ROMANOV FAMILY: TIME TRAVEL TO TSARSKOE SELO (VIDEOS)

ROMANOV FAMILY: TIME TRAVEL TO TSARSKOE SELO (VIDEOS)

Below are the video “podcasts” made by me during my visit to Tsarskoe Selo in December of 2016. Travel through time with me and learn what the familiar places from pre-revolution photos look like today.  Have a good trip!

Read more ROMANOV FAMILY: TIME TRAVEL TO TSARSKOE SELO (VIDEOS)

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TIME TRAVEL WITH ROMANOV FAMILY: FEODOROVSKY CATHEDRAL

TIME TRAVEL WITH ROMANOV FAMILY: FEODOROVSKY CATHEDRAL

Feodorovsky Cathedral

In the distance, floating above treetops one can see the golden dome of the Feodorovsky Cathedral. As you walk through the tree-lined alley, the cathedral emerges.

Feodorovsky Cathedral was consecrated in 1912 and restored to its pre-revolutionary glory in 2005. Above the parish entrance are the icons of Nicholas and Alexandra and the icon of St Seraphim of Sarov, the last Tsar’s and Tsarina’s favorite saint. Icons of the imperial couple and St Seraphim of Sarov at the parish entrance to the cathedral

Read more TIME TRAVEL WITH ROMANOV FAMILY: FEODOROVSKY CATHEDRAL

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DIARY OF OLGA ROMANOV: PALACE INFIRMARY, 1916.

 

DIARY OF OLGA ROMANOV: PALACE INFIRMARY, 1916.

Sister Olga Romanov and Sister Alexandra Romanov posing with the wounded at the Palace Infirmary.
Sister Olga Romanov and Sister Alexandra Romanov posing with the wounded at the Palace Infirmary.

From the 1916 diary of Olga Romanov: Read more DIARY OF OLGA ROMANOV: PALACE INFIRMARY, 1916.

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TSARSKOE SELO TODAY

TSARSKOE SELO TODAY
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Map of Tsarskoe Selo

Exactly ten years ago, in July and August of 2005, I got an extraordinary opportunity for an extended stay (2 months) at Tsarskoe Selo, the town currently known as Pushkin. Although I wasn’t there a tremendously long time, the nature of my visit allowed me a very close glimpse of what it would be like to live and work in Pushkin, as opposed to coming there as a tourist. Read more TSARSKOE SELO TODAY

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FEODOROVSKY GORODOK AND FEODOROVSKY CATHEDRAL

FEODOROVSKY GORODOK

Across the Alexander Park, down the path from the palace Palace is Feodorovsky Gorodok, a tiny old Russia style town built by Nicholas II in the first decade of the 20th century as an attempt to return to the original Russian architecture and culture. Nicholas, unlike his earlier predecessor Peter the Great, loved all things Russian and had many ambitious plans for the Gorodok and the cathedral within it. But the First World War halted his plans, while the revolution ended them completely.

Currently the Gorodok still stands in semi-ruins, almost as symbol of things that could have been but never came to fruition. Reportedly some restoration has begun. But the area has not been completely abandoned: lots of things are going on inside, including a fully functioning privately owned restaurant in one of the courtyards. The former Grand Duchesses Maria and Anastasia’s  infirmary and the buildings in the courtyard behind it have been converted to boarding rooms for the elderly who are too poor to afford housing and food. Read more FEODOROVSKY GORODOK AND FEODOROVSKY CATHEDRAL

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