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Moscow, Kremlin Tsar Cannon. Russia

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

The following is a list of towers of Moscow Kremlin. The Kremlin Wall is a defensive wall that surrounds the Moscow Kremlin, recognizable by the characteristic notches and its towers. The original walls were likely a simple wooden fence with guard towers built in 1156.The Borovitskaya Tower (Russian: Боровицкая башня) is a corner tower with a through-passage on the west side of the Kremlin. It is named after Borovitsky Hill, one of the seven hills Moscow is standing on. The tower was constructed in 1490 on the spot of an old Kremlin gate by Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari (Petr Fryazin, from fryaz or fryag as Italians were called at that time) by order of Vasili III of Russia. In 1658 by orders of tzar Aleksey I of Russia the tower was renamed to Predtechenskaya (from the Russian word предтеча — predtecha, the forerunner) after the Church of John the Forerunner, which was later destroyed during the construction of the Kremlin Armoury (Oruzheynaya Palata). The new name, however, never became popular. In 1812, the tower was damaged by an explosion staged by the retreating French army. In 1817-19, the tower was restored by architect Osip Bove. In 1935, the Soviets installed a red star on top of the tower. Together with the star, its height is 54.05 m.

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Cannon | Kremlin | Moscow | Russia | Tsar

Moscow, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Russia

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (Russian: Храм Христа Спасителя) is a Church in Moscow, Russia, on the northern bank of the Moskva River, a few blocks south-west of the Kremlin. With an overall height of 105 metres (344 ft), it is the tallest Orthodox church in the world.When Napoleon Bonaparte retreated from Moscow, Emperor Alexander I signed a manifest, 25 December 1812, declaring his intention to build a Cathedral in honor of Christ the Saviour "to signify Our gratitude to Divine Providence for saving Russia from the doom that overshadowed Her" and as a memorial to the sacrifices of the Russian people.It took some time for actual work on the projected cathedral to get started. The first finished architectural project, by Aleksandr Lavrentyevich Vitberg, was endorsed by Alexander I in 1817. It was a flamboyant Neoclassical design full of Freemasonic symbolism. Construction work was begun on the Sparrow Hills, the highest point in Moscow, but the site proved insecure.

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Moscow | Russia

Pushkin Alexander Park, Russia

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

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'Catherine | Palace' | Pushkin | Russia

Carcassonne, Panoramic from graveyard , France

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

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Carcassonne | France

Saint Petersburg, Matryoshka doll, Russia

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

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Matryoshka | Russia | Saint Petersburg

Moscow, Kazan Cathedral, Russia

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Kazan Cathedral Russian: Казанский собор, also known as the "Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan", is a Russian Orthodox church located on the northeast corner of Red Square in Moscow, Russia. The current building is a reconstruction of the original church, which was destroyed at the direction of then General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, in 1936.Upon recovering Moscow from the armies of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1612 at the close of the Time of Troubles, Prince Dmitry Pozharsky attributed his success to the divine help of the icon Theotokos of Kazan, to whom he had prayed on several occasions. From his private funds, he financed construction of a wooden church to the Virgin of Kazan on Red Square in Moscow, which was first mentioned in historical records in 1625. After the diminutive shrine was destroyed by a fire in 1632, Tsar Michael I, ordered it replaced with a brick church. The one-domed edifice, featuring several tiers of kokoshniki, a wide gallery, and a tented belfry, was consecrated in October 1636.

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Moscow | Russia

Moscow, Kremlin Tsar Bell, Russia

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:00:00 GMT

The Tsar Bell (Russian: Царь–колокол, Tsar-kolokol), also known as the Tsarsky Kolokol, Tsar Kolokol III, or Royal Bell, is a huge bell on display on the grounds of the Moscow Kremlin. The bell was commissioned by Empress Anna Ivanova, niece of Peter the Great. The present bell is sometimes referred to as Kolokol III (Bell III), because it is the third generation.The Tsar Bell is located between the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and the Kremlin Wall. Made of bronze, the bell was broken during casting and has never been rung. The bell is currently the largest bell in the world, weighing 201,924 kilograms (445,170 lb), with a height of 6.14 metres (20.1 ft) and diameter of 6.6 metres (22 ft), and thickness of up to 61 centimetres (24 in). The broken piece weighs 11,500 kilograms (25,000 lb). [Note 1]The bell is decorated with relief images of baroque angels, plants, oval medallions with saints, and nearly life-size images of Empress Anna and Tsar Alexey, who was reigning at the time the previous Tsar Bell was cast.

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Bell | Kremlin | Moscow | Russia | Tsar