Marge still has her fever and upset stomach and rash and opted to stay home, so I went on the excursion to Sergiev Posad without her. Today the sky is very heavy with rain clouds. Irenya told us that the Russians seed the clouds to keep rain away on national holidays. So Thursday they used 12 military planes that dropped a mix of dried ice, talc, and silver 150 km to the west and then have a sunny hot day for the holiday.
On the 1 ½ hour, 78 km ride to the monastery at Sergiev Posad, Irenya lectured on Russian orthodoxy. Russia was pagan until 980 AD when Greek Christianity was spread into Russia. Moscow became “the third Rome,” (Constantinople being the second) or center of Christianity. In 1457, Russia elected their own Russian church patriarch for the first time and began to make changes from the Greek and Roman churches. They stand and kneel for a service that lasts three to four hours (there are no seats in the churches), they cross themselves with three fingers (for the trinity), they have the iconostases instead of an alter, etc.
There is a prescribed way that icons are made for the churches. The artists pray and fast for days before beginning one. Carpenters choose the linden tree wood that is to be used and they prepare the boards to the size needed. The board(s) are then covered with layer of gesso (a preparation of plaster and glue). Before the 17th century the artists used tempera paint mixed with a binder such as egg yolk and later switched to oil paint. Different artists would paint the face or hands or dress and none of them ever signed their work - they felt they were unworthy to share the icon with the religious figures. Gilders put the gold or silver on the halo or whatever and then the work could be varnished and blessed by a priest before being used.
The monastery at Sergiev Posad was begun in the 14th century. Sergius left Moscow for the peace of the wilderness and built his single cell there. He later had a vision of the Virgin Mother who told him to create a monastery on the spot. He did and it is again a working monastery with 300 to 350 monks and students. An 18-year-old boy can enter the seminary and receive five years of university education in clerical, musical or artistic disciplines. (Most other 18-year-olds must enter the army for at least one year unless the family can bribe his way out.) At the end of the five years he has to decide whether to be a “black cleric” (a celibate monk) or a “white cleric” and become a priest, have a wife and family, and work at a parish.
|
Trinity Monastery of St. Sergei |
Trinity Monastery of St. Sergei
|
Trinity Monastery of St. Sergei |
Trinity Monastery of St. Sergei
|
Refectory Church of St. Sergei
|
Inside the walls we entered the Refectory Church during a part of the Sunday service. (Women had to cover their heads and arms and no photos were allowed.) The people stood, responded to chants, the men’s choir of monks sang. The center of the iconostasis opened and priests would enter and the choir could be heard and then it would close for a while. Parishioners would enter, join in for a while and then leave.
|
|
We also went into the Assumption Church and looked at the icons and the crypts of the missionary to Alaska and the one who first translated the five Gospels into the Russian language. Since these churches are working churches instead of museums, the artwork is dark from age, soot from candles, and smoke from incense.
|
|
Church of the Assumption |
Inside the Church of the Assumption
|
Inside the Church of the Assumption
|
Inside the Church of the Assumption |
When we came out a bell ringer was in the bell tower of the Church of the Holy Spirit (was it Igor again?) and then went to the larger bell tower and rang bells for us. Today was a Day of all Saints, so the place was crowded and we had the special bell ringing.
I did some shopping during the free time. Very talented local craftsmen were selling the usual (but well made by them) souvenirs at very cheap prices.
We ate lunch at a cute restaurant across the street from the main monastery gate. We had a salad of cucumbers and tomato, a delicious mushroom soup (not creamed), fillet of perch, potato cubes and canned peas. (They brought me a beef stew in a crock with a pastry on top because I get sick on many types of white fish.) Dessert was vanilla ice cream with grated walnuts. It was tasty.
We returned to the boat along with three quarters of all Muscovites who were returning from the holiday weekend at their “dachas.” It took us 3 ½ hours to drive the 78 km. I just made it back in time for dinner.
Mon., 6/15 - Happy 70th Birthday Marge - Flight Home
Our motor coach took us to one of the five Moscow International Airports for our 12:30 PM flight. We had no problems getting through the five security/passport-control check points. The flight to Washington-Dulles was 10 ½ hours in the air with lunch and a snack, compliments of United (SAS was much more upscale). We flew more inland than on the flight over.
We went through customs at Dulles, again we breezed right through. After 2 hours we boarded another United plane for the 3 ½ hour flight to Denver. This time we had to fly north to avoid the bad weather in the middle of the country. We arrived in Denver with our luggage (hooray!) at 7:15 PM MST. This had become a very long day. It was about 30 hours awake for us since we gained back (relived) the 10 hours between Moscow and Denver.
We drove to Longmont, checked into a motel for the night and got a late dinner at Denny’s. Horizontal sleep was welcome.
It was a great trip. We learned many things and saw beautiful palaces and churches. It looks like we will have to find another trip that includes Moscow so Marge can see the sights she missed.
Return to Trips page to view other trips
| Return to Top | Return to Itinerary | Return to Dreamcatcher Home Page |