I. VIDEOS IN ENGLISH

 

DESCRIPTION:

You will be uplifted by the power of the beauty and faith of Russia portrayed here!  This beautiful video weaves together a tapestry of visual and auditory impressions of a few aspects of beautiful and faithful Russia, while demonstrating the vital role that beauty plays in the Russian (Orthodox) experience.  Different types and styles of beautiful music — liturgical, classical and folk — are perfectly wedded with the different types and styles of the visual images.  The narration is kept to a minimum, so that the viewer may more fully focus on the beauty of the music and the accompanying visual images.  The Russians' vigorous love of beauty and love of creating beauty are inseparable from their Orthodox Faith, and is most eloquently communicated in their churches and public worship.

Six aspects of Russian beauty and faith are depicted:

(1) the natural beauty of the Russian countryside, animals and children [5 mins.];

(2) civil and palace architecture and decoration in the urban imperial style [5 mins.];

(3) wooden domestic architecture [2 mins.]; and

(4) wooden church architecture [3½ mins.], in the Russian rural folk style;

(5) masonry church architecture [13½ mins.], showing extensive views of interiors and exteriors of five functioning churches and monasteries, including, St. Tikhon's Monastery in Zadonsk, and two incredibly magnificent, little-known cathedrals in the provincial cities of Kursk and Yelets; and

(6) two short excerpts of Russian Orthodox Divine Services [8 mins.], in Moscow and in the provincial city of Voronezh.  Nothing better expresses the deep love of beauty and the Faith of the Russian people, than such glorious splendor of heavenly worship, where, briefly, one may experience heaven on earth.