Not far from Sankt-Petersburg along the north coast of the Gulf of Finland a lot of villages and small towns popular for summer rest are situated. Many famous people: writers, artists, politicians prefer to live there. Zelenogorsk and Sestroreck were already been on Wandering Camera. Now we are going to visit Repino. The most remarkable place of
Repino - Penates where the artist Ilya Efimovich Repin lived.
Across the highway, behind the narrow forest-stripe (mostly built with sanatorums and mansion the Gulf of Finland is situated.
Penates are to the left. In other words: if you are coming from Sankt-Petersburg by car (approx.45km), you should see this table and the bright-painted fence to the right. If you are coming by train, you should go back the highway (almost to the end of the village) and Penates will be to the left.
The enter to Penates.
There is one more table with Russian and English names "Penates"
Penates - the museum-manor.
In fact, there are park and some buildings, including the Repin`s house itself.
The House.
Repin settled here in 56 years, when he was already famous.It was in 1899. And then it was the territory of Finland, which was included accordingly to the Russian Empire.
Repino called "Kuokkala" - it means "mattock".
In 1918 Finland was given an independence from Russia, so Repin found himself abroad (the frontier was on river
Sestra).
Repin`s relations with the Soviet Union were rather complicated, also because of his family which refused to move in Russia. In 1930 Repin died and was buried in
Penates.
In 1939 as a result of Soviet-Finland war Repino became a part of USSR and in 1940 Penates became a museum of Ilya Repin.
"The museum-manor of I.E.Repin
"PENATES"
open from 10.30 to 17.00
booking office until 16.00
park from 10.00 to 20.00
Days off : Monday, Tuesday."
The roof is special made for giving maximum light for work.
There are ten rooms in the house.
The sketch of a picture "The Sitting of the State Council" standing at the
wall.
The picture itself belongs to Russian Museum but recently Vladimir Putin has taken it to the Kremlin, Moscow and shown it to the members of nowadays State Council for some
purposes :)
Larger…
Most famous Repin`s pictures : "Burlaki", "The Cross-motion in Kursk Region", "The Unexpected", "Zaporozhcy".
Let`s go outside and walk the house
around.
The poet Sergey Gorodeckiy said about this house:
"There`s a house behind the garden
As fairy tale from our dreams
It stands and turns to fly in heaven
From earth to skies.
It seems to made from glass, not wood
It`s strange, it`s brave, not understood…"
The roads, buildings, bridges, ponds - all were made by Repin himself. He had bought just a part of the forest with shrubbery.
"The Temple of Oziris and Izida
Oziris and Izida - the gods of Ancient Egypt
The arbour served as platform for home concerts and lections.
The square in front of the arbour named in memory of Gomer-the great poet of Ancient Greece, creator of "Illiada" and
"Odisseya"
The arbour and the square are named by Ilya Repin.
The Temple of Oziris and Izida was destroyed during the Great Patriotic War and restorated in 1960."
The arbour of Oziris and Izida on the lawn called "The Square of
Gomer"
To the right - photograph of 1912.
(Ilya Repin and Korney Chukowskiy with son Nikolay)
The Tower of Shekerezada
From the tower you can see The Pushkin Alley.
The tower`s height is approx.12 meters, and from the very top of it you can see the Gulf but now there is no upper stair.
Not so far - the Repin`s grave. To the right - its photograph of 1968. Aren`t it strange?
Near the house: ourative spring.
The inhabitants are gathering water now.
While the Great Patriotic War the willage was occupied by germans, and the house was totally destroyed. In 1944 Soviet troops set it free and renamed it as
"Repino".
