Moscow · Museums · Observations · Heritage · Nature
The Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve preserves the remnants of Moscow's oldest oak grove. The oaks of Kolomenskoye may remember the Russian sovereigns who lived and stayed here: Peter I, Alexis Mikhailovich, Michael Fyodorovich, Ivan the Terrible, Vasily III and Ivan III. The oldest oaks of the estate are fenced
London · Monarchies · Heritage · Mores
The back of St Edward's Chair is covered in inscriptions. They are no part of its decoration: they are the marks of vandalism to which the chair was subjected over the centuries. For most of its 700-year history it stood in Westminster Abbey like an ordinary armchair,
NB! · Architecture · Heritage · Mores
Art · Monarchies · Museums · Heritage
The Imperial Wedding Crown of silver, crimson velvet and diamonds: a small piece, 14.5 cm high and 10 cm in diameter, worn as a female crown at the weddings of members of the House of Romanov from 1884 to 1908. Until 1884, an individual crown made from stones of
London · Monarchies · Heritage
Every king of England and of Britain since 1308 has sat on the Stone of Destiny, set into the chair of Edward the Confessor, at the moment of coronation, with the exception of Mary I and Mary II
Archaeology · Museums · Observations · Heritage
The greatest impression made on me in Yekaterinburg was by the Shigir Idol in the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore. This enormous wooden effigy, 3.4 metres tall, is the oldest wooden sculpture ever found. What surprises me most is how little known this monument is, though it is
Faith · London · Monarchies · Heritage
Pope Francis has made the grandest of gifts to the British Crown in honour of the forthcoming coronation of Charles III. Francis I has presented the monarch with two fragments of wood from the True Cross of the Lord. The fragments, or rather tiny splinters, 5 and 10 mm in
NB! · Architecture · Faith · Observations · Heritage
The altar screen of the Anglican cathedral of St Albans has been coloured by a system of projectors to show how it might have looked before the Reformation. Oddly enough, a robot dog has become part of the installation; if I have understood correctly, it is a tactical military robot
Architecture · Moscow · Heritage · People
An Italian house where Leonardo da Vinci once lived is up for sale. The building is currently owned by a former Italian footballer. The residence in Emilia dates from the 15th century and forms part of the Palazzo Felisini. Da Vinci lived here after moving to Bologna with his patron
NB! · Architecture · Faith · Observations · Heritage · Paris
Work on the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris is in full swing. But, frankly, one dreads to imagine what it will look like inside
Monarchies · Heritage · Society · Paris
King Charles III will make his first state visit to France at the end of March, reportedly on the 27th. To mark the royal visit, the official dinner will be held at the Palace of Versailles, as it has been in the preceding 150 years of Franco-British relations. During
Monarchies · Observations · Heritage
Amid the protected Scottish forests and heather moors of the Cairngorms rises a veritable stone pyramid, 10.6 metres high. The pyramid stands a few miles from the royal castle of Balmoral. No, the English did not steal it from Egypt. The structure was raised at the wish of Queen