News

START OF NAVIGATION IN ST. PETERSBURG

17 April 2024

The long-awaited event for residents and guests of the city - the beginning of navigation in St. Petersburg! This year navigation will start on the 27th of April. It means that from the 27th of April it will be possible to enjoy excursions along the rivers and canals of the city again.

WHERE TO FEEL THE TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN LIFESTYLE?

22 March 2024

MIR Travel Company will tell you where and how to get there! The excursion is called the Golden Ring of Russia and passes through several Old Russian cities. The route itself was developed in 1967 with the inclusion of 8 cities: Sergiev Posad, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov the Great, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Suzdal and Vladimir. 

RAPHAEL'S MASTERPIECE IN THE HERMITAGE MUSEUM

18 April 2024

The painting The Beautiful Gardener, also known as Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist, by Raphael was delivered from the Louvre Museum (Paris) to the Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg). From 21 July to 19 September Raphael's masterpiece can be seen in the Apollo Hall of the Winter Palace. The canvas was supposed to be part of the December exposition Raphael's Line, timed to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the artist's death, but due to the pandemic it was brought in only now. Raphael created the Beautiful Gardener at the age of 22. The artist was inspired by the works of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, whose works are on display in the Hermitage Museum as well. Many elements of the painting are symbolic. Flowers mean sorrow, suffering and humility of the Virgin Mary. During the restoration, experts discovered Raphael's signature on the hem of the Mother of God's mantle.

"Raphael did not sign all of his paintings, and this is especially important. If you look closely at the edge of Mary's dark blue cape, you will see an ornament drawn with a gold line, - in fact, this is the master's signature," said a researcher at the Department of Western European Fine Arts of the State Hermitage Museum.