Very near the epicenter of one of European Christendom's most interesting and important cities, this picture of 27 July 2014 vintage was taken from the northeast corner of Манежная Площадь – Manezhnaya Ploshchad (Square, that is). The rather impressive looking edifice in the center is the comparatively new (1872) Государственный Исторический Музей – State Historical Museum. Though the museum was the brainchild of a group of Slavophiles, the architect who was selected and who designed the building was a certain Vladimir Osipovich Sherwood – Владимир Осипович Шервуд (1832-1897), the son of a Catholic Englishman (Joseph Sherwood) who had been invited over in 1800 by Tsar Pavel. The foreign engineer and scientist and architect phenomenon is a bit of a plague on the Slavophile, though we must beg the reader not to conclude that ours is a Slavophile debunking exercise. It is not. Европейский Христианский Мир (Европейское Христианство) нуждается в России – European Christendom needs Russia. But we need Russia in truth and holiness.

To the viewer's left, if concealed quite a bit by the fluffy green tree, is a museum to the memory of a "Patriotic War," not the one against the Germans, but the one against the invading French from 1812. And to the viewer's right, also behind trees, is the mighty Moscow Kremlin Wall tower, Угловая Арсенальная Башня (Собакина) – Corner Arsenal Tower (nicknamed Sobakina), designed and built in 1492 Anno Domini by Tsar Ivan III (the Great) –invitee, Italian-Swiss architect Pietro Antonio Solari – Пьетро Антонио (Пётр Антонин) Солари. And to the very far right in the picture can just be made out the 3-meter high Communist star which still tops this tower — the Никольская Башня – Nikolskaya Tower (1491), also by Solari – Солари — as indeed the authorities find it necessary to maintain Communist symbolism into the second decade of the XXI century on about five of the twenty of these most visible of historic towers of Russia, the Moscow Kremlin Towers – Башни Московского Кремля, including (excuse us, but perversely) on the Savior Tower – Спасская Башня – Spasskaya Tower (also 1491 and also by Solari – Солари); the Боровицкая (Предтеченская) башня – Borovitskaya (Baptist) Tower (1490 by Solari – Солари); and the Троицкая Башня – Trinity Tower (1495 to 1499 by another Italian architect, Aloisio da Milano; also known in Russia as Алевиз Фрязин Миланец; also invited by Tsar Ivan III (the Great)– Иван III Васильевич (Иван Великий), reigned 5 April 1462 – 27 October 1505).