The weather was cold but sunny. I dressed warmly and took a walk in the countryside. I decided to visit the church of the Holy Martyr Queen Alexandra. This Orthodox church is located a few kilometers from Peterhof. The road to this church is very convenient, and the walk is not too long - just for the cold weather. I have long wanted to see this church up close, but every time I was distracted by other, more difficult and longer routes. But on a frosty day, this choice of walking destination seemed perfect for me.
But as it turned out, when planning a route, it's a good idea to check the website to find out the schedule. I'm too used to churches in the city being open daily, even during hours when there are no services. But this church is only open on a schedule, which I had to find out in advance. So I was only able to look at the church from the outside, but not go inside. To get a more complete impression, I decided to walk around the church.
The church stands on a high lake shore, and going downhill is not convenient everywhere. To get around I had to veer off to the side and follow the path between the vegetable gardens for quite a while. The slopes facing the sun are divided into plots between the villagers and are used for growing fruits and vegetables.
The Church of the Holy Martyr Queen Alexandra was built in the middle of the XIX century according to the project of architect Andrei Shtakenshneider. The temple was built by direct order of Emperor Nicholas I and became one of the favorite places for prayer of the imperial family. The temple was built in the Russian-Byzantine style and is very beautiful. Due to its location on a high bank, the temple is visible from afar and is the architectural dominant of the area.
After looking at the church from different angles, I took a little walk around the village. This village is called "Nizino" (Low), which sounds quite ironic - the terrain here is not low-lying at all, but just the opposite. In the center of the village several apartment buildings were built at different times, some of them are characteristic 1970s buildings, others are more modern.
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At the edge of the village stands a brick water tower. I decided to walk to this tower and look at it more closely. I thought that this tower might be quite an old building. I didn't have to guess long and look up the data on the internet, the date of construction is laid out in brick on the tower itself, it's 1961.
Along the way I noticed a small park near the school. The benches and lounge chairs were empty on this frosty day, but in the summer it is probably very pleasant to relax in the park. Ducks were walking on the clear ice of a small lake. I walked around the lake and came out to the stone sculptures. They are works of modern authors: Allegory of the Night, Athena, Sappho, Nautilus.
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| Smartphone | Google Pixel 3a |
| Location | Saint Petersburg, Russia |