Martinos in Moscow: Mission President's Seminar in St. Petersburg

We flew from Moscow to St. Petersburg to hold the Fall Mission President's Seminar, staying at the Renaissance hotel next to St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in the city. It took 40 years to build and we were told that during WW II, the dome was painted gray to avoid attracting attention from enemy war craft. We climbed the 300 steps to the dome top for a breath taking view of the city.

From the top of the dome, with rain clouds rolling in. There are approximately 20 days of sunshine annually in St. Petersburg.

The artwork inside of St. Isaac's was beautiful with LOTS of gold and many mosaics. For the artwork to be accepted by the Russian government, a number of biblical paintings and mosaics included Russian influence, such as a Russian patriarch blessing the Christ-child.

The Winter Palace, or Hermitage Museum, was overwhelming in size. It was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and now houses over three million pieces of art, including the largest collection of paintings in the world. It occupies six historic buildings along Palace Embankment. We did not have time to tour it this time but hope to when we return to St. Petersburg in December for a mission tour.

The Cathedral of Kazan is a Russian Orthodox church located on the famous and beautiful street of Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg. It was modeled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome but is much smaller. We arrived in time to witness a Russian Orthodox mass, which was much like a Catholic mass. Again, it was VERY ornate with much gold, large columns, saint and icons.

The Neva river that flows through downtown St. Petersburg is a beautiful sight at night and offers cruises down the river

After a full day of meetings, we took a hydrofoil boat down the river to Peterhof Palace, which is sometimes referred to as the "Russian Versailles." There are 64 fountains that operate without the use of pumps but with elevation difference instead.