Catherine Palace

This card, sent by nikita, from Russia, shows the beautiful Catherine Palace, located in the town of Tsarksoye Selo, close to St. Petersburg.

It was initially built in 1717, by orders of Catherine I of Russia and was projected by Johann-Friedrich Braunstein, as a summer palace. In 1752, Empress Elizabeth had it demolished and replaced with a much grander edifice. It was finished in 1756, by architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli.

Gold was used in the façade and there were rumors that the palace's roof was made of gold.

It was once again renovated by Catherine the Great.

On the retreat after the siege of Leningrad, the German forces had the palace intentionally destroyed. It's reconstruction was completed in 2003, but there is still work going on.

It looks so wonderful. I would love to visit it one day.

Pavlovsk's Park

This card sent by larisa, from Russia, shows the Rose Pavilion, one of many in Pavlovsk's Park, sourounding its Grand Palace.

Pavlovsk is a town located 30 km (19 mi) from St. Petersburg, Russia, near the Slavyanka River. It was granted in 1777, by Catherine the Great, to her son Paul upon the birth of his first son. In 1780, the scottish architect Charles Cameron was made responsible for the construction of a Grand Palace in Pavlovsk, to be used as a Country Residence of the Russian Imperial Family. The construction and most landscaping was concluded in 1825. The residential complex harbours an imense park, a Palace, several pavilions and monuments, covering around 1,500 acres. It holds a collection of rare furniture, porcelain, glass works and art. After Paul's death, the Palace became the residence of its widower, Maria Fedorovna.

The Rose Pavilion was erected in the 19th century and it was designed by A. Voronikhin. It is surounded by rose gardens, hence its name. Everything in its decor was based on the rose theme. For several decades it was a gathering place for artists and writers.

The complex was destroyed during WWII and was later restaured.

I was already impressed by the card's beauty but after doing a quick search on the Internet I was stunned by Pavlovsk's beauty and rich history. If you have the time, I suggest you do the same. You won't regret it.

source: wikipedia; alexanderpalace.org

Kul-Shariff Mosque

The Kull-Shariff Mosque is located inside the Kazan Kremlin, the chief historic citadel of Tatarstan, situated in the city of Kazan.

It is the biggest mosque in Europe and it was opened in June 2005. It was built on the site of a previous mosque that was destryed in 1552, during the siege of Kazan.

The siege of Kazan was the final battle of Russo-Kazan Wars. It led to the lose of Tatarstan's independence, the total destruction of Kazan city and the massacre of its population. Ivan the Terrible sacked Kazan to pay his men and the city's survivors were massacred or enslaved. The city was buried to ashes.

Nowdays, the mosque's look is modern and elegant an it serves mostly as a Museum of Islam, although it also helds all the major Muslim celebrations.

Besides the main building, there is also a library, a publishing house and Imam's Office.

This gorgeous card was sent by bo-lg, from Tatarstan Republic of Russia.

Source: Wikipedia.

Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ

This amazing cathedral should be called, in my opinion, “the church of a thousand names” because there are so many different variations of its name. Wikipedia lists it as the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood; others call it Church on Spilt Blood. The above postcard, sent by Vera, names it Church on the Spilled Blood or Church of Resurrection. I will just use its official name: Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ.

It was built by Alexander III as a memorial to his father Alexander II, whom was mortally wounded by an anarchist conspirator in the exact same place where the Cathedral was built. The blood referred to by some of its names is the tsar’s.

It was constructed between 1883 and 1907 in a more traditional medieval Russian architecture, despite St. Petersburg’s more Baroque and Neoclassical buildings. Although it was built as a church, the Cathedral never worked as a public place of worship. Nowadays, it is a Museum of Mosaic.

Source: Wikipedia.