St. Petersburg Datsan (PowerUp 100%)

My city - St. Petersburg-is rich in beautiful historical buildings in various architectural styles. Of course, most of them are located in the central areas of the city. But does this mean that only the center can boast of architectural masterpieces?





Not at all! I, for example, live close to the city center, but still outside it. Most of the buildings here are very ordinary, both pretty and not. I believe that there is only one masterpiece in our district - this is the St. Petersburg datsan "Gunzechoynei" (ཀུན་བརྩེ་ཆོས་གནས་གྲྭ་ཚང).





The name means "The source of the holy teaching of the All-suffering Hermit Lord" in Tibetan. Below are a few facts about it. And, of course, photos.





As you know, datsan is a Buddhist temple. In Russia, there are enough of them, and the St. Petersburg datsan was until recently the northernmost datsan in the world (until the datsan was built, if I'm not mistaken, in Yakutia).





And it is one of the 50 most beautiful Buddhist temples in the world.





It was built in 1909-1915 in the Northern Art Nouveau architectural style, but at the same time in full accordance with the canons of Tibetan architecture (the author of the project was advised by a council of oriental scholars). The stained glass windows in the temple are made by the famous artist Nicholas Roerich, who depicted eight good Buddhist symbols on them.





The Soviet times were not the best for datsan, however, as were the few years that followed. It's all right now: Tibetan and Western teachers come to Datsan, give lectures on Buddhist philosophy, give special teachings and initiations to lay people, and conduct meditation retreats.





Here you also can consult with a Tibetan doctor (Emchi Lama) - a specialist in traditional Tibetan medicine, and guided tours are also available.





In addition, the temple has a dining room where you can taste delicious dishes of national Buryat cuisine (historically, Buddhism in Russia is practiced primarily by ethnic Buryats and Kalmyks).





The St. Petersburg Datsan is located at the following address - Primorskiy Prospekt, 91.





The nearest metro station is Staraya Derevnya (2 minutes on foot).





I apologize for not showing you the interiors, but I think that taking photos in religious buildings is.... mmm... unethical?





Datsan is open to everyone from 10: 00 to 19: 00, except on Wednesday.





Thank you for stopping by and reading it.


Your @irchen