Chantal Biya Discovers Historic St. Petersburg

Through a special historic collection at the Faberge Museum, a boat-ride over the Neva River and a visit to the Grand Peterhof Palace, the First Lady of Cameroon, Chantal Biya has discovered the culture, art, lifestyle and the architecture in Russia when it was a monarchy. This was during a visit to these sites on Friday, July 28, 2023 at the Saint Petersburg city in Russia. The First Lady of Cameroon alongside other First Ladies, participated in activities reserved for spouses accompanying their husbands for the second Russia-Africa summit which just rounded off in Russia. 
Despite the rainfall and windy climatic condition witnessed on that Friday morning, the First Lady of Cameroon, who is also UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassador for Education and Social Inclusion, was not discouraged in her determination to explore the most populous city on the Baltic Sea. The tour, which took over five hours was just enough for Mrs Biya and her peers to have a glimpse of the historic city which hosted them during their stay for the summit. As early as 10.00 a.m. on that Friday, the First Lady of Cameroon in pink attire and an umbrella set out for an amazing discovery. Her first stop was at the Faberge Museum.

A Museum With Masterpieces 
At the Faberge Museum, one of the guides, Maria Vatavu, was on hand to lead the French speaking delegation of the visitors. She explained that the Museum was opened to the public on November 19, 2013 in the meticulously restored Shuvalov Palace, becoming the first private museum in Russia of national and international significance. It was also revealed that the museum was published on the basis of the world’s largest collection of works by the house of Faberge. The museum, Maria Vatavu said, is made up of over 4,000 displays of items such as Easter eggs, fantasy-themed objects, jewellery, silverware, home decor and objects of worship. The First Lady and the crew began the tour at the Blue room of the museum going through the Gold room to the Anteroom, Red room, Beige room, White room and the exhibition hall. Maria Vatavu said the items of greatest value in the collection are in the Blue room. These are nine Easter eggs which represent gifts from Emperor Alexander III to his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna for Easter in 1885. They are all masterpieces of jewellery art and have unique historical value, as they are linked to the reign and personal lives of Emperors like Alexander III and Nikolia II among others. Other items found in the museum include chain pendants, brooches, earrings, combs, belt buckles, cigarette cases, desk clocks with calendar. These items are made of material such as gold, pearls, rock crystal, silver, ivory, velvet, ruby, glass, platinum and rose-cut diamonds. On a boat cruise, over the Neva River, the First Lady...