When we left the hotel it was pouring with rain so, having got the metro to Gostinnyi Dvor station, we dived into the forbidding-looking Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan for shelter. There was a service in progress (they take place continuously all day on Sundays) with a huge throng of people crossing themselves and bowing. Periodically a choir on a balcony behind us burst into song, singing the most beautiful music. After 40 minutes we left and, continuing down Nevskii, came to the General Staff building where Jennifer wanted a second look at the Matisse Dancers and the Kempinski paintings. We then spent 3 hours looking at paintings by lesser known artists on the second and first floors as well as rooms occupied by the Russian Government in pre-Revolutionary years. We left at 5 pm and, as it was too early to eat, we went to see the Muzei Pitka (Museum of Torture) which includes a large number of devices from monasteries and said to be genuine. The day was rounded off with a plate of khachapuri (Georgian cheese pizza) at a Georgian restaurant.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan
Jennifer with blood and flesh of Christ (allegedly).
Painting of Joan of Arc. I don’t remember the painter’s name
Painting “The Organ Grinder’s Misfortune”
Screen from Chinese Ming Dynasty, a gift from the Guangxu Emperor (1877-1898) on occasion of Nicholas II’s coronation
Kitchenware of the Ministry of Finance
Tableware for the Ministry of Finance
Malachite table
Plate made by Faberge, presented by Nobility of St Petersburg Province to Nicolas II for his wedding
A break dancer on the street leading to General Staff building
Museum of Torture: Iron Maiden
Device which causes spikes to be driven through a victim’s body
The Judas Cradle, designed to torture victims by keeping them awake
Device for punishing gossips
A thumbscrew and a knife for slicing tongues.
A pump for injecting boiling oil into a victims bum. Above it is a pair of tongs for tearing breasts off and a head crusher.
Frame for roasting victims to obtain a confession from witches
A type of rack
The Buck. Used for slow torture
Known in England as “The “Scavengers Daughter” or “Skeffington’s Irons”. Opposite of the Rack, squeezes victims
Jennifer choosing our Georgian meal