The attic window was decorated with a big window surround (svetelochnii nalichnik). It was a complex construction consisting of a pediment, twisted columns and a base with carved and painted figures of birds, sirins, mermaids and lions.

   Architectural carving of the Volga River region combines European baroque and classic styles with the traditional motifs of ancient Russian art. Its monumental reliefs, often painted, combined sumptuous floral ornament with images of fabulous creatures that reflected traditional conceptions of the universe with symbolic images of sun, light, and water.

Svetlana Zhizhina