The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-10-31
MAGNIFICENT CHURCHES.
MANY OF THOSE IN RUSSIA FAIRLY
LINED WITH GOLD.

Magnince nce-One Cost a0,oOO.0O0-
Hundreds of Golden Domcs The
Czar's Gorgeous Palace.
Moscow Is still the capital OF Russia,
the center of Russian political and relig-
ious thought, and the center OF CONNER
cial Russia as we'll. 1t has the nnest
churches of Russia, and the people con-
slider ii SO holy that they make pigrim-
ages even from the borders OF the Black
Sea and from the edges of Siberia to pray
at its shrines, writes Frank q. Carpenter.
The mig hit lest citadel in the world is the
Kremlin, whsch stands in the center, and
the treasures of its chuches are unsur-
passed by the cathedrals OF Rome or the
mosques OF Constantinople.
We hear but little OF the Greek Catholic
Church, but il has one OF the most lively
religions in the world to-day, and the
holy synod of Russia has capital OF s25,-
600, ,000 and its income is something like
q. zoo, GOO year. visited the Church OF
Our Saviour, which surpasses in beauty
any church OF modern times II was
built TO commemorate the deliverance OF
Moscow from the French, and 1t has cost
about $40, 600 900, or three times as much
all told as we have spent on the Capitol at
the Moscow River Just outside the Krem-
lin, and it's great gold dome may be seen
blazing out under the sun from any
part OF Moscow. 1t covers almost two
acres and it is built, in the shape OF
| Greek cross, OF clear, white stone. IL
has golden cupolas at its corners and
Russian dome in its center, and these cu-
| polas and this dome are covered with
copper and plated with polished gold. 1t
| took 900 pounds Of gold TO plate this
| dome and there Is more than ii ,OO0, 600
worth OF gold upon it. This dome is in
the shape OF an inverted Bermuda onion,
| and IL you can imagine an onion OF gold
| the top of which is just 100 feet in diam.
eter, you may get some idea OF this mill
| lion dollar golden onion which crowns the
| Church of Our Saviour. The cupolas cost
$500 900 TO gild and there are bells within
this church which have cost nearly 200,
600. The biggest one here cost $500, 600,
and it weighs just thirteen tons.
Its altar is as delicate in it's combina-
tion of precious stones and marble carv-
ings as a lady's breastpin, and before it
was enriched by its golden coins, silver
ornaments and sacred pictures, cost
nearly s500,0o0 The marble in the build
ing cost almost 5000, 600 and the floor
and walls are of wonderful marbles OF
malachite and of lapis lazuli. From the
floor, running around the entire church,
there is first dado OF jasper Above this
runs a panel of white ala abaster and mar
bles of different colors succeed one an
other until they lose themselves in great
frieze of carvings and frescoes by tho
most noted of the Russian painters.
| Everywhere there is gold and gold carv-
A 10 LOT n.
| coo people, and when i entered it this
! Sunday morning IL was packed to burst
ing.
There are 400 churches in Moscow, and
nearly every one of them has a golden
dome. The holy buildings of the Kremlin
are crowned with gold, and there 10
enough gold plating in Russia to carpet
Broadway or to gild the public buildings
OF Washington. The Czar has q palace
! just outside OF st. Petersburg known as
| Tsarsk oe- Selo, W which was built by Cathe-
rine the Great. 1t is of vast extent and
| plated with gold. 1t took nearly q
million dollars worth of bullion to do
the work, and when, owing to the damp
ness of the climate, ii was painted
over, some Russian spectators want
ed to scrape of the old gold
! and melt it over again, and they Of
fered $500, ,0O0 They were sent TO prison
for insulting Catherine with the PROPOSE
tion and she covered the palace with yell
low paint. This palace has rooms walled
with amber. 1t has parlor covered with
! lazuli and the walls and ceilings Of one
drawing room are OF the finest tortoise
shell. There are 500 apartments in the
palace, and the ball room covers nearly
| half an acre. It's floors 10 of wooden
! mosaic and there are other rooms in
which the finishing is in ivory, BAN boo
and in bronze. The palace must have
cost millions, and it is only one of a dozen
which belong to the Gar.
| The Kremlin contains about 200 acres.
| 1t is paved with cobblestones, and its
massive walls are entered by five gates.
Each OF these gates has a history, and one
is known as the Gate Of the Redeemer,
| or the Sacred Gate. II has a famous pic
ture OF the Saviour above it,and every one,
from the Gar to the peasant, takes off his
hat before passing through it. Every
| inch OF the land about this tower is his
toric and sacred. In that church there
all of the Cars of Russia have been
crowned, and in the treasury to the left
are the thrones of all the Emperors of the
past and the historic jewels and the
choicest plate now owned by the Russian
crown. There are 5000, 900, 900 worth Of
gold and silver and precious stones in
that treasury, and there are basins gold
there which are as big as baby's bath
tub, and two card tables Of solid silver,