The Russian Museum
In
March 1998 the State Russian Museum, the world's largest museum of Russian
Art, celebrated its Centennial. Having undergone an extensive renovation
program, the museum's main building, the Mikhailovsky Palace, has now
been restored to its former glory and is open to visitors as usual.
The museum, originally called the "Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander
III", was established in 1895 and opened its doors to the public
on March 7 (19) 1898. The first few pictures that formed the original
collection were donated by the Hermitage, the Academy of Fine Arts and
the various royal palaces surrounding St. Petersburg.
St. Isaac’s Cathedral
St. Isaac's Cathedral was originally the city's main church and the largest cathedral in Russia. It was built between 1818 and 1858, by the French-born architect Auguste Montferrand, to be one of the most impressive landmarks of the Russian Imperial capital. One hundred and eighty years later the gilded dome of St. Isaac's still dominates the skyline of St. Petersburg. Although the cathedral is considerably smaller than the newly rebuilt Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow, it boasts much more impressive fades and interiors.
The Yusupov Palace
On a quiet stretch of the Moika River stands a long yellow building, which was once the residence of the wealthy and respected Yusupov family and which saw one of the most dramatic episodes in Russia's history - the murder of Grigory Rasputin. In 1916 a group of the city's noble elite, including one of the Grand Dukes and led by the prominent anglophile Prince Felix Yusupov, conspired to kill the one man who they felt threatened the stability of an already war-torn Russian Empire. Grigory Rasputin, a peasant and self-proclaimed holy man, had gradually won favor with the Tsar's family through his alleged supernatural powers. His control over the decisions of the family and the Russian ruler himself, put him in a potentially manipulative position and posed a very real threat to their power. Consequently, Rasputin was murdered at the Yusupov Palace on the night of December 16-17 1916, and his death proved to be an almost greater mystery than his life had been.
ST. PETERSBURG
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