dynasty travel destinazioni

• Destinazioni

SOGGIORNO IN TRENTINO

Visite di merano – fondo e lago smeraldo -trento – bolzano – santuario san romedio, 8 giorni 7 notti partenza 25 agosto 2024 tutto compreso  € 780.00.

1 giorno PARTENZA

Ritrovo dei partecipanti alle fermate prenotate (orari da stabilire) e partenza in bus GT alla volta del TRENTINO. Soste durante il percorso per il pranzo (libero) e arrivo ad ANDALO. Situata sull’altopiano tra il Gruppo del Brenta ed il massiccio della Paganella, Andalo è   una rinomata località turistica con panorami unici sulle DOLOMITI. Sistemazione in HOTEL, cocktail di benvenuto. Cena e pernottamento.

2° giorno MOLVENO ANDALO

Colazione in hotel e passeggiata naturalistica lungo il lago di Andalo fino al rifugio dell’ ermellino, e shopping nel caratteristico MERCATINO SETTIMANALE. Pranzo in Hotel e nel pomeriggio trasferimento a MOLVENO paese sul suo omonimo lago che offre un panorama mozzafiato; passeggiata per il piccolo centro storico e per il lungolago. Rientro in Hotel per la cena ed il pernottamento.

3° giorno VAL DI NON SAN ROMEDIO

Colazione in Hotel e partenza per la VAL DI NON dove oltre ai meravigliosi meleti potremo visitare il santuario di S. Romedio considerato uno dei santuari più caratteristici d’ Europa. Nelle vicinanze di Sanzeno in Val di Non, è sicuramente il più interessante esempio di arte cristiana medioevale presente in Trentino. Si tratta di un noto luogo di pellegrinaggio, costruito su una rupe calcarea alta oltre 70 metri. Questo suggestivo luogo ricco di spiritualità sorge grazie alla figura dell’eremita Romedio di Thaur. Alla morte dell’eremita, i suoi fedeli scavarono nella roccia la sua tomba dando così vita ad un culto che continua ancora oggi.   Rientro in Hotel per il pranzo e nel pomeriggio per chi volesse a pochi passi dal nostro hotel CABINOVIA PANORAMICA fino al rifugio e passeggiata in quota 1750 m. s.l.m. con possibilità per i più audaci ,di arrivare fino a quota 2125 s.l.m. Rientro in hotel per la cena ed il pernottamento.

4° giorno MERANO – BOLZANO

Colazione in hotel e partenza per Merano. Per entrare nel cuore di Merano, basta passeggiare lungo i suoi parchi o percorrere i portici, scoprirla piano piano, nei suoi angoli più nascosti e osservare quei dettagli che da soli raccontano la storia. Trasferimento per il pranzo al BRAUGARTEN GIARDINO FORST, vicino Merano, con i suoi vecchi castagni ombrosi è la giusta atmosfera per gustare la birra fresca, spillata da mani esperte, arriva rapidamente al vostro tavolo con la giusta temperatura nell’elegante bicchiere FORST a forma di tulipano. Dopo pranzo passeggiata digestiva a Bolzano, città dalle mille culture e altrettanti volti: moderna e tranquilla, capoluogo di una regione tanto piccola e allo stesso tempo tanto vasta, innovativa ma profondamente legata alle tradizioni antiche; è una meraviglia circondata dalle Dolomiti che merita una visita. In serata rientro in hotel per la cena ed il pernottamento.

5° giorno FONDO E LAGO SMERALDO

Colazione in hotel e partenza per Fondo. Una delle caratteristiche più particolari del paese è il fatto di essere stato costruito proprio sopra il canyon scavato dal Rio Sass. Il paese di Fondo, anche grazie alla su ricca storia è oggi luogo d’attrazione turistica. Per chi viene a visitare il paese di Fondo, non deve assolutamente perdersi il Lago Smeraldo con i suoi bellissimi colori e la meravigliosa passeggiata del Burrone che collega il centro storico del paese con il lago. Rientro in hotel per il pranzo. Pomeriggio a disposizione per il relax.   CENA TIPICA TRENTINA. Pernottamento.

6° giorno RELAX

Pensione completa in hotel. Giornata a disposizione per shopping e attività individuali.  

7° giorno TRENTO

Colazione in Hotel e partenza per TRENTO incontro con la guida e visita.   Architettura e arte, musei e natura, fanno di Trento una splendida meta di viaggio. Capoluogo di provincia e della regione autonoma, questa città del Trentino Alto Adige ha una lunga e ricca tradizione che la lega ad alcuni dei momenti più importanti della storia dell’Italia. . Rientro in Hotel per il pranzo . Pomeriggio libero . Cena e pernottamento in hotel.

8° giorno RIENTRO

Colazione in Hotel e partenza per il rientro. PRANZO DELL’ARRIVEDERCI. In serata   arrivo alle fermate di origine.

QUOTE DI PARTECIPAZIONE

tour in bus GT; 7 pernottamenti in hotel ***s; trattamento di pensione completa con bevande dalla cena del primo giorno al pranzo dell’ultimo giorno; tutte le visite ed escursioni elencate nel programma; accompagnatore Dynasty; assicurazione medico bagaglio.

ingressi a castelli, parchi e centri benessere; assicurazione annullamento viaggio (da richiedere in agenzia al momento della prenotazione); eventuale tassa di soggiorno da pagare in loco.

• SUPPLEMENTO SINGOLA € 170,00
• DOCUMENTO RICHIESTO carta d’identità in corso di validità.

Al momento della prenotazione € 100,00 il saldo 30 giorni prima della partenza.

N.B.: l’ordine delle escursioni potrebbe subire delle variazioni o potrebbero essere sostituite per problemi atmosferici o altri problemi tecnici.

N.B.:QUOTAZIONI VALIDE PER UN MINIMO DI 25 PARTECIPANTI; AL DI SOTTO DEI 25 PARTECIPANTI E’ PREVISTO UN ADEGUAMENTO SULLA QUOTA E L’ACCOMPAGNATORE DYNASTY TRAVEL NON E’ GARANTITO PER TUTTA LA DURATA DEL VIAGGIO.

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Dynasty Travels International

在王朝游记，我们首先看重我们的客户。我们设计和规划各旅游套票就好像它是我们自己的。

Great Destinations

旅行与我们！看世界我们的眼睛。

Holidays. Tours. Vacations. Trips.

Quality Assured

At Dynasty Travels, we value our customers first and foremost. We design and plan each Europe luxury travel package as if it were our own.

Complete Trip Package

You will be presented with a complete price for your trip package, containing all the services you will need to make your vacation the trip of a lifetime.

We have partnered with a well-known travel insurance comparison site, to make sure that you get the best price and cover trip insurance.

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If you are looking for a fully independent and custom travel package, you have come to the right agency. Please keep in mind that with a fully independent & custom package, there are no large groups of strangers to travel with the entire time, no cramped motor coaches that take you from city to city or country to country and no "its Tuesday, it must be Belgium" set itinerary. Our packages & itineraries are completely custom tailored, independent, and designed around you so that you travel on your own at your leisure.

Travel Packages

Prices for our packages are based on many components. Things like the length of your trip, number of travelers, number of cities and countries you want to visit, types of hotels you prefer, and a plethora of other items factor into your overall package cost. We do not aim to offer you the cheapest package option out there, but we are competitive and include a ton of value for the services we offer.

What people say about us

We wanted to drop you a note to thank you for all your help with our recent vacation to Italy. It was simply a phenomenal trip! You put together a package which was exactly what we asked for ? organized activities coupled with ample free time to explore on our own, and smaller quaint (yet elegant) accommodations.

Mr. T. Riegle, Edison

Our trip to Paris and Provence was even better than we had imagined. Once again we gave you short notice, but you came through for us with flying colors. Everything, transportation, hotel accommodations, day tours were excellent. This was our second trip with you planning all of the details ? truly amazing! I would not hesitate to recommend Destination Europe to anyone and we will never consider any other travel agent.

Thomas Wong

Rome, Italy

Your efficient planning enabled Chris and I to make the most of the few days we were in China and Paris. The small boutique hotels that you chose for us were perfectly located with a very delicious variety of breakfast selections at both. We were able to walk or conveniently take the metro (cleanest I've ever experienced) to wherever we wanted to go. In both China and Paris our hotel hosts were helpful, friendly and accommodating.

Joseph Weil

Berlin, German

I must say when I first booked an Italian vacation over the Internet without any references, I was a bit skeptical. But, after following your planned trip to Rome, Florence, and Venice we could not have been more pleased.

Mr. J. Phillips, Charlotte

Paris, France

Please excuse me for not responding sooner to your welcome home message. The trip was outstanding. The organization of tickets and vouchers was exact. We had no problems with any scheduling issues. The weather was a bonus, 70's every day.

Mrs. L. Koch, Hyannis

New York, USA

We had a wonderful time. ALL the accommodations were first rate and in wonderful locations which made getting around very easy. The rooms, beds and bathrooms were wonderful. My friends loved the Parador in Ronda as I expected. For ambience, we loved the small hotel Isabel la Real in Granada.

Soapy Smith

We had a great time. Everything went like clockwork. The hotels were perfect. Great rooms, service and food. The Frankfurt hotel was fantastic. To Germany we were upgraded to a suite on the 16th floor with a spectacular view of the river; On our return we were upgraded to a large stylish apartment

Eduardo de Valfierno

We arrived safely home from our wonderful 30th Anniversary trip to London, Paris, and Amsterdam, tired and full of lots of great memories. London ? Flight on Delta was good. Flights were on time and the layover in Detroit wasn't too bad. It was pretty much a ?no frills' flight, so no movies, or real meals were provided.

Carol & Mike

Travel Guides & Tips

Tried and tested tours & excursions.

We have curated a selection of tours & excursions in most of our overnight destinations, carefully selecting local partners to provide these services. There are activities for everyone ranging from rafting to wine tasting.

We take care of all modes of transport including airport pick-ups, rental cars and private taxi transfers as well as bus, train and ferry tickets so you can relax and enjoy your vacation, knowing all the little details have been taken care of.

Tour Manager

Your expert JayWay Tour Manager, based in Europe, will be in touch with you a month before you travel to provide guidance by email or phone, get your time preferences for some services and to make arrangements for any additional activities you wish to add to your itinerary.

Flight Advice & Assistance

We can assist in finding you the cheapest fares to each destination or if you'd prefer to book the flights yourself (many of our guests take advantage of their frequent flyer miles for their trips to Europe) we can advise you on routing as well as which airports to arrive at and leave from so you're not wasting a day doubling back during your tour.

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Dynasty Travel, a brand-name agency established in 1978, is transforming into a travel technology company for the post-pandemic landscape.

31 January 2022

In a world where we can see nearly anything our hearts desire online, traveling is no longer about seeing new places. We believe that travel can be a force for good, when it is weaved together with education, entertainment, engagement and the environment. And with technology, traveling with us becomes a hassle-free and seamless experience.

Travel well, learn more, do good.

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CUSTOMER REVIEW

The May trip to Japan “The Best Of Central Honshu”, was a very good experience especially the Alpine Route. This “Premium Tour” small group was very good, from total strangers became good friends. Very Good Food and Hotel arrangements. I would like to compliment Ms Diana Chua, our Singapore Tour Leader, she is pleasant, very caring and helpful. The Japan Tour Guide Philip Tan was good too.

As a first-time client of Travel Curators, I did not know what to expect. But by the end of my trip, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of their service, their systematic planning and especially their responsiveness throughout the trip to last minute requests. They lived up to their billing as a white glove travel concierge service. While I could do my own research and plan a rough itinerary to meet my families’ specific interests, Travel Curators helped tremendously. Thanks to Travel Curators, my family left Japan with many fond memories.”

Had a 12 day private tour to Japan via Dynasty Travel. Overall, a refreshing, memorable and meaningful trip given our focused and free and easy tour. Meticulous and customised arrangements to fulfil our requirements. We thus have a good grasp of both Kyoto and Nagoya, and Japan in general after this trip.

Good food and hotel and itinerary. Their tours are good. Went with them to Turkey in Oct 22.

My husband and I had a wonderful experience to Central Honshu with Dynasty travel in May. Itinerary is good (esp. the Alpine Route!) and not so rushing throughout the trip. Tour leader, Diana, is friendly, well organized and helpful. She attend to our needs from simple things like buying fruits to buying Sake. 🍶😁 Also, Diana always make effort to look out on my elderly sister! Our travelling group were all lovely companions and everybody got along very well – A very comforting feeling! Overall the whole trip was very enjoyable. Good job Dynasty! 👍

Did a Mie/Aichi Japan private trip in early April. Thanks to Stephanie and her team, our needs and interests were met. Fine details like our food and accommodation preference from our previous Shizuoka trip in 2022 were noted. The clam digging experience in Aichi perfecture was definitely a unique birthday gift for my wife. Looking forward to our next trip.

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New owner transforming Dynasty Travel into travel tech company, planning luxe experiences

SINGAPORE - Dynasty Travel, a brand-name agency established in 1978, is transforming into a travel technology company for the post-pandemic landscape.

It was acquired late last year in an eight-figure deal by Travel Curators, a Singapore-headquartered travel technology company that began as a mobile app targeted at affluent travellers seeking bespoke travel services in Japan.

The global pandemic is an opportune moment to digitalise Dynasty Travel, after its 100 per cent acquisition from JTB Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of Japan's largest travel company JTB Corporation, said Mr Teo Tianyi, founder of Travel Curators.

"With leisure and business travel severely disrupted by the ongoing pandemic, we see a unique opportunity to lead the digitalisation of the travel agency industry, and provide greater value-added services for global clients seeking safe and hassle-free ways to explore and learn more about our planet," said the Singaporean private equity investor, who was based in Tokyo for a decade.

The niche experiences in Japan crafted by Travel Curators include hunting ezo-bafun sea urchins with local fishermen on Rishiri Island in Hokkaido, while learning about how climate change is affecting the population of these ocean delicacies.

Travellers can also harvest organic mazuma wasabi with an artisanal grower who picks off pests by hand daily.

Travel Curators, a start-up founded in 2016, works closely with local communities in Japan and other countries to design one-of-a-kind experiences that also create a positive impact on the people, economy and environment of each place.

It is helping to preserve culture by, for instance, producing short films on best-in-class Japanese artisans, many of whom are retiring without successors. These include a Noh mask carver in Kyoto and an incense maker in Osaka.

Though it has stayed low profile, its refreshing approach to bespoke travel and efforts to give back have been highlighted by international media, including National Geographic and Esquire.

Bloomberg reported in 2018 that it has "an impressive Rolodex with the country's elite, facilitating everything from brown bear safaris in Hokkaido to private dinners with the cast of a live-action manga movie".

In the same spirit, Dynasty Travel, one of the largest travel agencies in Singapore, will design bespoke adventures aligned with the environmental and social responsibility practices of its new owner - beginning with chartered luxury cruises to exotic places such as Antarctica and the Galapagos this year, Mr Teo said.

Journeys to Indonesian rainforests to learn more about wildlife protection and climate change are also being planned.

In line with the new ethos, the premises of Dynasty Travel in New Bridge Road will be redesigned for clients to enjoy a concierge-style customer experience that differs from the previous counter-style format.

The office floors will also be revamped to reflect the company's new technology-driven business approach, with an array of spaces such as quiet spots for focused work and relaxing common areas for informal discussions.

Meanwhile, the company is also recruiting new talent to strengthen its management team.

The rebranded Dynasty Travel is expected to amplify its presence in Asia under the ownership of Travel Curators, which also supplies its proprietary Tora-Q trip planning and management technology to leading travel agencies around the world.

In a strategic partnership, Travel Curators is also providing its Tora-Q system to JTB Asia Pacific to transform its business model and create new digital touchpoints for clients.

JTB Asia Pacific will also leverage Travel Curators' technology and trip curation expertise to design unique travel experiences around the world for a global clientele.

More transformation lies ahead. Mr Teo said: "As worldwide travel demand rebounds in the coming years, our acquisition of Dynasty Travel will put us in a prime position to rapidly grow our business and user base."

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Novospassky Monastery: Bastion of the Romanov Dynasty

Moscow. Novospassky (New Savior) Monastery, southeast view from Novospassky Bridge over Moscow River. From left: Transfiguration Cathedral, southeast tower, bell tower. May 25, 2014

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian chemist and photographer Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky invented a complex process for vivid, detailed color photography. His vision of photography as a form of education and enlightenment was demonstrated with special clarity through his photographs of architectural monuments in the historic sites throughout the Russian heartland. 

Novospassky Monastery, northeast view. From left: Southeast tower, bell tower, northeast tower, Church of St.Nicholas&east cloisters, Transfiguration Cathedral, Znamenye Church,1912. Color print published in P.G.Vasenko, Romanov Boyars and the Enthronement of Mikhail Fedorovich (St.Petersburg, 1913)

In addition to his photography work, Prokudin-Gorsky also established a business that produced color postcards and illustrations in books. In 1914, his enterprise was reestablished under the name Biochrome. Among the publications featuring his color photographs was a large volume published in 1913 to commemorate the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty. The illustrations included his panoramic view from a nearby rooftop of one of Russia’s most historic monastic institutions, the Novospassky (New Savior) Monastery.

A Moscow institution

Novospassky Monastery. Refectory Church of the Intercession, southeast view. August 18, 2013

Nestled in a small hill downriver from the Kremlin, the Novospassky Monastery is among the oldest religious institutions in Moscow. Like many of the city's other monasteries, its story intertwines Russia’s spiritual and political history. By some accounts, the monastery was initiated in the 1150s by the founder of Moscow, Prince Yury Dolgoruky. At that time, it was located south of the Moscow River on the site of what is now Danilov Monastery. 

Novospassky Monastery. Transfiguration Cathedral, south view. August 18, 2013

In the early 14th century, the  Savior  Monastery was reestablished inside the Kremlin by Grand Prince Ivan Kalita. Its main church, the Savior in the Forest, was Moscow's oldest surviving structure until it was destroyed in a Soviet rebuilding of the Kremlin in the 1930s. In 1490, Grand Prince Ivan III (the Great) moved the monastery to its current location on Krutitsky Hill overlooking the Moscow River and reconsecrated it as the Novospassky  (New Savior)  Monastery. Strategically located, the monastery had stout walls and towers in a rough pentagonal plan that enabled it to serve as a fortress. Along with other major monasteries on the southern fringe of Moscow, the Novospassky Monastery played a role in repulsing a major raid by Crimean Tatars in 1591.

Novospassky Monastery, Transfiguration Cathedral. View northeast with west piers & icon screen. August 18, 2013

Like much of Moscow, the monastery was sacked during the early 17th-century dynastic crisis known as the Time of Troubles. With the establishment of the Romanov dynasty in 1613, the Novospassky Monastery gained unprecedented lustre as a favored institution of the new ruling family.

Final resting place of royalty 

Novospassky Monastery, Transfiguration Cathedral. View east toward icon screen. August 18, 2013

The monastery's ties to the Romanovs date to the end of the 15th century with the burial of a member of the Zakharin family, ancestors of the Romanovs. In the 16th century, others of the Zakharin family were interred at the monastery cemetery, including Roman Yurevich Zakharin (d. 1543), father of Ivan the Terrible's first wife, Anastasia. 

Indeed, as the source of the Romanov name, Roman Zakharin is considered the dynasty's forefather. His son, Nikita, founded the dynasty and his grandson Fyodor Nikitich (subsequently Patriach Filaret, head of the Russian Orthodox Church) was the father of the first Romanov tsar, Mikhail (1596-1645). Toward the end of Mikhail’s reign, a major expansion of the monastery began with the rebuilding of its massive brick walls and towers in 1640-42.

Novospassky Monastery, Transfiguration Cathedral. View north with west piers. August 18, 2013

Michael's successor, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (1629-76), presided over further expansion with the rebuilding of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior in 1645-49. This monumental structure replaced the original monastery church, built at the end of the 15th century over the graves of the Romanov ancestors.

Novospassky Monastery, Transfiguration Cathedral. East facade with original entrance to Romanov burial crypt. August 18, 2013

In 1650, the Transfiguration Cathedral gained its monumental five-tiered icon screen, with icons painted by master artists from the Kremlin. The frescoes that cover the cathedral interior were painted in 1689 at the order of Tsar Peter I (the Great). Both the icon screen and the frescoes have been recently restored.

The Transfiguration Cathedral continued to serve as a burial crypt for members of the Romanov family. (The ruling members of the dynasty are buried in the Kremlin or In the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg.) In 1902, the Romanov burial crypt was rebuilt with a new entrance and a chapel dedicated to St. Roman the Melodist.

Novospassky Monastery, Transfiguration Cathedral. Crypt with Romanov burial chapel (Church of Romanos the Melodist). August 18, 2013

Next to the Savior Cathedral is the Church of the Intercession, built in 1673-75 and connected to the cathedral at its southwest corner. The present wall paintings in the large refectory of the Intercession Church were done in 1877. 

Rise and fall           

Novospassky Monastery. Scullery (attached to Intercession Church at far right). May 25, 2014

By the turn of the 18th century, royal favor had enabled Novospassky Monastery to become one of the wealthiest in Moscow, with some 14,000 peasants on its rolls. In 1764, however, Catherine II (the Great) stripped monasteries of their land holdings.

Novospassky Monastery. Refectory hall of Intercession Church, view northeast. August 18, 2013

The most notable addition to the monastery in the 18th century was its bell tower, one of the largest in Moscow (265 feet from its base to the cupola). Designed by Ivan Zherebtsov, the construction on the tower began in 1759 but was completed only in 1785. Its second level contains a small church dedicated to St. Sergius of Radonezh, the avatar of Muscovite monasticism.  

In 1791-95, the Church of the Znamenie Icon of the Virgin (Icon of the Sign) was reconstructed in a neoclassical style at the northeast corner of the Transfiguration Cathedral. Originally built by Tsar Mikhail Romanov over his ancestors' graves, the new structure was supported by the Sheremetev family, whose members were buried on the lower level.

Novospassky Monastery. Intercession Church, view toward icon screen. August 18, 2013

During the French occupation of Moscow in the fall of 1812, the Znamenie church was used as a stables, and the monastery generally suffered extensive damage. Its churches were reconsecrated in 1813, and the monastery retained its favored status. In 1913, a brightly painted chapel was erected after a visit by Nicholas II during the commemoration of the tercentenary of the dynasty.

In 1918, after the Bolshevik revolution, the monastery was closed and the Romanov crypt vandalized. In the late 1930s, the territory served as a place of execution for the NKVD, whose victims were buried in common graves next to the walls.            

One surviving grave

Novospassky Monastery. Znamenye Church, east view. Background: Transfiguration Cathedral. May 25, 2014

During the Soviet period, the noted cemetery on the monastery grounds was destroyed in stages extending to the early 1970s. However, a small chapel stands over one grave that has survived – that of the nun Dosifeya, better known as Princess Tarakanova. 

Although her origins remain wrapped in obscurity, "Princess Volodimirskaya" (as she called herself) claimed to be the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and her favorite Alexei Razumovsky. The intrigues surrounding this claim were seen as a threat to the legitimacy of Catherine the Great, who had skeletons of her own. Catherine commanded Count Alexei Orlov to abduct the princess from Italy, and at the beginning of 1775, she was delivered to St. Petersburg's fortress. 

Novospassky Monastery. Chapel over the grave of the nun Dosifeya. May 25, 2014

There are lurid stories and paintings of her death later that year. The official version was that she died of tuberculosis and was buried in the Peter-Paul Fortress. But a rival account has her taking the veil as Dosifeya (after her presumed death) and eventually living in Moscow's John the Baptist Convent from 1785 to 1810. Dosifeya’s remains were buried at Novospassky Monastery near the Romanovs, and in 1907 a small chapel was erected over her grave to the left of the great bell tower. 

Rehabilitation and restoration         

Novospassky Monastery. Memorial cross to Grand Duke Sergey Aleksandrovich Romanov (1998 reproduction of destroyed 1908 original by Viktor Vasnetsov). May 25, 2014

Novospassky Monastery was officially declared a historical and cultural monument in 1965, the beginning of a process of restoration that lasted over two decades. In March 1991, the monastery was returned to the Orthodox Church, and soon thereafter resumed its function as a Romanov shrine. 

In 1998, a memorial cross was erected to Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Governor-General of Moscow, whose extremely conservative policies alienated many and made him a target of Russian radicals. In February 1905, he was assassinated by a bomb upon entering the Kremlin. His sarcophagus was discovered during Kremlin excavations in 1990, and in 1995 his remains were reinterred at Novospassky Monastery. The cross is a copy of the one designed by the artist Viktor Vasnetsov and placed in the Kremlin in 1908. 

Novospassky Monastery. Monument to Tsars Michael & Nicholas II with the St. Theodore Icon of the Virgin (sculptors: Denis Stretovich & Andrey Golubev). May 25, 2014

In September 2013, the model of a monument depicting Mikhail and Nicholas II – the first and last Romanov tsars – with St. Theodore Icon of the Virgin between them, was unveiled near the cathedral apse. Witness to so much turbulent and dark history, Novospassky Monastery is now a carefully maintained refuge from the nearby bustle of Moscow. 

Novospassky Monastery. Church of St. Nicholas & east cloisters, southwest view. August 18, 2013

In the early 20th century, the Russian photographer Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky developed a complex process for color photography. Between 1903 and 1916 he traveled through the Russian Empire and took over 2,000 photographs with the process, which involved three exposures on a glass plate. In August 1918, he left Russia and ultimately resettled in France where he was reunited with a large part of his collection of glass negatives, as well as 13 albums of contact prints. After his death in Paris in 1944, his heirs sold the collection to the Library of Congress. In the early 21st century the Library digitized the Prokudin-Gorsky Collection and made it freely available to the global public. A few Russian websites now have versions of the collection. In 1986 the architectural historian and photographer William Brumfield organized the first exhibit of Prokudin-Gorsky photographs at the Library of Congress. Over a period of work in Russia beginning in 1970, Brumfield has photographed most of the sites visited by Prokudin-Gorsky. This series of articles juxtaposes Prokudin-Gorsky’s views of architectural monuments with photographs taken by Brumfield decades later.

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