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Country: China

Distance: 6,757 km

Travel time:  21 days

On postcard: Gate of Supreme Harmony, The Forbidden City

The Gate of Supreme Harmony (simplified Chinese: 太和门; traditional Chinese: 太和門; pinyin: Tàihémén; Manchu: Amba hūwaliyambure duka), is the second major gate at the southern side of the Forbidden City.

The gate was originally built during the Ming Dynasty, when it was called Fengtianmen (奉天門). Following the Qing conquest of China, the gate was given its present Chinese and Manchu name.

It is flanked by two minor gates, Zhendu Gate to the west and Zhaode Gate to the east. This gate and the Meridian Gate form the north and south boundaries of a great plaza (Shi Zi) that is divided by a serpentine waterway spanned by the "Golden River Bridges". On the north side of the gate is Harmony Square and the entrance to the grand Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Arrayed around the stairs are a large number of incense burners.

The central stairway was reserved exclusively for the Emperor and his immediate attendants, as was the central entrance of Meridian Gate.

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Country: France

Distance: 1,674 km

Travel time:  12 days

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Country: USA

Distance: 8,295 km

Travel time:  19 days

On postcard: Teton Range

The Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. A north-south range, it is on the Wyoming side of the state's border with Idaho, just south of Yellowstone National Park. Most of the range is in Grand Teton National Park.

Early French Voyageurs used the name "les Trois Tétons" (the three breasts). It is likely that the Shoshone people once called the whole range Teewinot, meaning "many pinnacles".

The principal summits of the central massif, sometimes referred to as the Cathedral Group, are Grand Teton (13,770 feet (4,200 m)), Mount Owen (12,928 feet (3,940 m)), Teewinot (12,325 feet (3,757 m)), Middle Teton (12,804 feet (3,903 m)) and South Teton (12,514 feet (3,814 m)). Other peaks in the range include Mount Moran (12,605 feet (3,842 m)), Mount Wister (11,490 feet (3,500 m)), Buck Mountain (11,938 feet (3,639 m)) and Static Peak (11,303 feet (3,445 m)).

Geology

Between six and nine million years ago, stretching and thinning of the Earth's crust caused movement along the Teton fault. The west block along the fault line was pushed upwards to form the Teton Range, thereby creating the youngest range of the Rocky Mountains. The fault's east block fell downwards to form the valley called Jackson Hole. While many of the central peaks of the range are composed of granite, the geological processes that led to the current composition began about 2.5 billion years ago. At that time, sand and volcanic debris settled into an ancient ocean. Additional sediment was deposited for several million years and eventually heat and pressure metamorphosed the sediment into gneiss, which comprises the major mass of the range. Subsequently, magma was forced up through the cracks and weaknesses in the gneiss to form granite, anywhere from inches to hundreds of feet thick. This ancient magma has manifested itself as noticeable black dikes of diabase rock, visible on the southwest face of Mount Moran and on the Grand Teton. Erosion and uplift have exposed the granite now visible today.

One reason the Tetons are famous is because of their great elevation above their base. Unlike most mountain ranges, the Tetons lack foothills, or lower peaks which can obscure the view. This is due to the fault zone being at the base of the range on the eastern side, and the range being too young to have had time to erode into soft hills. As such, the Tetons rise sharply, from 5,000 to nearly 7,000 feet above the valley floor. The view is most dramatic as seen from the east; on the west side, they appear as high rolling hills that transition smoothly into flat pasture.

Jackson Hole and the Tetons have been the setting for a number of films, including John Wayne's movie acting debut in The Big Trail in 1930 and Shane in 1953. Mount Moran and the surrounding mountains were used as a backdrop for the lake/swamp setting in the original series of Land of the Lost (1974 TV series).

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Country: Russia

Distance: 1,739 km

Travel time:  33 days

On postcard: Victor Vasnetsov, Alyonushka. 1881

Romi-Isetta (Brazil)

In 1955, Iso licenced the Isetta to Romi, a machine-tool manufacturer headquartered in the city of Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, in the State of São Paulo. The Isetta was chosen because it was considered an ideal vehicle for use in the cities by virtue of its size and economy. Released on September 5, 1956, it was the first car produced in Brazil.

Some 3,000 of the Romi-Isettas were manufactured from 1956 to 1961. They kept the Iso design and used Iso engines until 1958; in 1959 they switched to the BMW 300 cc engines.

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Country: Netherlands

Distance: 1,118 km

Travel time:  10 days

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Country: Portugal

Distance: 2,875 km

Travel time:  20 days

On postcard: Lisboa

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Country: USA

Distance: 7,052 km

Travel time:  6 days

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Country: Russia

Distance: 719 km

Travel time:  15 days

On postcard: Palace Square. Alexander Column.

Palace Square (Russian: Дворцовая площадь, Dvortsovaya Ploshchad), connecting Nevsky Prospekt with Palace Bridge leading to Vasilievsky Island, is the central city square of St Petersburg and of the former Russian Empire. It was the setting of many events of worldwide significance, including the Bloody Sunday (1905) and the October Revolution of 1917.

The earliest and most celebrated building on the square is the baroque white-and-azure Winter Palace of Russian tsars (1754–62), which gave the square its name. Although the adjacent buildings are designed in the Neoclassical style, they perfectly match the palace in their scale, rhythm, and monumentality. The opposite, southern side of the square was designed in the shape of an arc by George von Velten in the late 18th century. These plans were executed half a century later, when Alexander I of Russia envisaged the square as a vast monument to the Russian victory over Napoleon and commissioned Carlo Rossi to design the bow-shaped Empire-style Building of the General Staff (1819–29), which centers on a double triumphal arch crowned with a Roman quadriga.

The centre of the square is marked with the Alexander Column (1830–34), designed by Auguste de Montferrand. This red granite column (the tallest of its kind in the world) is 47.5 metres high and weighs some 500 tons. It is set so well that no attachment to the base is needed.

The eastern side of the square is occupied by Alessandro Brullo's building of the Guards Corps Headquarters (1837–43). The western side, however, opens towards Admiralty Square, thus making the Palace Square a vital part of the grand suite of St Petersburg squares.

The square also serves as open-air venue for concerts by international acts, including Andrea Bocelli, Roger Waters, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Duran Duran, Anastacia, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Shakira, Madonna, Sting.

 

The Alexander Column (Russian: Алекса́ндровская коло́нна, Aleksandrovskaya kolonna) also known as Alexandrian Column (Russian: Александри́йская коло́нна, Aleksandriyskaya kolonna), is the focal point of Palace Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The monument was erected after the Russian victory in the war with Napoleon's France. Named after Emperor Alexander I, who ruled Russia between 1801 and 1825, the column is an interesting piece of architecture and engineering.

Column

The Alexander Column was designed by the French-born architect Auguste de Montferrand, built between 1830 and 1834 with Swiss-born architect Antonio Adamini, and unveiled on 30 August 1834. The monument — the tallest of its kind in the world — is 47.5 m (155 ft 8 in) tall and is topped with a statue of an angel holding a cross. The statue of the angel was designed by the Russian sculptor Boris Orlovsky. The face of the angel bears great similarity to the face of Emperor Alexander I.

The top of the column, showing statue of an angel holding a cross

The column is a single piece of red granite, 25.45 m (83 ft 6 in) long and about 3.5 m (11 ft 5 in) in diameter. The granite monolith was obtained from Virolahti, Finland and in 1832 transported by sea to Saint Petersburg, on a barge specially designed for this purpose, where it underwent further working. Without the aid of modern cranes and engineering machines, the column, weighing 600 tonnes (661 tons), was erected by 3,000 men under the guidance of William Handyside in less than 2 hours. It is set so neatly that no attachment to the base is needed.

Pedestal

The pedestal of the Alexander Column is decorated with symbols of military glory, sculpted by Giovanni Battista Scotti.

On the side of the pedestal facing the Winter Palace is a bas-relief depicting winged figures holding up a plaque bearing the words "To Alexander I from a grateful Russia". The composition includes figures representing the Neman and Vistula rivers that were associated with the events of the Patriotic War. Flanking these figures are depictions of old Russian armour - the shield of Prince Oleg of Novgorod, the helmet of Alexander Nevsky, the breastplate of Emperor Alexander I, the chainmail of Yermak Timofeyevich and other pieces recalling heroes whose martial feats brought glory to Russia.

Pedestal decorations of Alexander column

The other three sides are decorated with bas-reliefs featuring allegorical figures of Wisdom and Abundance, Justice and Mercy, Peace and Victory, the last holding a shield bearing the dates 1812, 1813 and 1814. These compositions are enhanced by depictions of Ancient Roman military symbols and Russian armour.

The sketches for the bas-reliefs were produced by Auguste de Montferrand. He coordinated the scale of their compositions with the monumental forms of the monument. The panels were designed to the planned size by the artist Giovanni Battista Scotti. The models were produced by the sculptors Piotr Svintsov and Ivan Lepee, the ornamental embellishments by sculptor Yevgeny Balin. The casting of the bronze was done at Charles Baird's works in Saint Petersburg.

Later years

In 1952, according to some recent reports, the authorities of the Soviet Union secretly planned to replace the statue of the angel with a statue of Joseph Stalin.  A historic iron fencing around the column was demolished during the Soviet period. The fencing was restored in 2002.

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Country: USA

Distance: 7,305 km

Travel time:  32 days

On postcard: Dear Valentine, will you be ours?

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Country: Russia

Distance: 719 km

Travel time:  17 days

On postcard: Phrynops

Sometimes called the bearded toadheads but better known by their scientific name of Phrynops this genus of turtles has often been a bit of a dumping ground for the short-necked South American turtles of the family Chelidae.

The genus is widely distributed in South America found in the Orinoco to Amazon and São Francisco to Paraná and adjacent river basins of Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina (Iverson, 1992).

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Country: Netherlands

Distance: 1,139 km

Travel time:  12 days

On postcard: Amsterdam

ES-156873 452 - ая открытка

Country: Spain

Distance: 2,150 km

Travel time:  28 days

On postcard: Basque Country

The Basque Country (Basque: Euskal Herria) is the name given to the home of the Basque people in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain on the Atlantic coast.

It comprises the Autonomous Communities of the Basque Country and Navarre in Spain and the Northern Basque Country in France.

Even though they are not necessarily synonyms, the concept of a single culturally Basque area spanning various regions and countries has been closely associated since its inception with the politics of Basque nationalism. As such, the region is considered home to theBasque people (Basque: Euskaldunak), their language (Basque: Euskara), culture and traditions. Nevertheless the area is neither linguistically nor culturally homogeneous, and the very Basqueness of parts of it, such as southern Navarre, remains contentious.

Territorial extent

The modern claim for the extent of the Basque Country, coined in the nineteenth century, is seven traditional regions. Some Basques refer to the seven regions collectively as Zazpiak Bat, meaning "The Seven [are] One".

Spanish Basque Country

The Spanish Basque Country (Spanish: País Vasco y Navarra, Basque: Hegoalde) includes two main regions: the Basque Autonomous Community (capital: Vitoria-Gasteiz) and the Chartered Community of Navarre (capital: Pamplona).

The Basque Autonomous Community (7,234 km²) consists of three provinces, specifically designated "historical territories":

• Álava (capital: Vitoria-Gasteiz)
• Biscay (capital: Bilbao)
• Gipuzkoa (capital: Donostia-San Sebastián)

In addition, some sources consider two enclaves as part of the Basque Autonomous Community:

• Enclave of Treviño (280 km²), a Castilian enclave in Álava
• Valle de Villaverde (20 km²), a Cantabrian enclave in Biscay

The Chartered Community of Navarre (10,391 km²) is a uniprovincial autonomous community. Its name refers to the medieval charters, the Fueros of Navarre. The Spanish Constitution of 1978 states that Navarre may become a part of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country if it was so decided by its people and institutions. To date, the results of regional elections have shown a clear rejection of this option. The ruling Navarrese People's Union has repeatedly asked for an amendment to the Constitution to remove this clause.

History

According to some theories, Basques may be the least assimilated remnant of the Paleolithic inhabitants of Western Europe (specifically those of the Franco-Cantabrian region known asAzilian) to the Indo-European migrations. Basque tribes were mentioned by Greek writer Strabo and Roman writer Pliny, including the Vascones, the Aquitani and others. There is considerable evidence to show their Basque ethnicity in Roman times in the form of place-names, Caesar's reference to their customs and physical make-up, the so-called Aquitanian inscriptions recording names of people and gods (approx. 1st century, see Aquitanian language), etc.

Geographically, the Basque Country was inhabited in Roman times by several tribes: the Vascones, the Varduli, the Caristi, the Autrigones, the Berones, the Tarbelli and the Sibulates. Many believe that except for the Berones and Autrigones they were non-Indo-European peoples, the ethnic background of the most westerly tribes is not clear due to lack of information. Some ancient place-names, such as Deba, Butrón, Nervión, Zegama, suggest the presence of non-Basque peoples at some point in protohistory. The ancient tribes are last cited in the 5th century, after which track of them is lost, with only Vascones still being accounted for, while extending far beyond their former boundaries, e.g. in the current lands of Álava and most conspicuously around the Pyrenees and Novempopulania.

The Cantabri, encompassing probably present-day Biscay, Cantabria, Burgos and at least part of Álava and La Rioja, lived to the west of Vascon territory in the Early Middle Ages, but the ethnic nature of this people, often at odds with and finally overcome by the Visigoths, is not certain. The Vascones around Pamplona, after much fighting against Franks and Visigoths, founded the Kingdom of Pamplona (824), inextricably linked to their kinsmen the Banu Qasi. All other tribes in the Iberian Peninsula had been, to a great extent, assimilated by Roman culture and language by the end of the Roman period or early period of the Early Middle Ages (though ethnic Basques extended well east into the lands around the Pyrenees until the 9-11th centuries).

In the Early Middle Ages (up to the 9-10th centuries) the territory between the Ebro and Garonne rivers was known as Vasconia, a blurred ethnic area and polity struggling to fend off the pressure of the Iberian Visigothic kingdom and Muslim rule from the south and the Frankishpush from the north. By the turn of the millennium, after Muslim invasions and Frankish expansion under Charlemagne, the territory of Vasconia (to become Gascony) fragmented into different feudal regions, e.g. the viscountcies of Soule and Labourd out of former tribal systems and minor realms (County of Vasconia), while south of the Pyrenees, besides the above Kingdom of Pamplona, Gipuzkoa, Álava and Biscay arose in the current lands of the Southern Basque Country from the 9th century onward.

These westerly territories pledged intermittent allegiance to Navarre in their early stages, but were annexed to the Kingdom of Castile at the end of the 12th century, so depriving the Kingdom of Navarre of direct access to the ocean. In the Late Middle Ages, important families dotting the whole Basque territory came to prominence, often quarreling with each other for power and unleashing the bloody War of the Bands, only stopped by royal intervention and the gradual shift of power from the countryside to the towns by the 16th century. Meanwhile, the viscountcies of Labourd and Soule under English suzerainty were finally annexed to France after the Hundred Years' War at the defeat of Bayonne in 1451.

In Navarre, the civil wars between the Agramontese and the Beaumontese paved the way for the Spanish conquest of the bulk of Navarre from 1512 to 1521. The Navarrese territory north of the Pyrenees remaining out of Spanish rule was formally absorbed by France in 1620. In the decades after the Spanish annexation, the Basque Country suffered attempts at religious, ideological and national homogenization, coming to a head in the 1609-1611 Basque witch trials at either side of the border of the kingdoms.

Nevertheless, the Basque provinces still enjoyed a great deal of self-government until the French Revolution in the Northern Basque Country, when the traditional provinces were reshaped to form the current Pyrénées-Atlantiques department along with Béarn. On the Southern Basque Country, the Charters were upheld up to the civil wars known as the Carlist Wars, when the Basques supported heir apparent Carlos and his descendants to the cry of "God, Fatherland, King" (the Charters finally abolished in 1876). The ensuing centralised status quo bred dissent and frustration in the region, giving rise to Basque nationalism by the end of the 19th century, influenced by European Romantic nationalism.

Since then, attempts were made to find a new framework for self-empowerment. The occasion seemed to have arrived on the proclamation of the 2nd Spanish Republic in 1931, when a draft statute was drawn up for the Southern Basque Country (Statute of Estella), but was discarded in 1932. In 1936 a short-lived statute of autonomy was approved for the Gipuzkoa, Álava and Biscay provinces, but war foiled any progress. After Franco´s dictatorship, a new statute was designed that resulted in the creation of the current Basque Autonomous Community and Navarre, with a limited self-governing status, as settled by the Spanish Constitution. However, a significant part of Basque society is still attempting higher degrees of self-empowerment (see Basque nationalism), sometimes by acts of violence. The French Basque Country, meanwhile, lacks any political or administrative recognition whatsoever, while a large number of regional representatives have lobbied to create a Basque department, to no avail.

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Country: Australia

Distance: 14,270 km

Travel time:  45 days

On postcard: Green Tree Frog

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Country: Belarus

Distance: 458 km

Travel time:  7 days

On postcard: Nesvizh Castle

Nesvizh Castle or Niasvizh Castle (Belarusian: Нясвіжскі замак, Niasvižski zamak, Russian: Несвижский замок,Nesvizhskiy zamok, Polish: Nieświeski zamek) is a residential castle of the Radziwill family in Nesvizh in Belarus.

History

The estate was owned by the Radziwiłł Polish magnate family from 1533, when it was awarded to Mikołaj Radziwiłł and his brother Jan Radziwiłł after the extinction of the Kiszka family. Since the Radziwills were one of the most important and wealthy clans of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, it was there that the Lithuanian Archive was moved in 1551. In 1586 the estate was turned into an ordynacja.

In 1582 Mikołaj Krzysztof "Sierotka" Radziwiłł, the Marshal of Lithuania, voivode of Trakai and Vilnius and castellan of Šiauliai, started the construction of an imposing square three-storey chateau. Although the works were based on a pre-existing structure of a mediæval castle, the former fortifications were entirely turned into a renaissance-baroque house. Construction was completed by 1604, and they added several galleries half a century later. The château's corners were fortified with four octagonal towers.

In 1706, during the Great Northern War, Charles XII's army sacked the castle and destroyed its fortifications. Several decades later, the Radziwills invited some German and Italian architects to substantially renovate and enlarge the chateau. Antoni Zaleskidecorated its yellow facades with baroque stucco work. The 16th-century castle gates were also reconstructed, and the two-storey gatehouse tower was crowned with a helm. It was at this time that the three separate buildings surrounding the central courtyard were joined into a single structure.

The most important structure in Nesvizh is the Corpus Christi Church (picture) (1587 to 1603), connected with the castle by a dam over a ditch and containing coffins of 72 members of the Radziwill family, each interred in a simple coffin made of birch and marked with Trąby Coat of Arms. Designed by the Italian architect Gian Maria Bernardoni (1541 to 1605), the church is considered the first Jesuit temple patterned after Il Gesù in Rome, the first domed basilica with Baroque facade in the world and the first baroque piece of architecture in Eastern Europe.

Apart from elaborate princely sepulchres, its interior features some late baroque frescoes from 1760s and the Holy Cross altar, executed by Venetian sculptors in 1583.

In 1770 the castle was seized by Russian forces and the Radziwill family was expelled. Soon afterwards the Lithuanian Archive was transferred to Saint Petersburg (where it remains), while the majority of works of art gathered in the palace were distributed among various Russian nobles. Abandoned both by the original owners and by the Russian army, the palace gradually fell into disrepair. However, it was restored by the Radziwills and between 1881 and 1886 the castle's interiors were renovated by Prince Anton Radizwill and his French wife, Marie de Castellane. They also designed a landscape park in English style. With an area of more than one square kilometre, the park is one of the biggest such facilities in Europe.

In 1939, the Radziwill family was expelled from the castle by the invading Red Army. In Soviet times, the chateau was used asanatorium, while the park gradually fell in neglect.

In 1994, the castle complex was designated the national historical and cultural reserve. Twelve years later, the castle complex was inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Reconstruction

The ongoing reconstruction has drawn sharp criticism for its "unjustified reconstruction" of several long-demolished structures, notably a bell-tower. In 2002, the upper storey of the residence was destroyed by fire. Six years later, the Belarus edition of the Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that a substantial section of the castle, dating from the 18th century, had been entirely demolished on account of "rotten brick" .

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Country: Netherlands

Distance: 1,160 km

Travel time:  38 days

On postcard: 3D postcard

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Country: Brazil

Distance: 10,749 km

Travel time:  29 days

On postcard: Catanduva

Catanduva is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Is the 2nd largest city in the North/Northwest portion of the state, 385 km from the city of São Paulo. The population is 112,820 inhabitants (IBGE/2010).

The city has a diversified economy, and the cultivation and processing of sugarcane is relevant.

Catanduva is the center of a Microregion with 221,465 inhabitants, in an area of 2,283.6 km².

History

The history of Catanduva begins in the middle of the 19th century, in lands that belonged to Araraquara and, posteriorly, originated the cities of Monte Alto, Jaboticabal and São José do Rio Preto. In the beginning of the 20th century, Catanduva was known as Cerradinho, a small village.

In December 16, 1909, the village was elevated to district, with the name of Vila Adolpho, and in April 14, 1918, the municipality of Catanduva was established.

The founders of Catanduva remain unknown. There are two different histories. One of the versions tells that the small community of "Cerradinho", a little town built on the banks of the São Domingos river, was founded by the Figueiredo family, from Minas Gerais. The other famous version tells that the city was founded by Antônio Maximiano Rodrigues, also from Minas Gerais, who bought lands on the region, by the end of the 19th century. Later, part of these lands were donated to the São Domingos (Saint Dominic) parish. Saint Dominic is the patron saint of Catanduva.

Name

Catanduva (Caa-tã-dyba in Tupi-guarani language) is a word of indigenous origin meaning "rough grass" or "unhealthy vegetation". It is a reference to the Brazilian Cerrado, the region's typical vegetation.

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Country: Russia

Distance: 1,421 km

Travel time:  36 days

On postcard: Александро-Невский Новоярмарочный собор

Собор святого благоверного князя Александра Невского (Новоя́рмарочный) — православный кафедральный (с 2009 года) собор в Нижнем Новгороде. Построен в 1868—1881 годах по проекту архитектора Л. В. Даля.

Расположение и описание

Находится в центре города по адресу: улица Стрелка, 15. Престолы собора:

• Святого Александра Невского
• Святого Николая Чудотворца
• Равноапостольной Марии Магдалины.

В выступающем западном притворе, на хорах большого собора расположена зимняя церковь Макария Желтоводского и Унженского.

История

В 1856 году ярмарочное купечество изъявило желание построить второй православный ярмарочный храм в память о посещении ярмарки императором Александром II и обратилось с ходатайством о постройке нового собора к нижегородскому епископу Антонию, а тот, в свою очередь, к губернатору А. Н. Муравьёву. Был проведён сбор пожертвований. Необходимые средства (454 тысячи 667 рублей 28 копеек) были собраны за 10 лет (к 1866 году^]).

8 сентября 1864 г. состоялась символическая закладка камня в основание будущего храма. К 1864 году был готов проект губернского архитектора Р. Я. Килевейна. Его пришлось переработать по причине недостаточной прочности; после этого выяснилось, что для такого проекта не хватает финансирования. Новый проект, предложенный молодым архитектором Л. В. Далем, также не был утверждён.

18 ноября 1865 г. проект церкви был утверждён правительством. Авторство утверждённого правительством проекта до сих пор не установлено точно. В 1866 г. Л. В. Даль вернулся на постоянное жительство в Нижний Новгород из-за границы и доработал проект собора.

Строительство

Начало 20 века

15 сентября 1867 г. был учреждён строительный комитет для возведения храма, а 11 августа 1868 г. состоялась повторная закладка собора на Стрелке. Основное строительство собора было начато 18 августа 1868 года и продолжалось в течение 13 лет, внутренние работы продолжались до 1881 года. Высота храма составляет 87 метров.

Собор был возведён без традиционного свайного основания и «представлял собой центрическое монументальное сооружение с пятью восьмигранными шатрами, центральный из которых поднимается на высоту 72,5 метра. В декоре фасада сочетались элементы разных архитектурных стилей. План собора имел эклектический характер». Кроме написанных московским иконописцем Ф. А. Соколовым икон в храм были привезены иконы из ликвидированного после пожара Макарьевского монастыря.

Духовное окормление

20 июля 1881 года строительство было закончено и собор был торжественно освящён в присутствии императора Александра III, его супруги Марии Фёдоровны и цесаревича Николая.

Храм выделялся тем, что у него не было постоянного прихода: его прихожане — купцы, приезжавшие на ярмарку.

По этой причине основное помещение было открыто только во время ярмарки, а зимой не отапливалось.

Работала только отапливаемая зимняя церковь Макария Желтоводского и Унженского.

Храм был местом встречи почётных гостей города — царской семьи, иерархов православной церкви.

В храме находилась чудотворная икона Божией Матери и Животворящий Крест Господень, к которым прикладывались многие страдающие параличом и другими заболеваниями.

Kонфискация имущества, советское время

В 1929 году храм был закрыт, ценности изъяты, а зимой 1930 года по решению руководства Волжской флотилии иконостасы и все деревянные украшения собора пустили на дрова для обогрева местных домов.

Прихожанам всё же удалось спасти несколько икон, в том числе икону Божией Матери и Животворящий Крест, находившиеся до последнего времени в Нижегородской Свято-Троицкой Высоковской церкви.

В конце 1920-х годов был разработан проект реконструкции ярмарочной территории.

Он предусматривал снос собора и возведение на его месте маяка с памятником В. И. Ленину.

Этот проект не был осуществлён, но в качестве подготовки к нему в конце 1930-х годов были разобраны шатры.

В дальнейшем здание собора существовало как склады и частично как жильё.

К собору были пристроены многочисленные подсобные помещения и различные конторы, преобразившие его до неузнаваемости.

В подвалах храма находились склады.

Во время Великой Отечественной войны на центральном барабане собора была установлена зенитная батарея, защищавшая небо Нижнего Новгорода от налётов фашистской авиации.

В 1940-е годы произошёл пожар, уничтоживший интерьер в здании собора и роспись на потолке и стенах храма.

После этого остатки внутренней штукатурки были полностью сбиты.

Возрождение храма

В 1983 году началась реставрация собора, в этот период активно принимали участие добровольные реставраторы. В 1989 году началось восстановление сорванных шатров храма.

В феврале 1991 года было создано Братство во имя святого благоверного великого князя Александра Невского, и в июне 1992 годасобор был возвращён Церкви.

С 1992 года в зимнем приделе преподобного Макария начались богослужения.

30 декабря 1998 года митрополит Нижегородский и Арзамасский Николай освятил центральный Александро-Невский престол храма.

24 апреля 1999 года был освящён Мариинский придел, и 18 мая — Никольский придел.

Богослужения стали совершаться в основном помещении собора; но при этом реставрация продолжается.

Для собора пришлось разработать новую конструкцию иконостаса, так как секрет старых мастеров, установивших и закрепивших в прошлом веке 23-метровый — с восьмиэтажный дом! — иконостас, открыть не удалось.

Внешнее убранство иконостаса постараются восстановить по старым уцелевшим фотографиям.

8 сентября 2009 года архиепископ Георгий совершил Божественную литургию, а по её окончанию освятил новую соборную икону Нерукотворного Образа Спасителя — список с чудотворного образа Тутаевского Всемилостивейшего Спаса, написанный в иконописной мастерской «Традиция» .

12 сентября 2009 года Собору в честь святого благоверного князя Александра Невского в Нижнем Новгороде присвоен статус кафедрального.

В октябре 2009 года завершена роспись молельной комнаты в Автозаводском интернате для детей с проблемами развития. Интернат окормляется приходом собора с конца 1990-х годов.

Работы по внутренней росписи собора начались в апреле 2010 года. В 2010 году была завершена роспись алтаря, а летом 2011 года приступили к росписи двух опорных колонн. Общая площадь росписей составит 11 тыс. м². 1 июля 2010 года архиепископ Георгий освятил Казанский образ Божией Матери — первую из 187 икон Богородицы, планируемых к установке в соборе. Во время освящения икона была установлена в большом киоте у левой колонны. В августе 2011 года была завершена работа над Донской иконой Божией Матери, списком с древнего образца, хранящемся в Третьяковской галерее.

Планируется реконструкция территории вокруг собора с целью повышения его транспортной доступности.

Колокол «Соборный»

Рядом с собором вместе со звонницей планируется установить колокол весом 60 тонн.

Проект создания колокола реализуется по благословению Патриарха Московского и всея Руси Алексия II.

Это будет третий по величине колокол в России (после Царь-колокола в Москве и колокола в Троице-Сергиевой Лавре).

Его высота составит 4 метра, таким же будет диаметр, он будет отлит из колокольной бронзы.

По нижнему поясу колокола будет идти надпись, увековечивающая имена всех попечителей и благотворителей, принявших участие в его создании. Проектированием и возведением звонницы занимается фирма «Старый Нижний», отливка колокола будет вестись на Балтийском заводе в Санкт-Петербурге, художественное оформление и звучанием руководят специалисты из Москвы.

Отливка колокола состоялась на «Балтийском заводе» 5 октября 2011 года. Работы велись в течение нескольких часов. На остывание колокола было отведено три недели.

Святыни и реликвии

В соборе с 2005 года находится единственная в России икона с частицами мощей священномученика Киприана и мученицы Иустиньи. А также:

• икона преподобного Серафима Саровского с частицей мощей;
• икона блаженной Матроны Московской с частицей мощей;
• икона святого благоверного князя Александра Невского с частицей мощей;
• икона святой великомученицы княгини Елисаветы и инокини Варвары с частицами мощей;
• икона святителя Николая, архиепископа Мир Ликийских, чудотворца.

IT-174320 446 - ая открытка

Country: Italy

Distance:  1,396 km

Travel time:  8 days

On postcard: Lake  of Varese

Varese Lake (Italian: Lago di Varese) is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, in the north of Italy. It has an area of 14.5 km², a medium depth of 11 meters, and a maximum depth of 23 meters.

BE-143273 445 - ая открытка

Country: Belgium

Distance: 1,307 km

Travel time:  9 days

On postcard: Brugges Town Hall

Bruges Town Hall dates from 1376, making it one of the oldest town halls in all of the Low Countries. It is from this building that the city has been governed and administered for more than 700 years. The Gothic Chamber, with its magnificent 19th-century wall paintings and its polychrome ceiling, is a work of art in its own right. The painted figures illustrate stories from the city’s glorious past. Under the theme of ‘Governors and Governed,’ you will be able to follow the exciting power struggle between the aristocracy, the city administration and the citizens of Bruges.