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Church of St Simon the Stylite - Exterior

We visited so many of Moscow's lovely churches that it is sometimes hard to separate one from the other. Church-going was an everyday thing in this the capital city of anti-clerical communism. Russians seemed to drop into church at all times of day to light a candle or two, bob a curtsey in front of a favorite icon and plant a kiss on it too. The most venerated icons were covered with elaborate silver covers that had holes cut out so that the faces of the subjects could be seen. Gerry always hated the fact that the bulk of the icon was hidden, but Jan got to rather like them especially as they reflected the hanging lamps that were often placed in front of them.

Church of St Simon the Stylite - Iconostasis Icons

We in no way became icon experts, but we did learn to recognize the major icon forms: the Virgin Hodegetria, the Vladimir Virgin, and so on. In the religious art museum of the Holy Trinity monastery in Sergei Posad, we came across two young women copying icons that were on display. Jan talked to one of them briefly and learned that they were studying to become icon painters and when asked how long the study period would last was told "a lifetime"! Perhaps only at the very end of a long life of copying the great masters of icon painting does one dare to innovate in even the most minor way. It caught Jan's imagination and she finds it fascinating to imagine that an artist constrained by the very strict conventions of an art like that of icon painting can find fulfillment. Perhaps that is what is wrong with modern art: there are no conventions any more. There are no rules or guidelines that while they seem to inhibit innovation actually force innovation at every level.

Church of St Simon the Stylite - Biblical story fresco

We never tired of the frescoed walls of Russia's orthodox churches. Some of the frescoes we saw were quite old, like those we saw in Yaroslavl, others had been painted and repainted and were brightly colored and even garish. But they all were lively and exuberant and must have been tremendous teaching tools when the bulk of the congregation were illiterate.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior

The Church of Christ the Saviour, rebuilt under the supervision of the sculptor and artist Tsereteli, is without doubt the biggest church in Moscow. It is undoubtedly also the most expensive to the point that many think it a waste of public money. Inside it is covered with gilded mosaics and marble and is a kind of giant version of what the Wilhelmskirche in Berlin must have been like when it was newly built. It seems fashionable to sneer at it, but we liked it quite a bit and from the number of visitors so do lots of Muscovites.