Moscow’s legendary cathedrals are famous the world over, but St Petersburg’s colourful churches are things of equal beauty. With ornately-decorated onion domes and vibrantly coloured exteriors, they’re an architectural feast for the eyes. Join us as we explore St Petersburg’s most beautiful churches.
St Isaac’s Cathedral
A grandiose edifice, St Isaac’s Cathedral was built under the order of Tsar Alexander I. All towering columns, topped with a shimmering gilded dome, it was created in a Neoclassical style using pink and grey stone. Inside, a sculpted dove representing the Holy Spirit hangs suspended beneath the peak of the dome.
Church of the Saviour on Blood
With its green and gold-studded domes and intricately adorned walls, the Church of the Saviour on Blood looks like a fairytale creation. Echoing St Basil’s in Moscow, the imposing construction sits where Alexander II was fatally wounded in 1881. It contains a record-breaking 7,500 sqm of mosaics.
Chesme Church
Resembling a sugar icing confection atop a cake, Chemse Church’s eye-catching exterior is covered in candy-hued pink and white vertical stripes. Built by Yury Felten, Catherine the Great’s court architect, the tiny Gothic sanctuary sticks out like a sore thumb amid the surrounding greenery.
Smolny Cathedral
Painted a striking sky-blue and white, Smolny Cathedral is an architectural masterpiece designed by Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who created the Winter Palace. The Baroque cathedral with its elegant spires sits majestically on the banks of the Neva River.
Located opposite St Isaac’s Cathedral, the grand Hotel Astoria is a luxuriant base from which you can explore St Petersburg’s magnificent churches. Call +7 812 494 5757 or email reservations.astoria@roccofortehotels.com to book or enquire.
Paris is always a good idea. Except, perhaps, when it’s hosting the Olympic Summer Games, and the usual tourist throng looks set to multiply almost prohibitively. Of course, the Games are exciting, but if wading through crowds feels like a marathon effort, try a cultural relay around one of these stunning European cities instead.
As the gentle glow of each ornate chandelier begins to dim, a hush descends upon the audience before an all-consuming world of tragedy and triumph unfolds. Both exhilarating and deeply moving, a night at the opera has the distinct power to evoke emotion, while offering a unique insight into a perhaps unfamiliar city.
Journey through Europe’s symphony of unmissable opera houses, each steeped in history and grandeur.
This summer, Masseria Torre Maizza turns up the volume on a cause that needs our attention. Save the Olives, a non-profit organisation championed by Dame Helen Mirren, whose mission is to raise awareness of Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterium devastating Puglia’s olive trees and impacting the local economy and ecosystem. In support, we have devised an incredible calendar of music and art amidst our Masseria’s olive groves – a poignant setting, grounded in the cause.
