Jack’s Walk

Today Jack and I drove out to the country so we could take our walk beside a pretty little river called the Thames.  It’s named after England’s Thames river, but it’s much smaller, much slower, very shallow and not fit for boat travel of any kind. Even a canoe can only go a few feet before getting stuck on a sandbar. I know about that from experience. Today, though, the water was very high with a strong current and large areas of flooding. There’s also still a lot of ice.

Thames River

Thames River

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Russia – The Novodevichy Nunnery

Gate Church of the Transfiguration, Novodevichy Nunnery

 

Novodevichy, corner turret

Our tour of the Novodevichy Nunnery was like stepping into a fairy tale from long ago. The complex is beautifully built with white stone set against pink and red brick in what later came to be came known as the Moscow Baroque style.  Its four corners are marked by richly decorated round turrets that tower above you. The convent has also been kept intact and unchanged since the 17th century. In 2004 Novodevichy became a Unesco world heritage site.

Main gate, Novodevichy Nunnery

Novodevichy was founded in 1524 by Grand Prince Vasily III, son of Ivan the Great. It was built to commemorate the victory of Russia over Polish and Lithuanian forces in 1514 for the town of Smolensk. The oldest building in the convent complex is the Smolensky Cathedral built in 1524 – 1525, and later renovated by Prince Vasily’s son Ivan the Terrible in the 1550’s. Smolensky cathedral was modeled after The Assumption Cathedral located at the Kremlin and because of this its architecture is different from that of any other building in the complex. Unfortunately, while we were there the building was undergoing restoration and was blanketed by scaffolding. Built at the same time as the cathedral is Prokhorov’s Chapel, which still receives prayers today.

Prokhorov's Chapel

Prokhorov’s Chapel, front view

 

Prokhorov’s Chapel, trim detail

 

Prokhorov’s Chapel, ceiling detail

 

Prokhorov’s Chapel, rear view

The remainder of the convent complex was built around the cathedral and was designed to also fully function as a military fort. The entire complex is surrounded by towering walls, in places up to 11 meters high and 3 meters thick, and it has a total of 12 watch towers surrounding the perimeter. The convent was strategically placed along the banks of the Moscow River and on the only southern access road into Moscow. Part of its mandate at the outset was to serve as a first defense post protecting Moscow, but because of its well situated location it also became a convenient military barracks and outpost. The nunnery has also seen battle. During Napoleon’s Russian campaign, French forces attempted to blow up the convent, but quick thinking nuns extinguished the fuses as soon as the soldiers left.

Novodevichy’s Protection of the Holy Virgin Temple

 

Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God and refectory, Novodevichy Nunnery

 

Chapel, Novodevichy Nunnery

Over the course of its history the convent had close ties to the Kremlin and was well favoured by the elites of Russia. Many of the nuns came from high ranking families, including the royals. This was often not the choice of the women themselves. In historic Russia, as with many other parts of the world, if a woman became troublesome it was often her fate to be sent to a nunnery. Looking around the complex I had occasional feelings that the walls were meant as much to keep some people in as they were to keep invaders out.

Residence, Novodevichy Nunnery

It has been suggested that Prince Vasily actually founded the convent in part as a way to exile his ex-wife Solomonia because she did not bear him an heir. Perhaps the most famous of Novodevichy’s unwilling residents is the half sister of Peter the Great, the Regent Sophia, who ruled Russia from 1682 – 1689. When Peter turned 17 he seized power and Sophia was arrested and forced into the nunnery. It is the Regent Sophia who ordered the construction of many of the buildings in the complex including the Church of the Transfiguration and the famous bell tower.

Novodevichy Bell Tower, undergoing restoration

 

Administration building, Novodevichy Nunnery

Novodevichy is still an operating convent, but the order is now small. The church maintains the convent mostly out of desire to preserve the site and the large number of important religious relics and icons which are housed here.

Present day nuns at Novodevichy

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Link to previous post – Russia – The Kremlin

Jack’s Walk

It’s winter around here again, complete with snow and ice. The temperature is well below zero and there is a bitter northeast wind. It’s so cold that I wore my long johns and two pairs of socks on our walk today and was still half-frozen by the time we got home. This photo is at one of Jack’s favorite stops. I call the tree Zelda the Messenger because this is where all the dogs in the neighbourhood choose to leave their pee-mail.

tree in winter

Zelda the Messenger

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Jack’s Walk

For a rare change, today Jack and I have not gone for a walk. The weather has been awful. All morning we had high winds and rain which then turned to freezing rain and now the temperature has dropped to minus 2 c and it’s snowing. It’s also still really windy, making it feel like minus 9 c. Poor Jack had to brave the weather to use the yard, but I haven’t left the house all day. I have a few health problems that are affected by weather and on a day like this the old body starts to feel like an old body. So today instead of our daily photo I’ll give you a classic shot. This is Jack at 3 months old.

puppy

Jack as a puppy

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Jack’s Walk

Jack’s been playing in a lot of mud lately and he needed a bath. Giving him one at home can be a bit of an ordeal, though, so instead I took him to the lake for a swim. It washes off most of the dirt and it’s definitely more fun than a bath. We met this friendly couple while we were there and Jack kept us all entertained with his goofy splashing around. He loves to be the center of attention. We had a good time and it was nice to see the water. It’s the only colour I could think to find in this dull, dreary, cold and barren landscape.

Bench at the lake

At the lake

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Jack’s Walk

It’s another rainy day here, but the temperature has climbed to 13°c and it actually feels like spring. I was able to shed my scarf and mittens and puffy coat and enjoy the freedom of just a rain jacket. Jack and I went to the park to celebrate and we saw the surest sign there is around here that winter is at an end. The swans have returned. During the winter our swans are kept in an indoor pool and it is always a welcome sign when they return to the pond. We have one bonded pair of swans and last year they had three cygnets. I didn’t see the female this morning, so perhaps they have already nested in the quiet end of the creek.

Swan

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Jack’s Walk

It’s been either snowing or raining all day and it feels as if the weather’s been like this for weeks. Today at the park I took note that the small creek that feeds the duck pond is running quite high, so perhaps it’s not just my imagination that the weather has been wet. My German grandmother had a word for cold, wet, nasty weather like this. It was oozelish. I know that isn’t the right way to spell it, but I never learned to speak German and that’s the closest I can come phonetically. If anyone can help me with this word I’d be grateful because today it’s the best word I can think of to describe the day. Oozelish.

High Creek

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Russia – The Kremlin

The word kremlin translates to fort and there are many historic kremlins in Russia. There is, however, only one The Kremlin and it is in the heart of Moscow. It’s beginnings date to the 1150’s when it was a wooden fort known as the “grad” of Moscow. At that time it housed the entire city within its walls. This fort was later destroyed by the Mongols and then rebuilt in the 1300’s when the word Kremlin first came into use. In the 1500’s under the rule of Ivan the Great the current stone walls were built. The fortress was enlarged at this time and Ivan imported master architects and stone masons from Italy to build the new city. It was during this period that most of the cathedrals and palaces were built.

Kremlin clock tower

Kremlin clock tower

The Kremlin is a vast compound, more than 27 hectares, and for centuries has been the seat of Russian political power, machinations and intrigue. The fortified stone wall surrounding it contains 18 watch towers, the tallest being the Spasskaya (Savior) tower with its 4 huge clock faces. These clocks are connected underground to the Institute of Astronomy and are the most accurate time pieces in the country. The Spasskaya tower was the entrance of the Tsars and also used for important dignitaries and religious processions. The 5 sided stars of the soviet era were added to the towers in 1937 by Stalin who molded his political career at the Kremlin. During the soviet years many churches and cathedrals were destroyed across the country. Today, within the Kremlin walls 4 Grand Cathedrals and 3 smaller churches remain.

The Cathedral of the Annunciation

The Cathedral of the Annunciation sits on the crest of Borovitsky Hill, the original of the 7 hills of Moscow. It was built in 1484 by Ivan the Great. It was closed in 1918 under the Bolsheviks and now operates as a museum.

The Cathedral of the Assumption

The Cathedral of the Assumption is the most important church in The Kremlin being the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is here that the Patriarchs (highest clerical rank) and bishops were consecrated and it was here that Tsars were crowned.  The current building was erected in 1472 by Ivan the Great. During soviet times the church was closed and its treasures taken by the Bolsheviks. It reopened to the public in 1990.

The Cathedral of the Archangel

The Cathedral of the Archangel was also commissioned by Ivan the Great, but finished after his death. It has undergone expansion and renovation several times. It is notable as the burial chamber for 46 members of the Imperial family, including Ivan the Great and all the Tsars of the 14th to 17th centuries. This church was also closed during soviet times and since 1955 has operated as a museum.

The Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles in the Patriarch’s Palace

The Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles in the Patriarch’s Palace was built in the 17th century. As with the other Kremlin churches it was shuttered during Soviet times and now operates as the Museum of 17th Century Life and Applied Art.

Ivan the Great Bell Tower

In addition to the cathedrals there are a number of other significant buildings in the Kremlin. The tallest building in the Kremlin is the Ivan the Great Bell Tower at a height of 81 meters. The Bell Tower was commissioned by Grand Prince Vasily III in 1505 as a tribute to his recently deceased father Ivan the Great. It was situated next to the construction site of the new Cathedral of the Archangel which had been commissioned by Ivan as part of his grand plan to update the Kremlin. For 400 years the Bell Tower was the tallest building in Russia. There are 21 bells in the tower and belfry, the largest weighing 70 tons. The last Easter service in the Kremlin took place here in 1918 and then the church was closed. In the 1950’s restoration work was done and an exhibition hall was added which is still in use today.

Great Kremlin Palace behind Assumption Cathedral

The Great Kremlin Palace was built in 1849 by Emperor Nikolai. This 700 room palace became the Moscow residence of the Tsars. After the October Revolution, the Soviets used the building as The Seat of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Today the building is a museum that juxtaposes Tsarist treasures with Soviet military might.

The Arsenal at the Kremlin

The Arsenal was commissioned by Peter the Great in 1702, but took many years before completion. In 1812 it was blown up by Napoleon’s troops (along with many other Kremlin buildings) and was not reconstructed until 1828. Today the building is used as a barracks and houses a large collection of military hardware.

The Tsar Cannon

The Tsar cannon sits in front of The Arsenal and is one of the largest cannons ever built. It is more than 5 meters long and weighs 39 tons. It has a calibre of 890 millimetres and each cannon ball weighs 1,000 kg. It has never been fired because of logistical problems. Mostly it serves as a symbol of Russian power.

The Tsar Bell

The Tsar Bell also sits outside The Arsenal and like the Tsar Cannon it has never been used. It is the largest bell ever cast and it weighs almost 202 tons. It stands more than 6 meters high and has a sad history. It was poured in 1735, but cracked during cooling and an 11 ton piece came loose. It was only in 1836 that it was finally dug up and placed on exhibit.

Senate Building, Kremlin

The Senate Building  was built in the late 1700’s. It is a triangular building with a central rotunda 27 meters high and 25 meters in diameter containing 24 windows. It currently serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation. The current president Vladimir Putin has updated the complex by installing a helipad for his private use.

I know this has been a long post and I thank you for reading this far. Future posts will be much shorter. The Kremlin was really a lot to take in. I’ll leave you with one final photo. This is a 60′ statue of St. Vladimir the Great that overlooks the Kremlin. It was commissioned by Vladimir Putin and erected in 2016 to the consternation of many Muscovites. The photo was taken from a moving bus so the quality isn’t great, but our guides had a great deal to say about it. I can see why.

Statue of St. Vladimir, Moscow

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April 12/18

This post has been edited to correct 2 errors. Thanks to Bruce who pointed out that it was Stalin and not Lenin who added the stars to the Kremlin wall in 1937. They are called Lenin’s stars, but Lenin himself died in 1924. Thanks also to Lumipuna who noticed an error in the date for the construction of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. It was built in the early 1500’s, not the mid 1500’s as originally noted.

 

Link to previous post – Russia – Red Square

 

Jack’s Walk

Right now it’s a balmy 4° here, so things have gotten a bit warmer. The sky remains overcast, though, and rain is expected for the next 3 days. While it was still dry, Jack and I decided to go to the forest. We were hoping to find some sign of new life, but nothing is in bud yet. Nothing. So instead of a pretty picture of flowers or leaf buds, today you get to see Jack. He was the only ray of sunshine I could find.

dog

Jack

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Jack’s Walk

Jack and I visited the park this morning and this Canada goose followed us around for a bit. I think he was looking for a handout, but visitors are not allowed to feed the birds. They have a keeper who comes every morning to feed them a proper avian diet. We kept a respectful distance anyway because these birds are big and often aggressive, especially during nesting season which should start soon.

Canada Goose

Canada Goose

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Jack’s Walk

I’m still in Toronto without Jack and although I miss him, I’m secretly smiling that I don’t have to take him out for a walk. The weather around here just keeps going from bad to worse. Yesterday we had snow and today we’re having a blizzard. The forecast for next week is no better with continued temperatures below zero and more snow to come. Again, ugh!

April Blizzard

April Blizzard

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