Looking for Lenin

Posted on May 23, 2014 by fernholzg

While pondering what to write this blog about, I realized that Vladimir and Suzdal have something in common, beyond being extremely old and filled with beautiful places of worship. Both, even little Suzdal, contain monuments to Vladimir Ilych Lenin.
Before jumping to conclusions, it’s important to note that Vladimir the city was named after its founder, Vladimir Monomakh, a “Great Prince” of Kievan Rus who was also the father of Yuri Dolgoruky, the founder of Moscow. Monomakh, who controlled both Vladimir and Suzdal in the early 12^th century, fought lots of battles in this part of Russia, which lies east of Moscow. I bring this up because Vladimir wasn’t subject to one of your standard Soviet-era place renamings. St. Petersburg, for example, went from Sankt-Peterburg to Peterburg to Petrograd to Leningrad. But the name Vladimir has nothing to do with Vladimir Ilych Lenin.
But Vladimir did strike me as a very Soviet town; the city was heavily industrialized in the 1920s and therefore probably had a roaring proletariat scene.

Our group with Comrade Lenin.

This monument to Lenin was only a couple blocks from our hotel, and I was impressed by its size and craftsmanship. Here, Lenin looks out over apartment buildings and small shops.
In Suzdal, on the other hand, I had to laugh when I found the Lenin monument because he’s positioned on a square staring directly at a church.

A more modest-sized Lenin.

Lenin was highly critical of religion, calling it the “opium of the people.” Suzdal, with its many beautiful places of worship, was of course subject to the Soviet anti-religious movements of the 1920s and 30s. Over a dozen of its churches were destroyed, but thankfully others were merely converted to other functions. Suzdal’s main street is still named after Lenin, but the Spirit is back, and it’s perfectly legal.
And like with the Mausoleum, I wonder what will become of all these Lenin monuments scattered across Russia. Any city worth its salt has a Lenin statue, but what purpose are they currently serving? If any of them are looking to unload a small statue, Almeda and I have a sweet Parish double next year…
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_II_Monomakh

Sweet, Sweet Honey

Posted on May 21, 2014 by kaspers

After our tour of Suzdal and learning that it is famous for its honey, I bought a half-pint for 200 rubles (just over $5). There had been other honey sellers nearby, but a friendly old man convinced me to buy his.

Part of the souvenir market in Suzdal.

He asked where I was from, and then I told him that I was studying at Moscow State University. He smiled and briefly told me about one of his relatives currently studying there. Then he continued, showing me pictures of his beehives and telling me about another delicacy he was selling – to me, it looked like a crunchy bar made of bees. Maybe it wasn’t meant to eat. I’m not sure. I managed to buy the honey that I wanted, thanking him, and then we bid farewell.
The honey is delicious. At Ashan I bought some crunchy-breads, hoping they would be like toast. They were strange. Then I realized they were lemon-flavored. To make them into a real treat, I spread honey on them and dare I say it? They were amazing! Magic honey.

Almeda agrees: they’re lip-smackin’ good!

A few days ago on Monday (May 19), Chet, Almeda, Gretchen and I visited Kolomenskoe Park (sound familiar? Read this!). We spotted a few signs for honey.

Only 50 meters! (photo: Almeda)

And then another.

Getting there!

Finally the stand!

Hurrah!

But wait – it’s closed.

The sign in the window says closed: закрыто (zakryto).

And so ends the quest to find honey. (Never fear, I still have some!)
On our way out of the park, we found a stand selling medovukha, a drink made of honey.

Medovukha – made from all that honey goodness.

Since we had tried some in Suzdal, we decided not to lug around a bottle on such a hot day.
It turns out that Kolomenskoe sells honey products because it used to have bee-keeping farms. Today, a few of the wooden beehives still stand.

The Three Little Beehives.

While planning my blog about honey, I was excited to find another place besides Suzdal that has been known for its honey. Honey tastes better when there’s a story behind it.

The Famed Onion Dome

Posted on May 13, 2014 by malnare

Most of us have probably wondered: just why do Russians build onion domes, anyway? Our tour guide in Suzdal (Ekaterina Arturovna) helped answer that: just as the Bible describes a body as a sacred temple to God, traditions holds each Russian Orthodox has its own body, so to speak. The foundation is legs, a heart is hidden within an iconostasis, and a head, the dome.

If churches have bodies, this one makes me think of a babushka with a thick shawl.

The domes are painted to help show that the spires connect earth to the heavens, and will frequently appear in blues or blacks, sometimes with stars, or gold-covered. Other colors or patterns may instead be associated with the liturgical calendar or help symbolize the reason for the church’s construction. The size and beauty of the domes should inspire a feeling of awe appropriate for preparing the mind of the congregation for prayer and worship to the Almighty.

Focus on the three starry domes readily in sight. Most of the churches in Suzdal are one-domed originals or more recent five-domed ones.

Although churches commonly have one dome, many notable churches boast more. Having three domes means that each dome represents one Person of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Son and Savior, and Spirit. It brings God into a physical, immediate accessibility: three domes in one building to match the holy mystery of God’s tripartite single being.

Five slender black domes, recalling the gravity of Christ’s sacrifice.

Five domes on a church symbolizes the stigmata, Christ’s five wounds on the cross. Just like making the Sign of the Cross, the visible representation of five wounds confirms the presence of the Savior, God who gave up his own life for the forgiveness of others’ sins. Seeing the five domes should be a reminder of that sacrifice, revealing once again that humans live in the grace of a God who loves them in the truest way possible. Approaching a church of five domes is meant to help remind each person just what a marvelous sacrifice was responsible for the promise of eternal redemption, the ultimate gift for which it is only right to give thanks.
Information learned on our tour in Suzdal, accuracy dependent on my understanding of the information.

Vladimir and Suzdal: Fortress Cities

Posted on May 13, 2014 by moreesandersa

Visiting the medieval cities of Vladimir and Suzdal, it’s not hard to imagine that they were once fortresses. Both towns were surrounded by tall earthen ramparts, or “валы,” and the rulers of these forest outposts lived behind first wooden, then stone, fortifications.

The walls of the Birth of Christ monastery on the location of the old Vladimir Kremlin.

In Suzdal, we had the chance to see what remained of the city’s defenses. We climbed what looked like a large mound of dirt and found a great view over the river and the nearby countryside. At first, it didn’t occur to me that this pile of dirt could have a defensive purpose, but when the guide explained that it was part of Suzdal’s old protective wall, it made sense. Any invaders coming in by river or land would easily be spotted, and it would be difficult to climb the steep embankment from the outside.

Gretchen posing on the rampart that surrounded ancient Suzdal.

Later, we got to see the same kind of man-made hill in Vladimir. A significant chunk of this wall still stands at what was once the edge of town. A couple of us scrambled up to the top to look out over the city. I was surprised by how tall the embankment still is, even after a few hundred years of wear.

The view from just outside the monastery wall was amazing.

On our last morning in Vladimir, we had a little time before our train for Moscow left, and Sahree and I spent it walking along the wall of the Birth of Christ monastery, once part of the Vladimir Kremlin, the central fortress inside the city. It was easy to see why political power had transferred from Suzdal to Vladimir in the twelfth century: this location has a serious height advantage. Standing in front of the walls, we could see modern Vladimir below us, the river Klyaz’ma, several far away towns, and forest reaching all the way to the horizon.

Sahree falling off the top of the hill…

The Bells in Suzdal

Posted on May 13, 2014 by landk

One of the amazing things about traveling is the opportunity to experience new sights. We often highlight the importance of the things we have seen here in Russia. However, we have also had the unique opportunity to use some of our other senses. Certainly, I have been using my sense of taste extensively to try a myriad of delicious foods. In Suzdal, we had the opportunity to listen to the beautiful, timeless music of the bells at the monastery of Saint Euthymius. The monastery was built in the 14th century to protect Suzdal’s northern boundaries. The bell tower itself (from whence the bells are rung) was built in the 1590s and today houses seventeen bells, which are rung five times daily. The bells are not original (all except for one having been destroyed in the 1930s). Nonetheless, the beautiful music of these bells attracts many visitors daily to marvel at their unique sound.

I was curious about Russian Orthodox church bells after hearing this music and decided to do a bit of digging to investigate further. Luckily for me (and anyone else who is interested) the Typicon For Church Bell Ringing, the Orthodox Church’s official guide for the ringing of church bells was translated into English in 2003 and provides plenty of information on this subject. (For those interested, the entire document can be accessed here). According to the Typicon, Orthodox bells are rung for four reasons: calling believers to service, expressing the triumph of the Church, announcing to the faithful the most important moments in a service, and “strengthening Christians in piety and faith by its sound, which is alloyed with divine grace to disperse and destroy the forces of cruelty and of demonic suggestion, and to becalm dumb beasts and all of nature, and to turn them to the good of humanity.” Thus, the bells are not rung merely to signify the time of day but are themselves endowed with divine power.

According to the Typicon, the sound of the Orthodox bells differs from other kinds of bells in that they rely on semantrons and rhythmic pealing. If your knowledge of monastic instruments is, like mine, lacking, a semantron is a percussion instrument made out of wood and iron. It is the rhythmic variation created by semantrons and the bells that produces the sounds characteristic of Russian Orthodox bells. We are typically unaccustomed to these sounds because most Western bells rely on variation in melody and not rhythm. Certainly, there is an enchanting quality to the bells in Suzdal that makes listening to these bells a very special experience indeed.

For more information and to see the sources I used in writing this post, visit:
http://suzdal.org.ru/Arhitect/spaso.htm (in Russian)
http://jdombstravels.com/monastery-of-saint-euthymius/ (in English)
http://www.russianbells.com/ringing/typikon-bellringing.pdf (in English)

The Church on the River

Posted on May 8, 2014 by calderong

Apparently, all it takes is a 3-hour train ride to travel back in time. This was my first thought when we visited Vladimir and Suzdal, two provincial towns located in the Vladimir oblast. These towns are filled with 12^th century cathedrals, monasteries, towers, and palaces.
In Vladimir, it was a strange sight to see these old, larger-than-life cathedrals amidst telephone poles and speeding cars. The city once served as capital to a medieval Russia, with many surviving 12^th century buildings. Although the city is filled with glowing testaments to the past, it is the more modern of the two provinces. Suzdal is much smaller than Vladimir, filled with unpaved roads and domiki. Having grown accustomed to Moscow’s smoggy atmosphere, I was surprised to see the vibrant blue sky. We walked from one end of the town to the other, visiting a monastery and several churches.
These two towns are a symbol for Russia’s medieval past, displaying echoes of the religious centers that they once were (James describes the Medieval Rus’ in wonderful detail). I managed to capture video of two churches—the Church of the Intecession of the Holy Virgin in (located just outside of Vladimir in Bogoliubovs) and the Cathedral of the Nativity in Suzdal. We were fortunate enough to hear the monks sing in the Cathedral of the Nativity. Also included in the video is footage from our walk to the Church of the Intercession. To get to this church, we walked about a mile through a large, open field, almost untouched by modern world. As we approached it, I tried to imagine how many people had passed it on their way to the Bogolyobovo palace centuries ago.
Seeing these two churches was an incredible experience. Давайте посмотрим.

Medieval Rus'

Posted on May 7, 2014 by browninj

Moscow’s status as the capital of the Russian SFSR and then the Russian Federation has led to massive development over the past century. Those religious buildings that have survived to this day, such as the late 17th century Simeon Stylites Church (pictured above) are now concealed by more modern developments.

In Moscow it is easy to forget that Russian history stretches back millennia. The oldest structure in the city is arguably the Kremlin’s Assumption Cathedral built in 1491, but even that sequestered ensemble was built some 300 years after the city was founded. However, wandering the streets, it would be hard to find much of anything predating the 18^th century (also few and far between) which makes more understandable our tendency to think of Russian history as springing out of nothingness with Peter the Great.
The towns of Vladimir and, particularly, Suzdal challenge this misconception. The date of the first settlements in Suzdal is unknown, but the town was large enough by 1024 to be mentioned in the chronicles. By 1125 it was the capital of the northern provinces, but it lost political and economic importance over the following years as the center of power shifted to Vladimir and then eventually to Moscow.
Consequently, Suzdal did not undergo the same levels of development over the following centuries and its potential for development was stymied even further when the town was bypassed by the railroad. Much of its medieval architecture was preserved and by the end of the 19^th century Suzdal was described as a “town of churches, bell towers, old folk legends, and tombstones”.¹ In 1967, the Soviet Union officially recognized Suzdal’s unique status and turned it into a protected city-museum. To this day, no factories or industries (aside from tourism) have been brought to the city, so the town has maintained a rural atmosphere, and a large number of churches and monasteries survived the Soviet anti-religious campaigns and have since been restored. The result is a beautiful town dotted with kupolas, white walls, and bell towers that gives a rare sense of medieval Rus’.

A view of Suzdal from the old earthen wall that once surrounded the town’s fortress.

Masha Nordbye and Patricia Lanza. Moscow & St Petersburg. (Hong Kong: Odyssey, 2007), 307.

The Abominable Snoreman: Hostels in Vladimir

Posted on May 5, 2014 by aldrichc

Once upon a midnight dreary, we had arrived weak and weary,

into a small hostel with many a curious space for sleeping,

Once I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a rasping,

As of someone snoring, snoring in the bed above me.

This was the situation I found myself in after being on an электричка (electric train) for about three hours, and then taking taxis over to the hostel in Vladimir, Russia. It was now about midnight, and most everybody was trying to fall asleep.

James pondering in an upper bunk at the hostel. The lights didn’t work in the room.

Edward Malnar, James Browning, two strangers and I were to be sharing a room for the night. Edward was sleeping above me. It was a very consistent, loud snore. These are the worst. I thought about perhaps moving him. However, I was already in bed. I was really tired (My laziness once I am lying on a bed can be truly flabbergasting). Minutes passed. Perhaps they were hours. I am uncertain. Eventually, I heard a very loud whistle. I bolted upright to see where the sound came from. Naturally, the lights are off (they weren’t working anyway). I couldn’t tell where the sound came from. Minutes passed. Perhaps they were hours. I am uncertain. I hear a loud clap. The snoring is becoming unbearable. I attempt to whisper to James. He doesn’t know where the sounds are coming from. We are hushed by the one of residents in the room. We both try again to fall asleep. Minutes passed. Perhaps they were hours. I am uncertain. Suddenly I hear a crash. I’m sure something huge had fallen from its perch. I haven’t the slightest idea what it could be, though. I hear a rustling, and the snoring stops. I drift off to sleep.

Hours passed. Of this I am certain. I wake up, and eventually I speak to James about the events of the night before. It turns out that Edward was not the one snoring, but one of the other residents. He thought I was making the intermittent noises. After a period of discussion we discovered that the noises were coming from the resident that wasn’t snoring attempting to make the other stop snoring. The crash was when he slammed a pair of pants on the ground. Despite all of the confusion, I guess I should be thankful for his initiative. I’m not sure what I would have done had the snoring continued.

The resident who had been snoring left that morning at 6 that morning. Quoth I, “No more snoring, nevermore!” *

*May be paraphrased. Slightly.

Dvoeverie

Posted on April 30, 2014 by akgundud

We spent a fabulous and very breezy weekend in Vladimir and Suzdal, which are medieval cities located not too far from Moscow (it’s about a two a half to three hour train ride). In Vladimir, I fell in love with the St. Demetrius Church (Dmitrievskii sobor). We never got to see the inside of the building, but fortunately what interested me the most was the outside carvings on the white stone walls of the building. Sure, this church seems tiny and insignificant at first glance when compared to the famous nearby Uspenskiy Church, but the carvings made all the difference.

The high white stone walls characteristic of Medieval Russian churches in Vladimir.

Russians were not always Orthodox Christians. Before the Kievan Rus’ adopted Christianity in 988, they practiced Slavic paganism, which derived much of its characteristics from the natural environment of western Russia. Early Russians revered the woods, forests, trees, rivers, woodland creatures such as bears and birds, and they also had their own mythologies. Andrei Bogolyubskii built the church in Vladimir in 1197. He was a great prince, who moved the capital to Vladimir (nearby Moscow was a tiny place back then). Only a little over 200 years had passed since the Kievan Rus’ adopted Orthodox Christianity, and so the carvings on the church indicate the merge between old Slavic paganism and the newly revered Orthodox Christianity (feel free to check out some of the pictures below showing Russian dvoeverie—dual belief). The carvings depict elaborate carvings of griffins, birds, and trees, juxtaposed against the Apostles and King David. Even today, Russians’ love for nature, dachas, trees, the use of wood in art (matryoshkas and spoons) is largely present, and their respect for these things can be traced back centuries.

A close-up of the carvings. You can see all the woodland creatures!

It’s beautiful as the sun sets!

I really loved the carvings. Our professor told us that some believe the carvings might be trying to tell a story, but no one has been successful in deciphering the meaning of the story since so much renovation has been done on the church over the years and the carvings have probably been altered. My hope is that one day, someone can figure out the story because I want to read it.

There were carvings everywhere…

The top of the church with displays different architecture than most churches built in post-Medieval Russia.

Dmitrievskii sobor as we walk nearby…

Close-up with the Apostles…

Rivers of Vladimir and Suzdal

Posted on April 30, 2014 by eisenthall

Lately I’ve been feeling particularly drawn to water for some reason. Maybe it’s the anticipation for the fountains to be turned on come May 1st, or how excited I am to see the canals of St. Petersburg (we are leaving for Piter on a late-night train tonight!). Whatever it is, I felt it strongly while we were in the medieval cities of Vladimir and Suzdal on a trip this last weekend.

The Kamenka River in Suzdal

The two rivers that I found so interesting were the Kamenka (in Suzdal) and the Nerl (in Vladimir). I found out through some google-mapping that the Kamenka actually flows into the Nerl. According to the tour-guide that we had, the waters flow south and into the Volga, which eventually lets out into the Caspian Sea.
My favorite place that we visited in Vladimir was the Church of the Intercession, a tiny structure that sits on the Nerl river surrounded by wide-open fields. We went to see this church early in the morning, and the fields still were covered in dew. The church is made of white stone, and its thick walls extend deep underground in order to keep it from getting washed away by the waters, which are usually much higher than they are this year.

Church of the Intercession on the Nerl

I thought that the reflections of the church and the small trees that surround it were particularly beautiful.

Carleton Moscow & Beyond 2014

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Category Archives: Vladimir & Suzdal