Troman Felizmenio



coutesy of cnn.com

As I was reading an internet article about Troman Felizmenio, a Filipino Pastry Chef in Moscow, I can't help but wonder in awe how this great chef put his heart and soul in making the 2 meter high edible replica of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.  A gingerbread cathedral that I think should just be frozen in time and put in an art museum.  I don't think I would eat such a good replica of St. Basil Cathedral.  He began making this replica in September 2009 and it took him almost 3 months to finish it.  He would spent 3 hours each day in making the cathedral. 

He painstakingly gave importance not only with the architectural design and measurements of the cathedral but also gave the respect that St. Basil should receive.  This great chef and his team of bakers also had made mini cathedrals of which price started with 50,000 rubles or $1600 around that time.

I went to St. Basil Cathedral website just to understand how important this cathedral is in Moscow.  I could just have asked my hubby who is a world history savvy about it but he's in the office.  I am quite well sure he had seen this cathedral during his travels abroad.  Oh anyway, the Cathedral of St. Basil or Vasily the Blessed is one famous historical landmark in Moscow you wouldn't miss when you go to the Red Square landmark near the Kremlin.  It is now nearly 450 years now since it was built. 

courtesy of saintbasil.ru

According to the website of St. Vasily, "The Cathedral of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God upon the Moat was built in fulfillment of a vow made by Czar Ivan the Terrible before his campaign against Kazan in 1552 and with the blessing of Metropolitan Makary. The cathedral was constructed under the supervision of Russian master builders Postnik and Barma in 1555-1561. Uniquely conceived by Metropolitan Makary, the cathedral was to epitomize the image of the Holy City of Jerusalem. As a result, its nine churches, most of which were consecrated in memory of major events of the victorious Kazan campaign, were built on a single foundation."

The mightiness and grandeur of such beautiful architectural product was replicated with respect and honor by our own Filipino Chef.  This is quite a proud moment in the Philippine Culinary history. 

Source: cnn.com;  saintbasil.ru; philstar.com
Photo:  first photo (gingerbread cathedral) courtesy of cnn.com;  thumbnails of the real cathedral courtesy of the saintbasil.ru

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