Port Royal commercial and Beaufort County Republican. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1873-1874, 1874-04-16
Visit to q Russian Cemetery.

- Nos - SS2ASSP PNANSAs NA
the London Times writes To-day ]
shall devote my time to giving on ac-
count Of an excursion I made the other
afternoon to the cemetery Of st. Ser
gius, 20 versts from the capital on the
Peterhof road. At half-past one
the troikas were at the door, and we
took our seats. Unfortunately the
roads were execrable, for sleighs bump
ed and dragged through slush and ruts
and water, instead of travelling
smoothly along on the silent snow. A
troika, as all the world knows, is drawn
by three horses abreast, attached to
the vehicle, which is primitive sort OF
barouche on runners, by light harness
covered with silver scales. Above the
withers Of the centre horse rises the
high, light yoke peculiar to Russia, and
bells are hung either to this or to the
neck of the animal. Bad as was the
road, We made progress somehow.
Con we went slipping and sliding" "
by the side of the Moika Canal, past
the triumphal arch with its bronze
horses and warriors, and along the
Peterhof road.
st. Sergi is mass of heterogeneous
but picturesque buildings. That in
which the 80 monks live is of brick, and
reminds an Englishman of one of the
colleges at Oxford. This church is
many -domed and lofty; it's roofs are
gilded in part, and it's interior is very
richly decorated. But the great feature
of Sergi is the chapels built by noble
families for the interment of their
dead. These have been erected here
and there in the cemetery; they range
in size from an entire church to mere
grot, and their decoration is most
sumptuous and lavish. In one of the
largest there is not an inch Of wall or
roof that has not been paiated by hand,
and though the Russian pictorial art
in churches will seldom bear minute
criticism, the mingled effect of the
masses Of color and the marbles, gem
like stones, and even actual gems which
are used is exceedingly splendid.
Sergi cemetery is favorite burying-
place, and some Of the monuments are
very costly. In nearly all marble is
used, and most have also about them
much fine metal work, pictures of
saints under glass, etc. Some are main
tanned as shrines, where the fame Of
little lamp burning from year to year,
like soul waiting for its body.
There are some English monuments
in the cemetery, for the Greek monks
are not bigoted, and will even send
choristers to take part in Protestant
burial service. The chapels of noble
families are each in care ef custodian.
and we were conducted from one to the
other by a slim young monk, who look
ed terribly thin in his long black gown.
His mild blue eyes and the fair hair
which fell curling about his shoulders
gave him similarly girlish look. In
the chapels we were allowed to en-
ter the sanctuary behind the Royal
doors but the Lieutenant of Infantry
who was with us had to lay aside his
sword, and we were asked not to stand
upon the carpet before the altar. The
tombs Of the princes and mobiles were
nearly always in the chapel crypts,
lavishly decorated chambers, with a
shrine and a burning lamp by each
grave, and with sacred pictures framed
in fine metalwork, often jewelled, on
the walls. One coffin stood on q low
stone bier and was heaped with flow
ers /; Others were in graves below, closed
by great slabs of white marble, on
which lay, perhaps, a.single o wreath.
The tombs Of the Oldenburg family
have large glass hothouse built over
them, frestooed with growing plants.
One white marble slab was pointed to
us as the gravestone Of young man
whose death was dark story. He was
Prince, related to the Imperial family,
and he fought duel in spite Of the
severe laws against the practice. The
Emperor was much displeased, lest it
should be said that men of Imperial
blood broke the the law, and lest
others should think that they had as
good right to fight duels as any Prince
of Oldenburg. The end of it all was
this marble slab and a whispered story.
We found the monks at service in the
church OF the monastery. The tre-
mendous bass voice of Father Gideon
is the pride and boast of the Sergi, and
the deep volume Of his recitative rolled
in tones which sounded like very Jeri-
cho trumpets, and which might well
bring down by the run the walls Of
the cities of sin built up by the
Devil in the hearts of his congregation
since the last service. He seemed to
thrill his hearers to the marrow, not
only bringing them upon their knees on
the stones, but impelling many of them
to bend their faces upon their breasts
till the crown of the head rested upon
the pavement. This is the most abiect
ana ..heartbroken attitude the humant
body can take, and one could scarcely
see it without feeling that one had no
right to look upon it, and that one ought
to quit the building and leave the peni-
tent-if such, indeed, he really was
alone with his fellow-worshippers and
his priest.