22 June 2018, Friday
It’s Day 53 and I have a full day ahead to explore what’s left of St. Petersburg before catching my overnight train to Moscow at 10:50pm. For today, my two big objectives were to (finally) visit the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and the State Hermitage Museum. It was still drizzling slightly when I woke up around 9am but thankfully, the rain stopped about an hour later and I had a day of perfect weather ahead of me, with bright sunshine and temperatures hovering around 20 degrees Celsius. I checked out of my hostel and deposited my large backpack at the reception before making my way out.
I arrived at the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood just before 11am and bought my ticket for 250 RUB (S$5.81). The regular opening hours are from 10:30am to 6pm but you can also visit in the evening from 6pm to 10:30pm, but at a slightly higher admission fee of 400 RUB (S$9.30). It is closed on Wednesdays.
Like me, you may be wondering why it is called the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. The reason is because the church was built in 1883 to honour the Russian emperor Alexander II, who was assassinated when his carriage was passing by the Griboedov canal embankment on 13 March 1881. The church was subsequently built on the site of his assassination.
Alexander II’s most significant reform as emperor was the emancipation Russian’s serfs in 1861, and he became known as Alexander the Liberator. Serfs were unfree peasants who worked the land of a landowner and were transferred with it from one owner to another, something like slaves. Hence, the church is named the Savior on Spilled Blood, in remembrance of Alexander the Liberator, whose blood was spilled on this very location.
The most striking thing about the church is its architecture. Unlike most of the other buildings in St. Petersburg, which are Baroque and Neoclassical in style, the church is built in the traditional Russian, Yaroslavl architectural style of the 16th and 17th century. It is similar to the St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, with colourful, whimsical onion-shaped domes and elaborate mosaics on its exterior.
The church took 24 years to construct and was completed in 1907. During the Russian Revolution from 1917 to 1923, the monarchy was abolished and the Soviet Union was established. The church was looted after the revolution and the Soviet government closed it down in 1932. During the Second World War, the church was badly damaged and was also used as a morgue and warehouse, falling into further disrepair.
In July 1970, the church was made a branch of St. Isaac’s Cathedral and it was used as a museum. Proceeds from the cathedral were used to restore the church, which took 27 years to complete. Finally, in August 1997, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was reopened. It has not been reconsecrated and does not function as a place of worship. Hence, it is known as a state memorial museum today.
After walking past the church every day for the past three days and admiring it from the outside, I was excited to finally enter it. One piece of advice before stepping in: do some neck stretching exercises because you will be craning your neck a lot to marvel at the beautiful mosaics all over the interior.
It’s hard to say whether the outside or the inside of the church is more beautiful. Stepping in to the church was like entering a completely different world. Every single pillar and wall was covered with mosaics based on Byzantine icon paintings depicting biblical scenes. From afar, they looked like paintings or frescoes, but when you got up close, you could see the thousands of tiny mosaic tiles used to create the artwork. It was breathtakingly stunning. No wonder the restoration took 27 years to complete.
I spent about half an hour inside the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, photographing it from every angle possible. Following that, I walked over to the State Hermitage Museum (click here). When I arrived at 12:10pm, I saw that there was a long line at the ticket booth at the courtyard of the Winter Palace. Luckily, I had done my homework beforehand and I knew the secret to beat the queue.
The secret is to buy your tickets from the self-service ticket machines, which look like ATMs and are predominantly green in colour. I understand that there are several of these automatic machines located in the main courtyard of the Winter Palace, on the left side after accessing through the main gates at Palace Square. However, I used the machines located in the alley between the Winter Palace and the New Hermitage building, entering through Millionnaya Street. There was practically no queue here and I got my tickets in a jiffy.
There are two main types of tickets available to tourists – all-in ticket to the Main Museum Complex and the branches (700 RUB/S$16.28); and the ticket to only one of the Hermitage branches (300 RUB/S$6.98). The latter only entitles you to visit one of the following: the Winter Palace of Peter the Great (located within the Hermitage Theatre), the Menshinov Palace or the Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Factory. As its name suggests, the most important and main works are found in the Main Museum Complex, so the all-in ticket is the one you should get.
You can also buy the tickets on the Hermitage website (click here), but note that it will be more expensive than if you were to buy them on-site (via the automatic machines or at the ticket counter). The one-day (all-in) entrance voucher costs $17.95 on the Hermitage website. I assume the price is in US dollars. So, I will say that buying your tickets from the automatic machines will be the best option.
Five buildings make up the Main Museum Complex – the Winter Palace, Small Heritage, New Hermitage, Great (Old) Hermitage and the Hermitage Theatre (which is constructed on the site of the former Winter Palace of Peter the Great, aka Peter I). The five buildings are interconnected so you probably will not even realise that you have entered another building as you browse through the galleries.
The State Hermitage Museum is the second largest museum in the world, after the Louvre in Paris. Its collection includes over 3 million works of art and world culture artefacts, of which only a small number are on display at a time. The museum was founded in 1764, when empress Catherine the Great acquired an impressive collection of works from a Berlin merchant. As the collection grew, so did the complex.
The Winter Palace, the Baroque-style green and white coloured building facing Palace Square, was the former imperial residence of the Russian Emperors for 150 years. After the October Revolution in November 1917, the Winter Palace was declared a museum.
As you can imagine, the museum is huge and you can easily spend a whole day getting lost among the countless galleries. Among the highlights are the two Leonardo da Vinci paintings – Benois Madonna and Litta Madonna – located in the Old (Large) Hermitage. Both paintings depict Madonna and Child but they are called the Benois and Litta Madonnas after the family names of their sellers whom the Hermitage acquired the artworks from. Litta Madonna was painted by da Vinci in 1490-1491 and acquired by the Hermitage in 1865 for 100,000 francs, while Benois Madonna was painted in 1478 and acquired in 1914 for 150,000 roubles. Both these masterpieces are now considered priceless.
The Military Gallery of 1812 displays the 332 portraits of generals who took part in the Patriotic War of 1812, including General-Fieldmarshal Mikhail Kutuzov, who won the decisive battle that led to the defeat of Napoleon.
The life-size Peacock Clock in the Pavilion Hall was designed by a famous London jeweller and goldsmith in the 1770s. It remains functional today but it is only wound up once a week due to the fragility of the mechanism.
The Knight’s Hall showcases the history of arms and armour between the 15th and 17th centuries.
Like the other large museums I had visited in the past (Louvre, Vatican Museum), I lost interest in the artworks after a while and turned my attention to the architecture and decorative aspects of the building instead. Walking through the various rooms and halls, I could get a sense of the grand and opulent lifestyles of the emperors in the past.
The Great Church is also an unmissable highlight. Unmissable mainly because it is so extravagantly extravagant. You could get blinded by the amount of gold in this hall. In fact, gold is very liberally used in many of the halls throughout the palace.
The Large Throne Hall (St. George Hall) is one of the finest examples of Russian Neoclassical state interiors. At the far end of the room stands a throne for Catherine the Great.
The Small Throne Room is dedicated to Peter the Great. The niche is designed like a triumphal arch. The throne was made in St. Petersburg in the late 18th century and the painting depicts Peter the Great with Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and war.
The Armorial Hall was intended for grand receptions. The entrance of the hall is flanked by early Russian warriors. Like the Great Church, the combination of white and gold creates an impression of majestic grandeur.
I spent about two hours at the Main Museum Complex. True art aficionados will probably find that even an entire day is not enough, but it was quite sufficient for me. As I walked around Palace Square, I decided to splash out 500 RUB (S$11.53) to buy two sets of Matryoshka dolls (Russian dolls) from a roaming street vendor. The quality of these were of course, not as good as those found in proper stores, but they were much cheaper. I thought they were the quintessential Russian souvenirs that I should bring home. I also paid 300 RUB (S$7) to take photos with the “Queen”, a lady who was dressed in period costume. Just for remembrance sake.
Following that, I visited the General Staff Building, which is also part of the State Hermitage Museum and included in my admission ticket. It houses collections of Russian and European decorative art, painting and sculptures from the 19th and 20th centuries (including Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings by Matisse and Picasso) and contemporary art. I tried very hard to appreciate the artworks here but gave up the struggle after less than 20 minutes.
By then, it was 3pm and I was hungry and tired. I decided I was too lazy to walk back to my hostel so I booked an Uber ride for only 145 RUB (S$3.37), so cheap! I had my lunch at a restaurant located within the cluster of buildings where my hostel was at. I ordered a burger and a Fanta orange for 460 RUB (S$10.70) and gobbled them down while watching World Cup football on a large TV screen.
As I contemplated on how I should spend my remaining few hours in St. Petersburg, I discovered a place called Ziferburg, located just below my hostel. It was interesting because it was a pay-as-you-use-space where you could stay for as long as you liked. You were charged by the minute, at a rate of 3 rubles/minute for the first hour, and 2 rubles/minute subsequently. Best of all, you could enjoy free flow of coffee, tea, biscuits and Wi-Fi while you were there.
This concept is called an anti-café, or a free space, time-club or time-café. It is called an anti-café because you pay for time, not coffee. Apparently, it originated from a Russian businessman who opened the first anti-café in Moscow called Tree House in 2010. The idea is to allow guests to focus on the social aspects of the café rather than the payment. Besides the free Wi-Fi and snacks, there are usually board games or video games and musical instruments that people can use to engage with others.
I decided to pop in. At the entrance, I was told to pick a clock of my choice. The clock doesn’t actually tell the time but it functions as a table number or time keeper, as it is hooked up to an iPad to calculate the duration of my stay. I picked a vintage looking one.
Ziferburg was located within an old mansion and it was very charming and photogenic. I loved the old furniture and mismatched tables and chairs. I picked a table near the balcony, which had a lovely view of the Fontanka river below and the Mikhailovsky Castle across the river.
Besides the free biscuits and beverages, there were also cakes available for sale. I bought a cheese cake for 190 RUB (S$4.42) to go with my coffee. I took out my laptop and began working on my Facebook photo uploads. After a while, a young man went over to the old grand piano and started jamming, and another man joined him and started singing. The atmosphere was great for spending a relaxing afternoon doing your favourite thing, be it reading a book, writing a journal, or catching up with your friends over coffee. It was the perfect way for me to spend my remaining time in St. Petersburg and I loved it!
At 8:50pm, I handed over my clock to the staff and paid 504 RUB (S$11.72). It was a good and cheap way to spend over 3½ hours. I then went up to my hostel to collect my big backpack, and booked another Uber car to take me to Moscow Station. The ride took around 15 minutes and cost only 130 RUB (S$3). I arrived at the railway station at 9:24pm. As it was still early, I went to Carl’s Junior and bought a set meal for 460 RUB (S$10.70) so that I would not go hungry during the night.
I boarded the train at 10:15pm. It was a free train service specially provided for fans who had a ticket to an upcoming World Cup match in Moscow. I must say that I have been very impressed with the way the FIFA World Cup has been organised in Russia so far. This free train service just takes the icing on the cake.
As it was an overnight train, each cabin came with four beds. The cabin was very small and there wasn’t much space for luggage. I was assigned the upper deck and it was super cramped. I shared the cabin with three other guys from Canada, Brazil and China. The train departed promptly at 10:50pm and we were on our way to Moscow.
The Canadian and Brazilian chatted animatedly but I didn’t join in as it wasn’t very conducive for me to do so. I was on the upper deck and the ceiling was very low, so I could not sit upright. It was an uncomfortable position so I figured the best was to lie flat.
After a while, we turned off the lights and the chattering stopped. However, the Brazilian guy who was sleeping below me started snoring. It was so loud that I had to put on my earplugs! Thankfully, the snoring stopped halfway through the night. I think he disappeared somewhere, I’m not sure where, but I was glad I could catch some sleep. It won’t be soon before I wake up in Moscow!