03. Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Earlier this week I did my first sightseeing excursion (other than walking all over central St. Petersburg most days since my arrival). I toured the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. The unusual name comes from where the church was built starting in 1883 - the exact location where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. You can see in the pictures below the pagoda covering the spot where he was blown up.
This is a beautiful church in the medieval Russian style, modeled after other 17th century churches in Yaroslavl and Moscow. The design is quite unusual for St. Petersburg, with few other churches built in this manner. The interior is almost completely covered in mosaics and is a feast for the eyes.
Like most churches in Russia, this was not used as a place of worship between the early post-Russian revolution period and the 1990s. During WWII, it was used as a morgue during the siege of Leningrad, then later as a vegetable market, theater storage warehouse, and a museum. Now it's one of the most popular tourist attractions, and for good reason now that all the art restoration is complete.
This is a beautiful church in the medieval Russian style, modeled after other 17th century churches in Yaroslavl and Moscow. The design is quite unusual for St. Petersburg, with few other churches built in this manner. The interior is almost completely covered in mosaics and is a feast for the eyes.
Like most churches in Russia, this was not used as a place of worship between the early post-Russian revolution period and the 1990s. During WWII, it was used as a morgue during the siege of Leningrad, then later as a vegetable market, theater storage warehouse, and a museum. Now it's one of the most popular tourist attractions, and for good reason now that all the art restoration is complete.
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