Victor Travel Blog

By Irina.

When you are going to visit distant Russia, you have to choose whether to do it in winter or in summer. The bravest travelers choose the exotic Russian winters, therefore this post will be about celebrating the Epiphany of the Lord in Russia.

St. Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square, Moscow, Russia.

We hoped that the temperature wouldn’t be lower than – 5 to -10°C, but when we landed at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, the captain of our airliner announced cheerfully, “Welcome to Russia. The weather in Moscow is fine and sunny. The ambient temperature is 22 degrees below zero.” Oops! Surprise! Surviving became our main goal. We wanted impressions of Russia, but not chilblains.

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Castles are quite a rare architectural feature for Russia. There are plenty of churches, fortified hermitages, well-preserved military fortresses, and ancient manors of the nobility, but the castles are the great wonder.

Here you can see three castles, but can you really guess which one is located in Russia?

This trip was postponed several times during two long years, and who knows, maybe the beautiful mellow autumn gave us a shove to hit the road. Here it is, the château formerly owned by Count Khrapovitsky in the Vladimir region of Russia.

The chateau of Vladimir Khrapovitsky in the Vladimir region of Russia

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This happened long time ago, when the young tzar, Peter I, ascended to the Russian throne. It was a time of troubles for Russia since many struggled for the throne. Dubrovitsy, a small estate near Moscow, was owned by Prince Golitsyn, a tutor of Peter I. Court intrigues forced Boris Golitsyn to leave Moscow for his estate, but after a year, news of his forgiveness reached Dubrovitsy. To mark the reconciliation with Peter I, Golitsyn decided to build an unbelievably beautiful temple, Baroque Church of the Sign of Our Lady, fairly unusual for Russia.

Peter I approved this decision and even recommended an Italian architect. In 1690, he and his entourage took part in the groundbreaking ceremony.

Baroque Church of the Sign of Our Lady, Dubrovitsy, Russia.

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