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Interesting facts about Savior on Spilled Blood. Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood: mysticism and legends

The forests around the Savior on Spilled Blood stood for so long that they became a legend of St. Petersburg, if not its landmark. And they even entered the culture: for example, Rosenbaum in his song “Show me Moscow, Muscovites...” sings about his dream of removing the forests from the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. People said, half jokingly, half seriously, that as soon as these forests were removed, the entire Soviet Union would collapse. Surprisingly, the scaffolding was dismantled in 1991, although it had not been touched for decades. And in August 1991, famous events took place that put an end to Soviet power in Russia.

Underwater crosses

Spas-on-Blood stands right on the Griboyedov Canal. In order for the temple to stand and the waters of the canal not to penetrate under the building, they abandoned the use of piles when strengthening the soil. For the first time in urban planning, a concrete foundation was constructed under the entire area of the building. To build the bell tower, a protrusion of 8 meters was made on the embankment.
This canal, according to legend, played a significant role in the restoration of the cathedral. There is a story about how the crosses of the Savior on Spilled Blood were “baptized” with the water of the canal. They say that in order to save them from the Bolsheviks, in Soviet times, the residents of St. Petersburg hid them... at the bottom of the city. And when the temple finally began to be restored, one St. Petersburg resident, a “random passer-by,” told the team of restorers about where the crosses might be and pointed out the location. The divers actually found the hidden shrines, and they returned to their domes.

Morgue and scenery storage

The Soviet government, as is known, did not spare monuments of church architecture and mosaics. The Savior on Spilled Blood was not demolished, although the decision to dismantle it was made: it was included in the lists as an object “not representing any artistic architectural value" They say that holes have already been drilled in the walls and explosive charges have been prepared. But war broke out, and the bombers were sent to the front.
During the war and the Leningrad siege, the temple housed - not much less - the regional Dzerzhinsky morgue, and the temple seemed to live up to its name for the second time - “On the Blood”.
A little later, the building was rented by the Maly Opera Theater to store its scenery there.

Blessed paving stones

The Cathedral of the Savior on Blood, or the Resurrection of Christ on Blood, was built, as you know, in memory of the tragic death of the Russian Emperor Alexander II. At this place, on March 1, 1881, the People's Volunteer terrorist Ignatius Grinevitsky threw a bomb at Emperor Alexander II. Evidence of these events is still kept in the cathedral: inside there are cobblestones on which the mortally wounded Alexander II fell, sidewalk slabs nearby and part of the Catherine Canal grate

Not only gospel symbols

Surprisingly, even the proportions of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ are symbolic: the height of its central structure is 81 meters, and this number was chosen as a reminder of the year of the death of Emperor Alexander II - 1881. The second highest dome is 63 meters, a symbol of the age of the murdered emperor. The symbolism of numbers is generally characteristic of Orthodoxy, and it can also be found in the number of domes and other details chosen by the architects.
Twenty red granite memorial tablets are installed in the basement of the temple. They indicate the actions of Emperor Alexander II: the main events from February 19, 1855 to March 1, 1881. Also on the temple you can find a double-headed eagle, and on the bell tower - the coats of arms of Russian cities, provinces and districts. The cross of the bell tower of the Savior on Spilled Blood is crowned with a gilded royal crown.

Masterpieces

The collection of mosaics of the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg is one of the largest in Europe. More than 7 thousand square meters of the temple building are covered with mosaics, and the production of these masterpieces delayed the completion of work on the temple and its consecration for ten years! Among the producers of sketches for mosaics are the most famous Russian masters - Vasnetsov, Nesterov, Belyaev, Kharlamov, Zhuravlev, Ryabushkin. Even the iconostasis in the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is mosaic.
The temple was originally built as an electrified one, and it was illuminated by 1689 electric lamps. The mosaics should have looked special in such lighting. In addition to this technical innovation - electricity, there were others in the temple, for example, a lightning rod system was skillfully built into its multi-colored domes.

Mysterious icon

No one knows whether this is true or not, but in connection with the Savior on Spilled Blood they constantly talk about mysterious icon, located in this cathedral, on which turning dates for the history of Russia are supposedly encrypted: 1917 - the year of the October Revolution, 1941 - the year of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 1953 - the year of the death of Joseph Stalin. In addition to these dates, some other dates appear on the amazing icon, which are still unclear and, perhaps, related to the future. We don’t know whether this icon actually exists or is an invention of mystically minded citizens, but the temple guides love to tell this story to its visitors.

THERE ON THE CANAL, BEHIND THE FORESTS...

The Savior on Spilled Blood disappeared behind an unsightly box made of wood and metal in July last year. Scaffolding grew around the central dome of the temple, which was in disrepair. The brickwork was damaged, some of the tiles were lost, and the enamel-covered dome was full of chips and cracks. Within six months, restorers are returning the architectural monument to its former beauty and grandeur.

On January 24, journalists and the Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Igor Albin visited the site. The official got acquainted with the progress of the work and went up to the main tent, which was located at an altitude of eighty meters. To get to it, we had to climb several hundred steps. Despite this, the official was satisfied with the inspection.

Everything at this facility is done to the highest quality standards. This concerns the production culture, this concerns the selection of materials and even the installation of technical equipment. Working at high altitudes is difficult work in unfavorable wind conditions,” the vice-governor said. - Of course, we would like the work to be completed as quickly as possible, we would remove the scaffolding and the guests of St. Petersburg, the city residents would enjoy the splendor of the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

HOW DO THEY RESTORATE?

Now specialists are cleaning the surface of the tent from centuries-old dust and soot and strengthening the historical enamel that has survived to this day. Restorers cannot completely replace it. To apply a new coating and fire it in a kiln, it is necessary to dismantle the dome. In addition, builders are replacing rotted supports and repairing brickwork. They pay special attention to the tiles, which have been battered by the capricious St. Petersburg weather.

Before this, the last restoration was completed 20 years ago,” said Boris Podolsky, deputy director for operation of the State Museum of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. - 20 years have passed since then. During this time, the roof was in disrepair, and there was a threat of the tent's load-bearing structures getting wet. Therefore, we had to dismantle the tiles, after which we discovered the emergency condition of the masonry of the tent kokoshniks and the steel sheathing. By the way, we will replace tiles with defects. It was manufactured in St. Petersburg and has already passed the necessary tests.

UNTIL 2025

The first stage of restoration will cost the city 78 million rubles. According to plans, it was supposed to be completed in March 2018. However, during the work, problems were identified that will take a little longer to resolve. It is not known exactly when the Savior on Spilled Blood will again appear before the townspeople in all its glory. Approximately, the scaffolding from the central tent will be removed in the summer of 2018, in time for the World Cup. But the work won't end there.

After the central tent, restorers will move on to other domes of the cathedral, then restoration of the facades is expected. According to preliminary estimates, the work will be completed by 2025, its cost will be about 250 million rubles, said Vice-Governor Albin.

HELP "KP"

The Savior on Spilled Blood was opened and consecrated in 1908. But twenty years later it was closed and transferred to the Society of Political Prisoners. During the siege of Leningrad, the temple was used as a city morgue. And then within these same walls there was a warehouse for the decorations of the Maly Opera House. In 1956, authorities talked about demolishing the building to straighten the highway along the canal, but public protests prevented demolition. Later, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ was declared a branch St. Isaac's Cathedral. Since the late 1990s, it began to receive visitors as a museum, and in 2004, 70 years later, the first divine liturgy was held here. Last year, the Savior on Blood was included in the ranking of the most famous cultural sites in the world and became the most popular attraction in Russia.

The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on Spilled Blood, better known as the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, was built by order of Emperor Alexander III for almost a quarter of a century - from 1883 to 1907. Money was collected all over Russia.

Despite the bright decoration, the reason for its creation is more than sad: it was at this place on March 1, 1881, that the terrorist Ignatius Grinevitsky threw a bomb at Emperor Alexander II. The Tsar Liberator, who abolished serfdom, fell bleeding onto the cobblestone street and died. After the terrible murder, the authorities created a special commission, which was supposed to perpetuate the memory of the sovereign, for which they announced a competition for best project temple. It was necessary to create a cathedral that would repeat the features of Russian churches of the seventeenth century. In addition, the place where the emperor died in the temple had to be formalized as a separate chapel.

The architect Alfred Parland and Archimandrite Ignatius coped with the task. It was their joint project that was eventually recognized as the best.

INTERESTING FACTS

The height of the temple is 81 meters, which symbolizes the year of the king’s death. The craftsmen fixed twenty granite boards on the base, telling about the most important events of the reign of Alexander the Second and his reforms, and on the bell tower they depicted the coats of arms of the provinces and regions of Russia.

Inside the Savior on Spilled Blood there is the very place where the assassination attempt was made on the ruler. Fragments of the embankment grating, sidewalk slabs, and even cobblestones of the pavement where the bleeding emperor fell were also preserved.

THERE WAS A CASE

Restorer Anastasia Dzhumaeva:

The cathedral was being restored. My friend and I were preparing for gilding. They worked on the very scaffolding that they said that when they were removed, the CPSU would collapse. People passed by and prayed. Then they switched to us. They were baptized on crosses and began to bow to us. And you can see everything from the forests.

At first we were calm about such veneration, and then I joked. And then immediately a strong gust of wind knocked me off my feet, and I rolled on all fours along the scaffolding towards the canal and rested my forehead against the fence. The friend only had time to shout in bewilderment: “Where are you going?” She and I looked at each other and didn’t joke like that again, feeling Yeshua’s joke in return.

LEGENDS

Rumor has it that in the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood there is an icon where all the turning points in Russian history are encrypted. 1917 - October Revolution, 1941 - Great Patriotic War, 1953 - the year of the death of Joseph Stalin. Allegedly, there is another one - you can see a date relating to the future. To do this, you need to turn the icon 180 degrees and place a mirror on the right. But so far no one has been able to find it and decipher the numbers.

Another myth about the cathedral is associated with the protracted restoration. In 1970, forests were erected around the temple. But instead of the expected five years, the restoration dragged on for decades. It seemed like the renovation would never be completed. Scaffolding has already become a landmark of Leningrad. Then there was a rumor that Soviet power would last in the country until the forests were removed. One way or another, it was in 1991 that the building structures were dismantled, and along with them the Soviet Union collapsed.

They say that the crosses removed from the cathedral during Soviet times were hidden from the Bolsheviks in the Griboyedov Canal. During the restoration, a random passer-by told the architects where the shrines were hidden, after which divers were called and lifted them from the bottom of the river, and then returned to the temple.

The Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood is one of the most important attractions of St. Petersburg. It was built under rather dramatic circumstances, and its history became no less tragic.
There is a lot of mysticism associated with the famous building. For example, he was mysteriously able to escape destruction. Moreover, they say that it contains an icon that can open the future...

Savior on Spilled Blood. Photo 1910
For many, the location of the temple is surprising - it literally hangs over the canal, breaking the embankment. How could this happen in a city that was built using the strictest architectural canons.
On the morning of March 1, 1881, Russian Emperor Alexander II, as usual, visited the withdrawal of troops at the Mikhailovsky Manege, and after it went home to the Winter Palace. His path passed next to the Catherine Canal (now it is the Griboyedov Canal). Suddenly a man ran up to his carriage and threw a package into it.

There was an explosion, but no one was hurt. The unharmed king was able to get out of the carriage and approach the wounded young man, who was already tied up and lying in the snow. He turned out to be a Narodnaya Volya member Rysakov. But at that moment Grinevitsky, the second killer who threw the bomb, ran up to the emperor.
The terrorists hedged their bets just in case. There was another explosion, which turned out to be more powerful than the previous one. Alexander and the killer were thrown into the canal gratings. This turned out to be the end.

In the past, Alexander II was predicted that the eighth attempt on his life would be fatal. Before this, attempts had been made on the king’s life six times already. He was able to survive the seventh, but the eighth was fatal.

The uniform that Emperor Alexander II wore on March 1, 1881, the day of his death. The irony of history. The Emperor was dressed in the uniform of the Life Guards Sapper Battalion and died from a sapper weapon - an explosive charge...
The death of the emperor was a shock for all of Russia. The very next day after the death of the emperor, it was decided to establish a temporary chapel at the site of his death. Alexander III announced a competition for the design of a temple that would incorporate the features of Russian architecture of churches of the 17th century.

Construction of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. Photo 1900-1906
The design of the architect Alfred Parland and the rector of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage, Archimandrite Ignatius (in the world I.V. Malyshev) was chosen. After the tragic death of the emperor, the Mother of God allegedly appeared to Father Ignatius in a dream and showed the foundations of the future temple.
Construction of the cathedral took 24 years. It was completed only in 1907.

Emperor Nicholas II and the Empress, accompanied by a retinue and a company of Palace Grenadiers, walk with procession along the "Savior on Spilled Blood" Petersburg. 1907
To prevent water from the canal from passing under the building, piles were not used to strengthen the soil. A concrete foundation was constructed under the entire building area. To build the bell tower, an 8-meter wide ledge was built on the embankment. Electricity was installed in the cathedral; its premises were illuminated by 1,689 light bulbs.

Savior on Spilled Blood. Photo 1910
The cathedral was not designed for mass attendance. This influenced him interior decoration, striking in its beauty. The cathedral's mosaic collection is one of the largest in Europe.
More than 7000 sq.m. The temple spaces were decorated with mosaic frescoes created by famous artists Nesterov and Vasnetsov.

In the cathedral we see a rich collection of gems, jewelry enamel, colored tiles, made by the best craftsmen. Ornamental and semiprecious stones, with which the iconostasis, walls and floor of the building are lined.

The most significant thing in the temple, after the altar, was the place where the assassination attempt on Emperor Alexander took place. Fragments of the embankment grating, sidewalk slabs, and even the cobblestones on which the emperor fell, bleeding, are well preserved.
A canopy was built over a fragment of the cobblestone street, a special structure that was supported by columns of gray-violet jasper. At the top of the canopy stood a topaz cross.

Savior on Spilled Blood. Photographer S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky 1905-10
The height of the highest dome of the temple is 81 meters. This number symbolizes the year of the king's death. The domes are covered with gilded sheets and multi-colored enamel. The Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood is separated from the Mikhailovsky Garden by a unique fence. It was executed in 1903-1907 according to the design of Alfred Parland.

Immediately after the consecration of the Church of the Savior on Blood, mystical legends began to appear. Many said that sometimes you can hear the groans of the murdered emperor. And ordinary people believed that the new temple could protect them from troubles. There was even a kind of conspiracy prayer:
Savior, Savior on Spilled Blood!
Save us, save us!
From the rain, from the knife,
From a wolf, from a fool,
From the darkness of the night,
From the crooked road...

The cathedral suffered greatly during the years of Soviet power. Like many other churches in the city, it was closed soon after the revolution and for a long time was used as a warehouse.
There was also a belief that this cathedral could not be destroyed. It was soon confirmed. In 1938, the authorities decided to blow up the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, calling it “an object that has no artistic or architectural value. Holes were drilled in the walls and explosives had already been placed there. But the Great Patriotic War began, so all the explosives were urgently sent to the front.
During the siege, the church housed a morgue, which contained the frozen bodies of Leningraders who died from hunger or from shelling. But shells and bombs miraculously flew past the cathedral, as if it really was under a spell.

After the war, the temple was used to store the scenery of the Maly Opera House. And in the era of Khrushchev, “Savior on Spilled Blood” again wanted to be destroyed. This time under the pretext of starting construction of a transport highway. And although about a hundred churches were blown up in Leningrad at that time, the “charmed” temple remained unharmed.
There were rumors that this was helped by the blood of the dead Leningraders, which soaked all the walls of the building. And some are sure that the cathedral is protected from destruction by the symbols of equilateral crosses in a circle that decorate the kokoshniks of the windows. Allegedly, this is a protective sign that has come to us from ancient times.

Savior on Spilled Blood. Photo 1963

In 1970, restoration of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood began and scaffolding was installed. But the restoration took a long time; everyone got used to the sight of the temple surrounded by forests. And in the mid-80s, there was talk of a prophecy - allegedly, Soviet power would last as long as the forests around the Savior on Spilled Blood remained. They were removed just before the coup in August 1991.
There is a legend that there is an icon in the temple, on which, if you look closely, dates fatal for the history of Russia appear: 1917, 1941, 1953, as well as some others that are still unclear. It is possible that they refer to future events, but so far no one has been able to decipher them.

The St. Petersburg Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, or the Resurrection of Christ, is considered one of the main attractions of the city on the Neva. The temple, built in memory of the death of Alexander II according to the design of the architect Alfred Parland, was founded on October 18, 1883 at the site of the assassination of the emperor.

However, not everyone knows what secrets and mysteries the Savior on Blood keeps. In this article you will learn how the temple turned into a morgue and influenced the collapse of the USSR, why the crosses were under water, and also how many years an unexploded landmine lay under the dome.

1. Fragment of a pavement.

The Cathedral of the Savior on Blood, or the Resurrection of Christ on Blood, was built, as you know, in memory of the tragic death of the Russian Emperor Alexander II. At this place, on March 1, 1881, the People's Volunteer terrorist Ignatius Grinevitsky threw a bomb at the emperor. Evidence of these events is still kept in the cathedral: inside there are cobblestones on which the mortally wounded Alexander II fell, sidewalk slabs nearby and part of the grating of the Catherine Canal (now the Griboyedov Canal).

2. Divers and crosses.

At one time, the location of the temple played an important role in its history: they say that in order to save the decoration of the temple from the Bolsheviks, the townspeople removed the crosses from it and lowered them to the very bottom of the Griboyedov Canal. Subsequently, when the danger had passed, and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood began to be restored, but they could not find the crosses that crowned the temple, a curious incident occurred: a “random passerby” who knew the legend approached the team of restorers and advised them to look for decoration in the water. The workers decided to listen to the advice and sent a team of divers to examine the bottom - to everyone's surprise, the latter actually found the hidden shrines, and they returned to their domes.

3. Gospel symbolism gets along with numerology.

Surprisingly, even the proportions of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ are symbolic: the height of its central structure is 81 meters, and this number was chosen as a reminder of the year of the death of Emperor Alexander II - 1881. The second highest dome is 63 meters, a symbol of the age of the murdered emperor. The symbolism of numbers is generally characteristic of Orthodoxy, and it can also be found in the number of domes and other details chosen by the architects.
Twenty red granite memorial tablets are installed in the basement of the temple. They indicate the actions of Emperor Alexander II: the main events from February 19, 1855 to March 1, 1881. Also on the temple you can find a double-headed eagle, and on the bell tower - the coats of arms of Russian cities, provinces and districts. The cross of the bell tower of the Savior on Spilled Blood is crowned with a gilded royal crown.

4. Masterpieces.

Many people know that one of the main churches of the Northern capital is a real museum of mosaics, because under its roof is the richest and largest collection of mosaics, on which the most famous domestic masters worked - Vasnetsov, Nesterov, Belyaev, Kharlamov, Zhuravlev, Ryabushkin and others. It is worth noting that mosaics are the main decor of the temple, because even the iconostasis of the Savior on Spilled Blood is mosaic. It may also seem curious that precisely because the works of art took a very long time to make, the opening of the temple and its consecration were delayed for a good ten years.

5. Mysterious icon.
In connection with the Savior on Blood, they constantly talk about the mysterious icon located in this cathedral, on which turning dates for the history of Russia are supposedly encrypted: 1917 is the year of the October Revolution, 1941 is the year of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 1953 is the year death of Joseph Stalin. In addition to these dates, some other dates appear on the amazing icon, which are still unclear and, perhaps, related to the future. Whether this icon actually exists or is an invention of mystically minded citizens is not known for certain, but the temple guides love to tell its visitors this story.

6. Siege morgue and “Spas-on-potatoes.”
It is a well-known fact that in wartime (and under Soviet rule) the churches and temples of the city worked in an unusual mode for them - cowsheds were equipped somewhere or enterprises were located. So, during the siege, Spas-on-Blood turned into a real morgue. The bodies of dead Leningraders were brought from all over the city to the district Dzerzhinsky morgue, which the temple temporarily became, confirming its historical name. In addition, one of the functions of the attraction in those difficult times was the storage of vegetables - some townspeople with a sense of humor even nicknamed it “Savior on Potatoes”. At the end of the war, the Savior on Spilled Blood was again not returned to its religious function; on the contrary, it began to be used as a storage facility for the scenery of the Maly Opera House, which is now known as the Mikhailovsky Theater.

7. The legend of the collapse of the USSR.

The forests around the Savior on Spilled Blood stood for so long that they became a legend of St. Petersburg, if not its landmark. And they even entered the culture: for example, Rosenbaum in his song “Show me Moscow, Muscovites...” sings that he dreams of removing the forests from the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. People said, half jokingly, half seriously, that as soon as these forests were removed, the entire Soviet Union would collapse. Surprisingly, the scaffolding was dismantled in 1991, although it had not been touched for decades. And in August 1991, famous events took place that put an end to Soviet power in Russia.

8. Unexploded shell.

During one of the enemy shellings, a German high-explosive shell weighing about 150 kg hit the tent of the central tower. He probably pierced the dome and got stuck in the ceiling of its vault. Thank God, the shell did not explode, but the damage was serious. Unnoticed by anyone, the landmine lay in the rafters for almost twenty years and was accidentally discovered by steeplejacks. Sappers led by Viktor Demidov risked their lives to neutralize him on October 28, 1961. The shell was recovered, taken out of the city and destroyed.

Based on materials from the Russian Seven website.

01 May 2015