The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, is famous for holding world’s most precious pieces of art, along with its’ own history and beauty. One very important part of The Hermitage are the cats inhabiting it. Yes, cats are regarded as treasured guardians of the Museum, patrolling the basement for mice and rats and treated like furry royalty by doting staff members.
The museum even holds an annual Day of the Hermitage Cat to honor its army of felines, members of which have now been immortalized in the rich dress of imperial court servants in portraits commissioned for publication by the Hermitage Magazine, which is published by the museum’s Hermitage XXI Century Foundation. The paintings were completed by the Uzbek artist Eldar Zakirov
