CHESME CHURCH...I WANT TO EAT YOU...

And now for something completely different...

Yes, thats right...drum roll please...another spectacular, candy coloured, mouth-wateringly pretty church!
This ones the Russian Orthodox Chesme Church in the southern Moskovskaya district of St Petersburg. Looking like a delicious wedding cake that might grace the ostentatious table of Elton John's civil partnership reception, the church stands all alone, set back from the street and surrounded by unnamed graves of the casualties of Russian wars.

The church's beautifully intricate design is delicate and feminine, completed in 1870 for Catherine the Great. The bold salmon pink exterior accented by pale grey detailing and stark white stripes complete with twiddly edges looked just like your great grandmother's antique Russian wedding veil. Chesme truly is a little girl's fantasy church and its sparse, elongated pastel interior drenched in a warm, dreamy light really created an atmosphere of holy serenity.     

A few huge (we're in Russia remember) blocks away from Chesme stood the impressive Moskovskaya Plochad...thats Moscow Square to you peeps...featuring this iconic and effing well enormous statue commemorating Commie Good Times below. Lenin's defiant stance and the monument's cold, secular arrogance provided a sharp contrast to the church's protective charms. The power and immensity of the Communist state's iron grip remains embodied in the square's design however, the creepy, authoritarian Stalinist architecture of the House of Soviets (built for, but never used as government headquarters) backdropping Lenin's dramatic overtures. Thank god there were a few of the ubiqituous affectionate young couples in situ to modernise the place - mooching around, sipping pivo and watching the old ladies in colourful headscarves selling vegetables to local volk. Thirty rubles for a turnip you say? Bargain. 

SAVIOR ON THE SPILLED BLOOD CATHEDRAL, ST PETERSBURG

Without wanting to turn this blog into a full blown Russian extravaganza...the Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedral was positively jaw dropping in its golden mosaic-tiled beauty, undoubtedly one of the highlights of St. Petersburg.

As if the wildly ornate exterior with its jagged domes and spiky, textured surfaces weren't enough, its the cathedral's incredible interior which really leaves the visitor in awe of what humankind is capable of achieving in the celebration of Christianity. Every conceivable space inside the church is a tribute to the power of religion, reflected in stunningly intricate mosaic designs representing 68 biblical and evangelical scenes.

Built on the site of Tsar Alexander II's assassination along the Griboedov Canal, surprisingly the church is just over a century old, though its design is a tribute to 17th century structures found in the Russian city of Yaroslavl and similar to Moscow's St Basil's Cathedral. Its enormous, elongated arches and magnificent dome interiors contain the country's largest mosaic collection, also one of the largest in Europe.

The church interior radiates with an intense sunlit golden hue, reminiscent of the spectacular St. Mark's Basilica in Venice. The main colour palette of the Spilled Blood's design is limited to this rich gold, offset by vibrant blue tones which created a sense of pleasing harmony and a calming, hypnotic ambience. The buzzing hoards of visitors, coach-loads of Russian cronks plus the usual suspects found at any international tourist site seemed to exit the church mesmerised, stumbling around in a trance-like state, awaiting the sensory-overload comedown while lining up to stuff their gobs with ice cream outside. Definitely worth a peep if ever you find yourself visiting Russia's great European city.  

THE CHROME DOMES OF OLDE MOCKBA

No I don't mean thick set, intimidating, bald Soviet men, I'm referring of course to the Russian capital's skyline, many of it's finest churches decorated with iconic onion domes of all styles. Predominantly shimmering gold or often tiled (below), domes also appear painted in striking matt green and blue colours. Moscow's churches create a dramatic aesthetic, your eye inevitably drawn towards towards God as you squint blindly, muttering about crow's feet as you try to absorb the curvaceous harmony of a dome's structure.

Often the thick-walled church interiors proved to be small and austere in design, far outweighed by the immense scale of the exterior domes. St. Basil's (below) was an exception according to my travelling amigo, who returned awe-inspired after viewing the interior while I haggled again with crazy old poster man back at Izmailovsky market to replace our lost wares. These beautiful orthodox buildings were often tucked away in tiny Muscovite alleyways, their vibrant pastel colour schemes appearing oasis-like amidst chaotic modern scaffolding - only after we had taken several bum steers and almost given up hope of ever deciphering the local street signs.

The dome shape is said to resemble a burning candle, its religious symbolism obvious, though there are many theories as to the significance, if any of the design. The onion dome is synonymous of course with traditional Russian architecture and the aesthetic charm of many of Moscow's finest certainly put the dour interiors of a lot of poor old (and now bankrupt) England's churches in the shade.