and Natural Heritage, and the UNESCO declaration of 2003, which imposes responsibility on a state if it doesn’t take proper measures to ban, prevent, stop, and punish any actions resulting in the intentional destruction of such cultural heritage”, the document reads. 

Earlier, the Rosokhrankultura agency expressed its indignation that the international community is silent about the destruction of unique cultural and historical sites in South Ossetia. “When the Taliban blew up the statues of Buddha in Afghanistan, the whole world called it a barbarity. Today, the world community, including UNESCO, keeps utter silence [about the destruction of cultural and religious artefacts in South Ossetia]“, Aleksandr Kibovsky, the head of Rosokhrankultura, told journalists.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=26346 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

Saakashvili cannot claim that the cultural sites were destroyed due to the ferocity of the fighting, for the small casualty figures belie that allegation (64 Russian and 133 Georgian soldiers dead). Virtually all the damage one sees is the result of a deliberately-ordered and massive bombardment of the small city of Tskhinvali on the direct orders of Mikhail Saakashvili. The very stones cry out! May he face justice, and may he be hung in public on Red Square. It would be fitting justice to see one of the Ossetian children who lost their parents as a result of this amoral monster spring the trap under him. God’s justice shall not be mocked.  

Martha-and-Mary Convent Now Ready to Welcome Pilgrims and Tourists

Moscow, 28 August 2008 (Interfax):

Vladimir Resin, First Deputy Mayor of Moscow, reported that construction crews have now completed the reconstruction and restoration of the Martha-and-Mary Convent in Moscow. Not only is the work on the convent complete, but, the street next to the convent has been repaved and the façades of the adjacent buildings have been refurbished, Mr Resin noted at a press conference on Thursday. He added, “Thus, another tourist destination has been added in Moscow, and Muscovites and visitors can come here and take pleasure in the beauty of this place”.  

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=26240 (in Russian)

South Ossetian Cultural Heritage Destroyed

A nun standing in front of an ancient church in Tskhinvali, now destroyed by the Georgian forces, acting under the deliberate orders of Mikhail Saakashvili. Such treasures cannot be replaced. Reflect well that the US government supports the destruction of cultural monuments by Georgia…

Humanity witnessed a real cultural catastrophe as the capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali, was completely destroyed in a few days. “The culture of South Ossetia suffered a great loss”, Aleksandr Kibovsky, a historian and the head of the Russian Federal Service for the Preservation of Cultural Values, said. “The region of South Ossetia was always remarkable for its unique monuments of history and culture. Now, we can only remember that the residents of now-destroyed Tskhinvali used to have 2 museums, a theatre, and a library… Apart from this, there were hundreds of unique archaeological and architectural monuments there, some of them going back several centuries, and, now, as a result of the Georgian invasion, everything is lost forever. How cruel and cynical it was to destroy the cultural heritage and memory of a whole nation in a few days!”

Amongst almost 600 historical and cultural monuments in South Ossetia were the 8th century Church of Kavt and the medieval fortress of Sabatsminda, examples of an early Christian type of architecture, which were famed worldwide. But, now these and many other unique sites are destroyed, and there is no certainty that this is the sum total of the destruction of the war Georgia launched against South Ossetia. Russia insists that Georgia violated the norms of the Hague convention on the protection of cultural property in a war zone. Moscow will send a group of experts to South Ossetia to assess the damage to the world’s cultural heritage. According to Professor Kibovsky, “each wounded stone must be catalogued by historians”, so that future generations shall never forget the consequences of Georgia’s barbarous policy. 

13 August 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=31007&cid=62&p=13.08.2008 (in English)

Editor’s Note:

Saakashvili and his criminal junta not only targeted the people of South Ossetia, they intended to wipe out the very traces of this people on the earth. This is what Hitler intended for Warsaw, by the way, in the destruction wrought after the uprising of 1944.

Saakashvili intended a similar result for South Ossetia… reflect very seriously on the fact that this murderous pig was supported by Rice and Cheney, and they got their stooge Bush to do so as well. If Colin Powell had still been Secretary of State, this would not have happened. Yes, personalities do matter, and the world is shaped by them, not by impersonal forces. That is, Marx and Tolstoy were wrong, and Dostoyevsky and Solzhenitsyn were right. That is something to ponder! 

1 July 2008. A Shot of Culture, if you please…

Holiday of Russian Culture in London

A holiday of Russian culture, dedicated to Russia Day and the Year of the Family, took place in London on Sunday. The holiday, organised by the Coordination Council of Russian Compatriots with the assistance of the Russian embassy in the UK, saw prizes awarded to schoolchildren who won in the I Love Russia competition. The 250 schoolchildren, ranging in age from 6 to 16, in the competition produced all sorts of works, including drawings, posters, essays, and compositions. 

30 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29060&cid=87&p=30.06.2008 (in English)

Film by Russian director racks up impressive first weekend

Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov (1961- ) (right)

The R-rated action thriller Wanted by Russian film director Timur Bekmambetov racked up an impressive 84 million dollars (1.969 billion roubles. 53.222 million euros. 42.126 million UK pounds) in box-office receipts on its first day of screening, according to the preliminary estimates by Universal studios, which is distributing the movie in North America.  Interestingly, the budget of the film was just 150 million dollars (3.517 billion roubles. 95.04 million euros. 75.225 million UK pounds). This Hollywood production uses many special effects and computer graphics. It is the first time that a Russian director turned out such a big hit in Hollywood.

30 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29060&cid=87&p=30.06.2008 (in English)

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29063&cid=51&p=30.06.2008 (in English)

23^rd World Congress of Architects in Torino

View of Venaria Reale from the palace

9,000 architects, architectural students, and other experts are due to take part in the 23d World Congress of Architects, held at the recently-restored residence of the former Savoy dynasty, Reggio di Venaria near Torino. It is the first time that the congress was held in an Italian city.

30 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29060&cid=87&p=30.06.2008 (in English)

French applied art on display in Moscow

The cream of French applied art is on display at an exhibition that opened in Moscow on Tuesday. The Violet Street: From Paris to Moscow exhibition showcases items made of glass, ceramics, china, leather and bronze, along with barrel organs, tapestries, and custom-made weapons. Visitors also have a chance to enjoy exquisite gloves and fans created for leading European fashion houses.

1 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29093&cid=51&p=01.07.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Russian-directed film starring Angelina Jolie beats box office records

Wanted, an American studio movie directed by Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov and starring Angelina Jolie, beat box office records at its worldwide premiere, Universal Pictures said on Monday. The action film took $84 million dollars (1.969 billion roubles. 53.222 million euros. 42.126 million UK pounds) in worldwide receipts on 26-27 June, Vadim Ivanov, the studio’s commercial director, told a news conference. Mr Ivanov said the story of the unusual transformation of miserable office clerk Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) into a skilful assassin had the largest box office receipts in Russia, the UK, and South Korea with 10.8 million (252 million roubles. 6.8 million euros. 5.412 million UK pounds), 8 million (187 million roubles. 5.06 million euros. 4.009 million UK pounds), and 6.7 million dollars (156 million roubles. 4.2 million euros. 3.357 million UK pounds) respectively. “This is the best possible start for Universal Pictures in Russia and for Timur Bekmambetov”, he said.

The Kazakh-born Mr Bekmambetov said, “I am glad our film became No. 1 picture at world box offices. We did not even dream about it”. Based on the comic books by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, the 150 million dollar (3.517 billion roubles. 95.04 million euros. 75.225 million UK pounds) picture is filled with eye-popping special effects like bending bullets, slow-motion and sped-up sequences, with which Mr Bekmambetov distinguished himself in his supernatural Russian-language thrillers Night Watch and Day Watch. Ms Jolie plays Fox, who recruits the dormant “born assassin” Gibson to replace his murdered father, the top killer at an elite order of paid killers. The movie also stars Morgan Freeman as head of the ancient brotherhood of assassins.

Mr Bekmambetov thanked Russian audiences for going to the cinema on Friday instead of the previous scheduled premiere date of 26 June, when the Russian national soccer team lost 3-0 in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 to Spain. He also said initial box office sales were not “the end of the game, yet, but, only the first time”. But, he said he expected “the picture to be a springboard for future films”, his own and those of other Russian directors. “…A precedent will be set to show that movies can speak Russian to the whole world”. The film also features Russian actors Konstantin Khabensky and Dato Bakhtadze.

30 June 2008

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080630/112583189.html (in English)

RIA-Novosti

18 June 2008. A Shot of Culture, if you please…

Main Prize of the Kinotavr Russian Film Festival goes to the movie Schultes

The Main Prize of the 19th Kinotavr Russian Film Festival has gone to the movie Schultes by director and scriptwriter Bakur Bkuradze. This came in a statement during the festival’s closing ceremony on Sunday. According to Pavel Chukhrai, the chairman of the panel of judges, the festival is bound to support this kind of movie. In Schultes, the main character leads a double life. At present, he is a poor soul who lost his memory. In the past, he was a thief. The film is an attempt to understand his troubled personality. Mr Chukrai believed that the director’s point is to ask the audience if they think that they are any better than the protagonist. 

16 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=28414&cid=51&p=16.06.2008 (in English)

Moscow’s Pushkin Fine Arts Museum to take its collection of Matisse to an exhibition in Shanghai

The Dessert: Harmony in Red [Henri Matisse, 1908]

Moscow’s Pushkin Fine Arts Museum is going to take its collection of paintings, drawings, etchings, and statuettes by the French post-impressionist artist Henri Matisse to a panoramic exhibition in Shanghai. The opening is due for 2010. The announcement came from the chief curator at the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, Dr Irina Antonova. 

16 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=28452&cid=51&p=16.06.2008 (in English)

Book about Valery Gergiev published

Maestro Valery Gergiev (1953- ), Artistic Director of the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg

The book Valery Gergiev. Music. Theatre. Life, comprising statements made by the Maestro, was presented in St Petersburg’s Angleterre Hotel in the presence of Maestro Gergiev. The book is based on quotations from the conductor, his thoughts, and comments, presented in the form of a diary. Maestro Gergiev voiced the hope that the book would enable readers to get an idea of how much the Mariinsky theatre company has done over the years to push their theatre into a leading position on the world art music scene. In his opinion, the theatre exerts every effort to ensure that St Petersburg continues as a world cultural capital in real terms. 

17 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=28494&cid=87&p=17.06.2008 (in English)

Third International Festival of Baltic Cities due in St Petersburg

Interior of the Hermitage in St Petersburg

The Third International Festival of Baltic Cities is due in St Petersburg. According to the festival director, Sergei Shub, St Petersburg came up with the idea of holding this kind of festival, since the city boasts much experience in staging this sort of thing. Art celebrities now pave the way for politicians, who sometimes find it difficult to meet each other halfway. The festival agenda features a roundtable discussion entitled Culture as a Universal Language in the Baltic Countries’ Dialogue. 

17 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=28494&cid=87&p=17.06.2008 (in English)

Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater begins a weeklong tour of Latvia

Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater begins a weeklong tour of Latvia as part of a festival of Russian culture opening today in this former Soviet Baltic republic. Last year, the Latvian National Opera Company performed in Moscow as part of a Latvian art festival in Russia. The Bolshoi’s tour kicks off a long series of Russian cultural events, concerts, and exhibitions to run throughout the summer. 

17 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=28461&cid=51&p=17.06.2008 (in English)

Moscow concert of Julio Iglesias tonight

Julio Iglesias (1943- ), famous Spanish pop singer

The famous Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias is kicking off a new Russian tour with a single concert in Moscow tonight, offering the audience a wide selection of new songs and old hits like Manuela, Hey, and El Amor. Señor Iglesias turns 65 in September; he says that this is his farewell tour. During his long career, Julio Iglesias has released a staggering 77 albums and has given almost 5,000 concerts.

17 July 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=28493&cid=51&p=17.06.2008 (in English)

Life in World Heritage Monuments exhibition opens in Moscow

Golden Twenties development in Berlin, designed by Bruno Taut, built 1927-28

The presentation-exhibition Life in World Heritage Monuments. Residential Heighbourhoods of Berlin Constructivism opened in Moscow. The exhibition documents the history of the construction of settlements built to the design of the German constructivist architect Bruno Taut in Berlin and its suburbs in the 1920s. The travelling exhibition has already been in Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Athens, and Glasgow, and is timed for the 125th anniversary of Herr Taut’s birth. 

18 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=28534&cid=87&p=18.06.2008 (in English)

Solo exhibition by photographer Marina Antonova due in St Petersburg

The magazine Digital Photo is due to launch a solo exhibition of the artistic photographer Marina Antonova in St Petersburg this coming Friday. The project, officially known as Planet Petersburg, is due to last for a whole year. Visitors will be welcome to enjoy the artist’s large panoramic canvases, of which some are more than 5 metres (@16 feet) long.

18 June 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=28534&cid=87&p=18.06.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Could this be our future? One can only hope…

Architectural rendering of a futuristic Orthodox cathedral done in contemporary Russia

Looks like the Jetsons meet the Gospels, huh? This is not impossible. Russians are dreaming of a future suffused with the faith, whereas America is busy destroying its faith. Go figure! 

The world can either be godless or god-fearing. It cannot be both. Shall Russian godliness win or shall American faithlessness win? That shall be the question of the coming generation. 

Russia’s Imperial Gardens

Princess Maria-Christina of Kent said in opening an international festival of the art of gardening in St Petersburg that people and flowers appeared to make a happy marriage. The Russia’s Imperial Gardens festival was held to mark the 110^th anniversary of the foundation of the Russian State Museum and the 150^th anniversary of the establishment of the Union of Russian Gardeners, the successor-body to the Imperial Gardeners’ Society. The festival was sponsored jointly with the Prince Michael of Kent Charity Foundation and shall run through 11 June. Last September, the Prince and Princess of Kent took part in the preparations for the St Petersburg festival. Then, they planted in the Mikhailovski Garden tulips and hyacinths, the favourite flowers of Russian tsar Pyotr Veliki. Their colours were chosen in such a way as to symbolise the flags of Russia and Great Britain. 

Landscape designer Olga Moiseyeva said that the art of gardening is like painting. “In the old days, landscape designers created live pictures. That is to say, they first of all drew what they wanted to see and later on planted plants in keeping with the design. As is known, the grounds of the Mikhailovski Garden are adjacent to the Russian Museum. The museum’s main aim is artistic enlightenment. No wonder that the flower exhibition is held in the Mikhailovski Garden, which is a splendid site for such an event”.

A close-up of a white gerbera bloom

The best horticulturists from Russia, Belgium, Germany, and Italy presented their works in a competition entitled “Designs and Decorations of Imperial Gardens in the 18^th to 19^th Centuries”. These are 34 miracles! It runs the gamut from unusual flower beds and compositions to clothes and decorations made of flowers. For instance, a common bench looks like a fire-bird. A thousand gerberas and chrysanthemums have been used to make this miracle. It is fantastic, but, none of the flowers faded. Every flower has a tiny capsule with soil and rain water.

Nearby, there are original chess pieces. By the way, this composition called “Game-pleasure” and created by German designers is recognised as one of the best at the festival. Among the laureates is also a work of Moscow’s experts in landscape architecture, “Summer Garden”. Visitors also much applauded horticulturists who made dresses of flowers. Certainly, they are short-lived but, they are so flagrant! By the way, who said that the love of flowers is a purely feminine prerogative? Did you know how the skill of a beginning blacksmith is tested? First of all, he is expected to make a rose. 

This is the first time that a festival of the art of gardening was held in the Mikhailovski Garden. Yet, the St Petersburg forum has already been included into the calendar of major international flower festivals alongside with the Chelsea Show in Great Britain, the Chrysanthemum Show in Canada, and the Dutch “Floriada” forum. 

11 June 2008

Natalia Viktorova 

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=28307&cid=62&p=11.06.2008 (in English)