Russia
Russia the Culture ISBN 0-86505-240-9
Carl Fabergé was a jeweller from St. Petersburg, who created magnificent egg-shaped art objects which Russian nobles exchanged as gifts.
Fabergé Egg in the form of a vase
Vasily Surikov, 1848-1916 was a Perevizniki. In English Perevizniki translates as Wanderer. The Perevizniki were a group of painters who took their art to the people by wandering from town to town throughout the largest country in the world.
Andreij Riabushkin was a painter during the 19th C. who has provided us with a record of the style of dress worn in those days.
The ancestor of the Russians were the East Slavs. They resided in Eastern Europe over a thousand years ago.
In 988 A.D., the leader of the East Slavs, Prince Vladimir, chose Christianity as his people's official religion. Priests from the Byzantine Empire taught the East Slavs about Christianity. In addition to becoming Christians, the East Slavs absorbed much painting, architecture and music from the Byzantine culture.
In the 1200's, the Mongol Empire in the East invaded Eastern Slavic lands. In the 1500's, the Russian czars defeated the Mongol rulers.
In 1894, Nicolas Romanov and Empress Alexandra were crowned Czar and Czaritza.
In 1917, the last czar of Russia, Nicolas II was overthrown in a revolution led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.
Russian Orthodox churches have roofs with onion-shaped domes.
Easter is the most important Russian holiday. Just before Lent begins, which is a period when many people give up meat, dairy products and fish, there is a feast called blini, which are thin pancakes served with sour cream and butter. The pancakes are rollled around fish or caviar, a salty delicacy made from fish eggs.
Old Russian Christmas carols are called kolyadki.
One of the most popular types of Russian folk art is the matryoshka, a set of seven dolls that fit inside of one another.
St. Basil's Cathedral is located in the heart of Moscow. The cathedral was completed in 1561 during the Reign of Czar Ivan the Terrible.
In 1703, Czar Peter the Great ordered a new city which came to be called
St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg St. Petersburg
Baltic Sea - Gulf of Finland 59° 57´ N. 30° 19´ Founded May 16 or May 27, 1703
Population: 4 million 750 thousand
The northern-most city in the world with a population of over 1 million.