The Aviator 85-112
The Hermitage Museum is a museum in St. Petersburg, and the second-largest museum in the world. It was founded in 1764. After the October revolution the collection was dramatically expanded, as old private collections of previous Tsars were given to the state museum. During the 1930s, many pieces were sold abroad, but the Hermitage expanded its collection again after World War II.
pg. 87 — The Bronze Horseman
The Bronze Horseman is a statue of Peter the Great that is in the Senate Square in St. Petersburg. It sits on top of the largest stone Thunder Stone, which is the largest block of stone ever moved by human beings. The name "the Bronze Horseman" comes from a poem by Pushkin, The Bronze Horseman: A Petersburg Tale, though the statue was actually made before Pushkin's time.
pg. 87 — St Isaac's Cathedral
St Isaac's Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Russia. It has a gold dome, though in WWII the dome was painted grey so that it would not attract attention from enemies in the air. During the Soviet period it served as the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism.
pg. 87 — Vasilevsky Island
Vasilevsky Island is an island in St. Petersburg. When it was created, it was intended to have canals as streets to mimic those in Venice, but that plan never came to fruition, and it has roads.
pg. 91 — Siverskaya
Siverskaya was founded in 1857 with the Siverkaya Railway Station. During the Soviet Union, it was merged with some other settlements to create Gatchinsky Uyezd, which was later renamed Trotsky Uyezd.
pg. 91 — Baron Frederiks's dacha
Referring to Baron V. B. Fredericks. He built a large wooden house when he was given the Siversky estate in the 1850s.
pg. 97 — oprichniks
The oprichniks were the Russian state police during the time of Tsar Ivan the Terrible.
pg. 99 — The Neva
The Neva is a river that flows through St. Petersburg.
pg. 100 — the Zhdanovka River
The Zhdanovka river is a short river, a part of the Neva, that flows in St. Petersburg. The slopes on each side are covered in rubble and bushes, which corroborates the story of Zaretsky's murder.
pg. 112 — Andrew of Crete's 'Canon of Repentance'
The longest canon ever composed, this canon is also sometimes called "The Great Canon." The canon is a conversation between St. Andrew and his own soul. Andrew of Crete predicted his own death on a boat ride back to his home of Crete from Constantinople. He was right; he died before making it home. Highlight to reveal spoilers: This perhaps has implications for the ending of the novel, in which Innokenty is returning home on the plane and predicts his own death, in a sense.
