If you have ever been to Russia then this is what you are going to remember – churches, churches, and more churches. Saying this, I do not mean there is nothing else there worth seeing or visiting. There sure is, but beautiful cathedrals with their breathtaking architecture do not leave anyone indifferent. I was lucky enough to grow up just a few blocks away from one these beauties – the Holy Trinity Lavra, which is a very important spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is located in 42 miles north-east from Moscow, in a small peaceful town of Sergiev Posad (Sergiev Posad in Russian means “the town of Sergius” – a monk who founded the town according to a legend).
This picture was taken on the second floor of the Holy Trinity Lavra belltower – the highest belltower in Russia (18 meters which equals about 59 feet). My friends Eugenia, Olesya and our guide Father Guriy are pictured here by one of the largest functioning bells in the world – the copy of the famous Tsar-Bell (Royal Bell). The original Tsar Bell is one of the main tourist attractions in the Moscow Kremlin, but it does not function. The one in the Lavra does function and is usually used for major religious holidays. We managed to strike the “Tsar Bell” couple of times, but, to be quite honest, it was hard to do. Imagine, it weighs 144 thousand pounds (76 tons) and is approximately 16 feet high! The “Tsar Bell” in the Holy Trinity Lavra is now the largest functioning bell in Russia.
Be sure to visit the Holy Trinity Lavra when in Russia!
No comments:
Post a Comment