One of the main Orthodox holidays – the Protection of the Holy Mother of God – is celebrated on October 14. The Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos came to Russia from Byzantium and was established in…
Rostov-on-Don has historically been one of the most crime-ridden cities in Russia. Odessa has always been close on its heels. Detectives have encountered all kinds of crime in Rostov, mostly thefts of various kinds. Of course, there were plenty of…
There’s a saying in Russian culture that’s long become a formula for inspiration: “Boldino autumn.” It sounds so confident, as if nature and literature once shook hands and entered into a secret pact: you—silence and cold air, I—pages that will…
In 1600, Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake in Rome. The renowned scholar, philosopher, and freethinker aroused the indignation of all church authorities—both Catholic and Protestant. He was no more welcome in Elizabethan England than in papal Italy. The…
Russian classics are a vast literary edifice, imbued with pain and concern for the fate of little people. Therefore, they have a universal resonance and remain popular in many countries around the world. Those of us over forty remember the…
Autumn is approaching its midpoint. It has already woven a colorful carpet across the earth; the clouds frown, seeing how nature has dressed up (they were so gray), and the rains weep for the passing summer. The harvest in the…
After World War II, the belief became established that the skull and crossbones emblem was a symbol of the SS. Indeed, their battle hymn included the words, “We are always ready for battle when runes and death’s head call us…
October 7th, according to our ancestors, is a special day. In the old days, all girls eagerly awaited it. What’s so special about this date, you ask? Let’s find out together. Every year on October 7th, the Orthodox Church honors…
“This painting dates from just after Brouwer’s arrival in Antwerp, where he came from Haarlem or Amsterdam. Barber, charlatan, and surgeon—the village barber can do anything. Here, he operates on a patient’s leg. Typical of Brouwer, in addition to his…
Fate was cruel, allowing the artist only 10 years of active creative life, but even this short period was enough for Vincent van Gogh to develop into a distinctive master with an original style. Unfortunately, his recognition as one of…
This fragment of a terracotta mask, found in the ruins of the Greek city of Phanagoria, still displays stunning details dating back to the 2nd century BCE, including a hole through which the strap that held the mask in place…
“Is Gogol a Russian writer?” the question sounds deliberately simple, like “black or green tea.” But the answer immediately creaks open to the 19th century: the empire is vast, the boundaries in the mind and on the map don’t yet…