Page from an old book with two poems dated 19 February 1861, signed by Bobkov and P. Weinberg.

NB! · Observations · Society

The day serfdom was abolished in Russia still has no state status

There is something odd, after all, about the fact that 19 February (O.S.), or 3 March by the new style, the day serfdom was abolished in Russia, still has no official status, just as it had none in Soviet times. This is, in truth, a great festival for the

Faith · Observations · Society · Paris

Statement on the Paris Olympics opening ceremony and Europe's turning away from Christ

A remark that struck me as interesting, on the macabre concert given on Sunday by Metropolitan Theologos of Serres of the Greek Orthodox Church at the Monastery of Saint Paraskevi:. Unfortunately, we see that for several decades now, in a supposedly Christian Europe, conditions have been created that promote a

Faith · Observations · Society · Paris

The apologies of the Paris Olympics organising committee have somehow gone unnoticed: Anne Descamps, a spokeswoman for the organisers, offered a grudging and, of course, insincere apology for the offence caused by the mockery of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last

"It is clear that there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think, [together with the ceremony's artistic director] Thomas Jolly, we really tried to celebrate the tolerance of society. Looking at the results of the polls that we

Black and white portrait of an elderly bearded man looking down, beside a window.

The East · Observations · Society

Soviet dissident Valery Senderov, who was born in 1945 and died in 2014

In the Graeco-Roman World of Equal Citizens, Victory Is Won by Lofty Speech and Laughter; in the World of Eastern Despotisms, by Silence and Tears. The Soviet dissident Valery Senderov (1945-2014)

Observations · Society · People

Two views of Robespierre, dictator of the Terror and defender of France

Since so much attention has been paid to beheading in French history, one might also recall the execution of Robespierre, who mounted the scaffold on the night of 27 to 28 July 1794, 230 years ago. On the one hand, this was the end of the Terror, the death of

Faith · Observations · Society · Paris

The Olympic flame and ancient cults in the post author's reading of Games rituals

In essence, the Olympic Games are in fact a ritual. And by no means a Christian one. Only now, however, does the mystical, dark side of the rites attached to the "Games" become plainly visible. The Olympic flame is a tribute to Prometheus, who stole fire from the

NB! · Society · Paris

The Opening of the Olympics

The opening of the Olympics. The sky over Paris

Aristocracy · Books · London · Society · Humour

"Do you consider the House of Lords a more perfect institution than the House of Commons?" "Naturally"

"Do you consider the House of Lords a more perfect institution than the House of Commons?" "Naturally. In the House of Lords we are never brought into contact with public opinion. That is what makes us a civilised institution." Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance,

Faith · Heritage · Society

Greek police prepare to evict 118 monks from Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos

Greek police are preparing to storm the Orthodox pilgrim monastery of Esphigmenou on Mount Athos. In the news reports the monastery is called nothing but schismatic, because for many years Esphigmenou has stood in opposition to the rest of the Holy Mountain, to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and to the

Archive · Faith · Society

Death penalty for preventing the celebration of the liturgy in church

For such crimes, the Council Code of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich prescribed the following:. "And should any miscreant, coming into the church of God during the holy liturgy, by whatever means prevent the divine liturgy from being performed: then, having seized him and established the truth of the matter, that

Art · Observations · Society · Paris

Saint-Germain-des-Prés gallery owners complain about barriers and QR code passes during the Olympics

Art gallery owners in some Paris neighbourhoods complain that, despite the appeals for a cultural contribution to the Olympics, access to their galleries has simply been blocked. And the question is no longer one of boosting sales in the tourist season, but of how the gallery staff themselves are to

An elderly man in a hat, with a pipe in his mouth, peels a potato; on the table are a basket of potatoes and carrots and a bowl with cabbage.

Archive · Art · Society

Genre painting urging the English in wartime to eat simple, readily available food

“Dig for Victory: The Wise Eat More Potatoes”, Charles Spencelayh, 1942. A genre painting with a social purpose, urging the English in the hard years of war to change their consumer habits in favour of simple, readily available foodstuffs