Saved the Tsar's assassination attempt on blood. Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on Blood
Hi all!
St. Petersburg presents the Savior on Spilled Blood in the palm of every tourist and city resident, and they, in turn, never tire of admiring the greatness of this cultural monument. Let me tell you about the construction of this Cathedral, how the great Emperor Alexander II is connected with it, and reveal the mysterious curtain of some of the mysteries of the structure. I will also share all the necessary information you need to know to visit the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.
This Cathedral, at first glance, looks like a doll, as if it had just stepped out of a postcard. But in reality it is a symbol of death and tragic eighth assassination attempt on Alexander II . At dawn on March 1, 1881, the Russian emperor was passing near the Catherine Canal (today it is the Griboyedov Canal, where the Savior on Spilled Blood is located today), when an unknown person threw some kind of package into the Tsar’s carriage. An explosion occurred, but the fragments did not hit anyone.
The Emperor sighed with relief; it would seem that the eighth threat to life was over. He got out of the transport and approached the wounded young man lying in the snow. It was a certain Rysakov, who belonged to the Narodnaya Volya movement. At that moment, a second guy, Grinevitsky, ran up to Alexander II and managed to throw a second bomb right at the Tsar.
The interesting thing is that Alexander II was previously prophesied that it was the eighth attempt that would be fatal for the tsar. I am sure that the news of the death of the emperor shocked all of Russia, and the very next day the son of the murdered man, heir to the throne Alexander III, ordered the construction of a temple on the site of his father’s death.
Dolgikh Builders worked for 24 years on the creation of the masterpiece The Savior on Spilled Blood. The temple grew only in 1907.
It is interesting to know that a special chapel was built on the same spot where the emperor died. The paving stones where the monarch died remained in this aisle. Famous artists Vasnetsov and Nesterov decorated more than 7 thousand square meters of the cathedral with mosaic frescoes.
Decoration of the Savior on Spilled Blood
It may seem to you that the Savior on Spilled Blood has common similarities with the Moscow St. Basil's Cathedral ? I hasten to assure you that this thought can arise only after the first, fleeting glance at the buildings.
The architect was inspired by all the techniques of Russian church architecture, and as a result he managed to create a kind of collective image of an Orthodox church. Variegated colors, abundant sculpting and details, generosity in the palette of materials used - all this makes the cathedral unique.
Despite the fact that the temple was erected as a memory of a tragic event, an ignorant person would never say such a thing. You can make sure that I am not deceiving you by looking at the photo of the cathedral.
Attention is drawn to the various kokoshniks, tiles and belts, and the truly festive decoration of the domes and crosses. I, like any other person who has seen the Savior on Spilled Blood at least once, just want to touch this gingerbread house in the center of St. Petersburg .
Legends and myths around the picturesque cathedral
- History says that this temple was kept sacred icon, in which all significant dates for Russia are encrypted: the Year of the October Revolution, the beginning of World War II, the death of Stalin and other significant events. Rumor has it that other dates can be seen on the icon, which foreshadow important turns of fate for the state.
- The second legend is not so ancient. Everyone knows that during the reign of Soviet power, the Savior on Blood was treated inappropriately, in a barbaric way turning the shrine into an ordinary warehouse. In the 70s, they began to restore the temple; later, a ceramics museum was to be located here. Accordingly, scaffolding was built around the cathedral, but the restoration dragged on for decades; some believed that it would never be completed. Then people said that the Soviet government would rule as long as the forests around the temple stood. Perhaps this is a coincidence, but in 1991 the structure was dismantled, and in August of the same year the Union collapsed . I don't believe in coincidences. And you?
- During the blockade in St. Petersburg, the bodies of the dead people were kept in this cathedral. During the war not a single shell hit Spas on Spilled Blood . Even after the terrible events, already in the Khrushchev era, when they wanted to demolish the temple like many other churches in the area, this place was bypassed. They say that this object is “charmed”, consecrated by the blood of deceased local residents, which figuratively and literally soaked every wall of the building.
Whether to believe these legends or not is everyone’s business. In any case, it creates a certain atmosphere for visiting the cultural heritage of the city.
Visit to the Savior on Spilled Blood
In order to be enchanted by this cathedral, it is not enough just to listen to the enthusiastic reviews of visitors. I believe that everyone should “meet” the Savior on Spilled Blood in person at least once in their life.
It is easy for a tourist to find his way around, since this place is marked on the map as one of the greatest attractions of the city. It’s no secret how to get to the place, because every resident of St. Petersburg will kindly tell you the right way.
Spas on Spilled Blood is located on the Griboyedov Canal. To get there, you need to get off at the Gostiny Dvor or Nevsky Prospekt metro stations. You need to walk along the canal, where various art exhibitions are often located. Easy to find your way around – its majestic domes will serve as a beacon for those wishing to see the cathedral.
Information for visitors
Opening hours:
10:30 – 18:00
Address:
St. Petersburg, Griboyedov Canal Embankment 2B, building A. (go to Nevsky Prospekt station.
Ticket price:
Seeing the exterior decoration is a free pleasure. A tour inside is also possible. You have to pay to enter 250 rubles
.
By the way, from May 1 to September 30 in the evening (from 18:00 to 22:30) there is an excursion “The Savior on Spilled Blood on the White Nights”. Such pleasure is worth 400 rubles . Pensioners, schoolchildren and students can enter on discounted tickets - 50 rubles .
Official site: spas.spb.ru, but if you are interested in tickets and visiting schedule, then go to the website cathedral.ru/ceni_na_bileti
Good to know
It is better to visit this cathedral at lunchtime. when students and schoolchildren are studying, and for adults the working day is in full swing. Then you can be sure: there will be few visitors, the guide will answer all your questions personally, and no one will block your view from the beautiful views of the Savior on Spilled Blood.
Also I recommend to deal with the queues to the ticket office of the cathedral at the entrance with a bank card and awareness. While the main queue to the ticket office numbered a hundred or two visitors, we were at most tenths at the electronic machine window.
I would love to visit the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood with every reader who, after my story, wants to go see this attraction.
I shared with you my knowledge about this place, but I will also tell you a lot of interesting things about other cultural objects.
To keep up to date with the news, you can subscribe to updates .
See you soon!
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg is a museum and monument of Russian architecture. It was erected by order of Alexander III and the decision of the Synod on the spot where on March 1, 1881, the People's Will member I. Grinevitsky mortally wounded Alexander II, who was popularly called the Tsar Liberator for the abolition of serfdom.
Although the temple immortalized a tragic event in the history of Russia, the nine-domed building amazes with its bright, colorful beauty. Against the backdrop of the austere architecture of the Northern capital, it seems like a toy. There are similarities between the cathedral and St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.
The interior of the Church of the Savior on Blood in St. Petersburg
The cathedral was not designed for mass attendance. This influenced its interior decoration, striking in its beauty. The decoration includes a collection of Russian mosaics of that time. Inside, it completely covers the walls, pylons, vaults and domes. In the cathedral we see a rich collection of gems, jewelry enamel, colored tiles, made by the best craftsmen. Craftsmen from the Yekaterinburg, Kolyvan and Peterhof lapidary factories took part in creating the decoration of the cathedral. Of the variety of mosaics and mosaic compositions, it is necessary to note the works made according to originals by artists V.M. Vasnetsova, M.V. Nesterova, A.P. Ryabushkina, N.N. Kharlamova, V.V. Belyaeva. The mosaic collection of the cathedral is one of the largest in Europe. Ornamental and semi-precious stones were used as decorative decoration for the interior of the cathedral, with which the iconostasis, walls and floor of the building were lined. For the iconostasis, icons were made according to the sketches of Nesterov and Vasnetsov - “The Mother of God and the Child” and “The Savior”.
Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on the Blood, or Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg - an Orthodox memorial single-altar church in the name of the Resurrection of Christ; built in memory of the fact that at this place on March 1 (13), Emperor Alexander II was mortally wounded as a result of an assassination attempt (expression on blood indicates the blood of the king). The temple was built as a monument to the martyr tsar with funds collected throughout Russia.
Located in the historical center of St. Petersburg on the banks of the Griboyedov Canal next to the Mikhailovsky Garden and Konyushennaya Square. The height of the nine-domed temple is 81 m, capacity up to 1600 people. It is a museum and a monument of Russian architecture.
The temple was erected by order of Emperor Alexander III in 1907 according to a joint project by the architect Alfred Parland and Archimandrite Ignatius (Malyshev), who subsequently withdrew from construction. The project is made in the “Russian style”, somewhat reminiscent of Moscow's St. Basil's Cathedral. Construction lasted 24 years. On August 6 (19), the cathedral was consecrated. It has the status of a museum (museum complex “State Museum-Monument “St. Isaac’s Cathedral””).
Story
Temporary chapel
Mosaic work delayed the consecration for ten years, which Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky) performed on August 6 (19) of the year (on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord, also known as the Second Savior) in the presence of Emperor Nicholas II and other members of the Imperial House. The entire construction cost 4.6 million rubles.
Since 1909, the cleric and then (from August 9, 1923) the rector of the church was Archpriest Professor Vasily Veryuzhsky, who at the end of 1927 became one of the activists of the Josephite movement in Leningrad.
Since August 1923, after the transfer of the Kazan and St. Isaac's Cathedrals to the jurisdiction of the Renovationists, the temple became the cathedral of the "Old Church" ("Tikhon's") Petrograd diocese.
From the end of 1927 until its closure, the temple was the center of Josephiteism in Leningrad - a right-wing movement in the Russian Church that arose as opposition to the Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Metropolitan Sergius, after he issued a “Declaration” on unconditional loyalty to “our Government” (the communist regime).
View of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood from the Griboyedov Canal
Architecture and interior decoration
| External video files | |
| Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood | |
| Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood | |
| Aerial photography of the Temple | |
| Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood | |
Domes
View of the southern facade of the temple (2011)
The composition of the temple is based on a compact quadrangle, which is crowned with a five-domed structure, and the place of the central chapter is occupied by a tent 81 meters high. In total, the Savior on Spilled Blood is crowned with 9 chapters, creating an asymmetrical pictorial group, and some of the chapters are gilded, and some are enamel.
At the base of the octagonal tent on its wall there are eight oblong windows with kokoshnik-shaped platbands. The tent narrows at the top and has eight projections with windows cut into it. The tent is completed by a lantern crowned with a bulbous dome with a cross. The head is covered with white, yellow and green enamel in the form of colored stripes wrapping around it. There are four onion domes around the tent, forming a symmetrical shape of the composition. All four domes are covered with colored enamel, but with different designs. These domes are located on low drums that are smaller in size than the domes themselves. In the western part of the cathedral there is a bell tower topped with a dome, which makes it look like
What is the Savior on Spilled Blood? This is one of the most beautiful and unusual churches in Russia. Bright, thanks to its mosaics and tiles, the temple is located in the very center of St. Petersburg and attracts many tourists from all over the world.
The temple has great historical and aesthetic significance. Its history is the history of several eras, its walls have seen revolution and blockade, during the Soviet regime they wanted to demolish it, and during the war a morgue was placed in it... The delight of millions of people from all over the world testifies: there is no such temple anywhere on Earth.
Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood
The Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood in the Northern capital was built as a temple-monument at the site of the assassination of Emperor Alexander II. The tragedy occurred in 1881 on March 1 (new style - 13). Before this, about a dozen attempts were made on the king’s life. That day, Tsar Alexander II left the Winter Palace to host a military parade on the Field of Mars. However, on the Griboedov Canal - a place quite close to the Champs of Mars - the tsar was moved by the terrorist-People's Volunteer Grinevitsky.
Despite the great love that the emperor enjoyed among the people, the reforms unprecedented in the history of Russia, the abolition of serfdom, it was the “People's Will” who hunted the emperor - socialists who consider themselves the spokesmen of the will of the people. Obviously, they did not like the popularity of the emperor: after all, it would be easier to fight against a tyrant with slogans.
The assassination attempt was led by Sofia Perovskaya. The first bomb thrown at the emperor's carriage killed and seriously wounded the Cossacks of the convoy and a little boy. The emperor, only slightly scratched, went out to provide first aid to the wounded and especially the child, despite the fact that those accompanying him persuaded him to quickly leave the dangerous place. The tsar's mercy was an empty phrase for the murderous revolutionaries: Grinevitsky openly approached the emperor and threw a bomb right at his feet. The same Perovskaya, seemingly out of female mercy, did not even approach the child, but disappeared after Grinevitsky was captured.
The emperor was mortally wounded in the stomach. In terrible agony, he died that same day in his bedroom in the Winter Palace.
By order of the son of Alexander the Second, Tsar Alexander III, a chapel was founded at the site of the emperor’s mortal wound.
History of the Savior on Spilled Blood
It is interesting that the decision to erect a temple was not made immediately. Knowing about the people's love for the cameraman, Tsar Alexander the Third proposed raising funds for the frame from the whole world - general collection for temple-monuments in honor of various events is a long-standing Russian tradition. The chapel was built, it has survived to this day, but so much money was raised that it was decided to build a large temple next to it.
The Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg was built at the expense of not only residents of the Russian Empire, but also at the expense of residents of other Slavic countries, grateful to the assassinated Alexander II for his peacekeeping policy. During construction, the emblems of provinces, cities and counties were added to the bell tower project, whose residents donated their savings to the construction of the temple. These coats of arms are interesting to consider today: they are made of mosaics, have survived to this day, and many are still the coats of arms of the same cities (for example, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Rybinsk have retained their coats of arms...) Initially, the bell tower cross stood on a gilded imperial crown as a sign of grief the august family. The total cost of the completed construction project was 4.6 million rubles.
The temple project was also selected through an architectural competition in which the country's best architects took part. However, the competition had to be held three times: Alexander the Third, famous for his strong character and assertion of his own point of view, did not like the projects. Finally, the tsar personally chose a suitable project by Alfred Parland and Archimandrite Ignatius (Malyshev). Father Ignatius was the rector of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage near St. Petersburg, a disciple of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), perhaps because the temple truly bears the reflection of holiness. It is not just aesthetically beautiful, it evokes not only a feeling of solemnity or celebration, but even outwardly lifts a person’s spirit and evokes the desire to pray.
Name of the Savior on Spilled Blood
It is interesting that, despite the rather secular mentality in St. Petersburg at that time, the popular name “Savior on Spilled Blood” was assigned to the temple, following the example of ancient, for example, Novgorod and Vladimir churches - “Intercession on the Nerl”, “Savior on the City”, “Savior on the City”, etc. Ilyina street."
The real, official name of the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood is the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. It is called both the cathedral, and the temple, and the church. The concept of "temple" means the receptacle of God, the house of God - that is, the building. The concept of “Church” is quite broad: it is both a building (in this meaning of the word church and temple - one and the same!), and a meeting of all believers.
The cathedral is originally the main temple of the city or monastery. Now such a cathedral is called “cathedral”, and the word “cathedral” simply means a large temple, which is the Savior on Spilled Blood.
Construction of the Savior on Spilled Blood
The temple was founded already in 1883, despite the fact that the construction project had not yet been approved. An important task of the builders was to consolidate the soil: the chapel could have fit on the shore, but for a large cathedral it was necessary to fill the soil and create obstacles to its erosion. The foundation of the temple had to be strong, and the most advanced technologies of that time were used to strengthen it.
The foundation piles of the temple were defended for five years. The actual walls of the cathedral began to be built in 1888. On the façade, gray granite was provided for the lower part of the walls, the walls themselves were made of red-brown brick, the window frames, platbands and cornices were made of dark gray marble.
On the lower level of the façade—the plinth—were placed twenty granite boards, on which the main reform decrees were engraved in gilded letters and the achievements of Tsar Alexander II in domestic and international politics were listed. The cathedral vault was closed by 1894. In 1897, nine domes of the cathedral were already ready, some of which were covered with multi-colored bright enamel, some were gilded. On all the domes there are Orthodox crosses with chains.
Facade and description of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
There are ten domes on the roof of the temple. Eight domes are located throughout the volume of the temple, one on the tent and one large gilded onion crowns the bell tower, built in the main volume of the temple, actually above the place of the assassination (murder) of Tsar Alexander II.
The symbolism of the nine domes is the nine ranks of the Heavenly Powers. There are nine types of Heavenly beings, light spirits. They have three faces (levels of hierarchy). The most well-known and accepted by the Church is the following classification, developed on the basis of the books of the Old and New Testaments by Saints Dionysius the Areopagite and Gregory the Theologian:
- Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones - they are very close to God, they accompany Him, as if they were guards (although He does not need protection), courtiers who glorify Him.
- Dominance, Strength, Authority (transmitting information to God that helps in managing the Universe).
- Beginnings, Archangels and Angels.
Along the volume of the temple there are onion domes with crosses, not symmetrically, but very picturesquely surrounding the tent with the ninth dome. The tent stands on a “pillar” - a circular structure extending into the sky.
The domes are bulbous in shape and vary in design. Many onions have glazed tiles, which is why the domes are so bright. The temple has a common foundation, stands on a basement (ground basement) and is combined into a common structure.
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow
Many cannot distinguish between the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. Architectural historians have repeatedly noted stylistic references in the Church of the Savior on Blood to the Moscow Cathedral, which is quite natural.
However, the St. Petersburg church is very original. It has a bell tower crowned with a wide gilded onion dome. In terms of the plan, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is a quadrangular building, and St. Basil's Cathedral has an ancient pillar-like structure of the main aisle of the Intercession, crowned with a bell tower, and eight aisles surrounding the main one.
The southern and northern facades of the Savior on Spilled Blood, in contrast to the Pokrovsky Cathedral, are marked with large pediments in the form of kokoshniks. The altar is highlighted by three semicircular apses, in the style of ancient Russian temples, crowned with golden cupolas. In the west, as we said, above the place of the assassination of the emperor, there is an unusually shaped bell tower. Usually in ancient Russian churches there is a tented bell tower.
All the walls of the temple, its tent and bell tower are covered with beautiful mosaic and enamel compositions. The white arches of the bell tower, the “kokoshniks” on the roof and the window frames against the background of red brick, which also has a decorative function, are especially clearly visible.
Mosaic and icons of the Savior on Spilled Blood
The entire mosaic area in the interior and exterior of the temple is over six thousand square meters! The temple is truly beautiful both outside and inside. Its interior walls are entirely decorated, like fresco paintings, with mosaics. In fact, this is an ancient Byzantine tradition of mosaic covering. On the territory of the former Byzantine Empire, in Italy, Greece, Turkey, a number of temples have been preserved, completely lined with mosaics from the inside. And the Savior on Spilled Blood is not inferior in beauty to churches, for example, in Ravenna. It can be said that in our time there was no temple similar to the Savior on Blood in the New Age. This temple was uniquely created entirely in the style of icon painting and modernist architecture (more precisely, the neo-Russian style), that is, the modern style.
Mosaic icons were laid out in St. Petersburg workshops according to drawings by famous artists of that time: Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Nesterov, the architect Parland himself, masters Novoskoltsev Koshelev, Kharlamov, Ryabushkin, Belyaev.
The pediments-kokoshniks mentioned by us are decorated with large mosaic icons, which have miraculously survived to this day through the persecution of the Church and the bad weather in St. Petersburg. On the north wall, facing the Field of Mars, there is an icon of the Resurrection of Christ, on the south - "Christ in glory", that is, the Lord on the throne with bowing angels. On the western and eastern walls there are also small mosaic icons of the Savior Not Made by Hands and the Blessing Savior.
The most important memorial site of the temple is a fragment of the Catherine Canal with paving slabs, part of the cobblestone street and the grating of the canal, where the emperor was mortally wounded. On the outside, this place is marked by the Calvary cross made of marble and granite with the image of the Crucifixion of Christ, which, according to Russian tradition, is placed on tragically memorable places. Saints are depicted at the Crucifixion. To keep the place where the emperor was killed intact, they changed the shape of the embankment, shifting the channel bed by 8.5 meters using an embankment for the foundation of the temple.
The Savior on Spilled Blood in the history of St. Petersburg - Leningrad
The cathedral was consecrated with a great ceremony in the presence of the imperial family only in 1908. By that time, Alexander III had already died, and Emperor Nicholas II, the future passion-bearer king, was on the throne. The temple became a temple-museum, a kind of monument to Emperor Alexander II, the only one of its kind.
In 1923, with the closure of other large St. Petersburg cathedrals, the Savior on Spilled Blood even received cathedral status. In 1930 it was also closed and given to the Society of Political Prisoners. The temple was either empty or used as a vegetable storage facility. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, they were already planning to destroy the temple - like, by the way, St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow - but the outbreak of the war prevented the explosion of the temple-monument.
Another terrible historical fact: during the siege of Leningrad, the temple building was used... as a morgue. Then the Maly Opera and Ballet Theater named after Mussorgsky had a place here for a warehouse for scenery.
All these historical twists and turns had a terrible effect on the exterior decoration and interior of the temple. The iconostasis was destroyed, the mosaic fell off, the walls of semi-precious stones were partially knocked down. Only in 1968 the temple was given under the protection of the State Inspectorate, in 1970 it was made a branch of St. Isaac's Cathedral, recognizing it as an architectural monument. For many years, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was hidden under the scaffolding, becoming one of the memorable places being restored to St. Petersburg residents. But the long-awaited opening of the temple-museum in 1997 attracted many Petersburgers and guests of the city to it.
Savior on Spilled Blood - operating hours, services
In 2004, seven decades after its closure, Metropolitan Vladimir of St. Petersburg and Ladoga celebrated the Divine Liturgy here. Nowadays, services here are held on Sundays and holidays, and every believer can be advised to visit them: truly, only in prayer do the interiors of the temple acquire special spiritual meaning.
Entrance to the temple during services is free, at other times - with tickets through the ticket office, since to this day the temple is used by the museum. It is open daily: in summer from 10.00 to 22.00, in winter from 10.00 to 19.00.
Church on the Blood in Yekaterinburg
This temple is also sometimes called the Savior on Spilled Blood, since it stands on the site of the murder of the Royal Romanov Family - the grandchildren of Emperor Alexander II, Nicholas II, with his wife, children and servants. They were shot on July 17, 1918 on the orders of Lenin and Sverdlov. All of them, together with the family doctor, faithful Evgeniy Botkin, are today canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Royal Family
In Yekaterinburg, in the house of engineer Ipatiev, the Royal Romanov Family spent its last days. A terrible coincidence: the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg; The Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg and the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma, where the first Tsar Michael of the Romanov family was elevated to the throne.
In 2000, at the site of the execution of the Royal Family, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II, the Church-Monument on the Blood in the name of All Saints was erected. It was in 2000 that the Family of Nicholas II was canonized at the Council of Bishops of the Church, and in 2003 the Church on the Blood was consecrated over the site of their execution.
The temple is 60 meters high and has five domes. It was created in a Russian-Byzantine modern style. There is an upper and lower temple, the complex of the latter includes an altar on the site of the execution room: this place is marked with red granite.
Every year on the night of the murder of the Royal Family from July 16 to 17, a vigil and Liturgy are held in the church with a procession of the cross to Ganina Yama, the place where the remains of the Royal Family were destroyed.
May the Lord protect you with the prayers of all saints!
The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on the Blood - this is the full name of this temple - in its execution is a little reminiscent of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. In addition, the Moscow Trinity churches in Ostankino and Nikitki, as well as the Yaroslavl churches of St. John the Baptist in Tolchkovo and St. John Chrysostom in Korovniki, became prototypes for it. However, the differences between it and the named religious buildings are obvious. The Savior on Spilled Blood is completely unique and original not only in its architectural but also in its artistic characteristics.
The quadrangular building, crowned with five large and four smaller domes, three rounded apses with golden domes on the eastern side and kokoshnik pediments decorating the northern and southern facades, make this monumental Orthodox shrine recognizable throughout the world. No less impressive is the height of the Savior on Spilled Blood, which is 81 meters, and its capacity - up to 1,600 people can be inside at the same time.
Some tourists, especially those who come to St. Petersburg and Russia for the first time, do not even realize that the Cathedral of the Savior on Blood was erected over the place where real blood was actually shed more than 135 years ago. The terrible event that happened then predetermined the appearance of a memorial single-altar church here, which became a symbol of repentance of the whole people for the deed committed by a handful of adventurers. The mere fact that funds for the construction were collected throughout Russia speaks for itself.
The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on Blood is a striking monument of Russian architecture, which embodies the best traditions of Russian architectural style. Currently, it is a museum, acquaintance with which is invariably included in the excursion programs around the Northern capital.
Background of construction
The second half of the 19th century turned out to be very difficult for Russia. On the one hand, the state was weakened by participation in the Crimean War and the difficult economic situation, on the other hand, large-scale transformations took place, at the origins of which stood Emperor Alexander II. We are talking, first of all, about the abolition of serfdom in 1861, which became a powerful impetus for the further development of the country. Having freed 23 million peasants from the slavery of the landowners, he received the noble nickname “Tsar Liberator” among the people and went down in history.
At the same time, the reforms carried out by the sovereign - zemstvo, judicial, military, education and a number of others - although they brought generally positive changes, there were mistakes in their implementation, which provoked a strengthening of the revolutionary movement. Part of the population was dissatisfied with the innovations, and the radicals took advantage of this and entered into the fight against the autocracy - which they considered the main evil. At the end of the 70s, the People's Will organization arose, using terror in its methods of struggle. They set out to kill the Tsar and a number of representatives of the country's top leadership, believing that their elimination would set in motion the masses who would overthrow the autocracy and the huge empire would become a republic.
Having declared such intentions, they immediately began to implement their plans, passing a death sentence on Alexander II and starting a real hunt for the autocrat. Several assassination attempts were organized on him, which followed one after another. The attacks were not crowned with success, but many innocent people died during their commission. In response, the authorities were forced to intensify repressions against the "Narodnaya Volya" and even make some concessions. However, this only seemed to inflame the regicides. And on March 1, 1881, they staged another attempt on the Tsar’s life, which became the last.
The brutal terrorist attack was carefully prepared, which is why it achieved its goal this time. This happened at the moment when the emperor, returning from a military parade in the Mikhailovsky Manege, was driving in his carriage along the embankment of the Catherine Canal: the revolutionary N. Rusakov threw a bomb at it. Several people from his retinue were seriously injured, including fatally, but the king remained alive and refused to immediately leave the scene of the assassination attempt. One of the accompanying bodyguards, with the help of the crowd, tied up the attacker, another ran up to report that the villain had already been caught. “Thank God, I survived, but here...” said the emperor, pointing to the wounded moaning on the pavement. At that moment, a second bomb flew under his feet, thrown by another terrorist who was waiting in the wings, I. Grinevitsky...
When the gunpowder smoke cleared, the people, struck by horror, saw a bloody body stretched out on the ground. “Hurry up... in the palace... to die there,” whispered the wounded man to Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich bending over him. These were his last words, and at 16:35, already in the Winter Palace, the emperor died. The son of the deceased, Alexander III, decided to perpetuate the memory of his father with a temple at the site of his villainous murder. Construction, which dragged on for almost 25 years, was carried out according to the design of the architect Parland and the rector of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage, Archimandrite Ignatius.
The complete regicide shocked the entire country. The expectations of “Narodnaya Volya” that the people would then come out to overthrow the autocracy were not justified. People, on the contrary, sought to get to the scene of the terrorist attack to pray for the soul of the emperor and those killed among those accompanying him. Believers were especially indignant, seeing in the tragic death of the emperor an echo of the events of the Gospel. Then, in biblical times, Jesus Christ died on the cross, atoning for the sins of all mankind, and Tsar Alexander Nikolaevich, like him, was killed for the sins of the Russian people, so it is not surprising that the idea of perpetuating the memory of the martyr was born by itself.
This desire has reached all segments of the population, including the poorest. And so, a few years later, on the spot where the emperor was mortally wounded, his son and successor Alexander III ordered the construction of a memorial temple, a temple of repentance. Its construction, which lasted 24 years, continued the long tradition of erecting places of worship to commemorate important historical events or in memory of the dead. By issuing a corresponding decree, the emperor supported the decision of the St. Petersburg City Duma. True, the deputies proposed building a chapel at the site of the Tsar’s wound. The emperor considered that a real temple should stand in this place.
However, the construction of a full-fledged religious building was neither easy nor quick, and I did not want to waste time. At the site of the death of the emperor, it was decided to first install a wooden tent chapel, which was built by the architect L.N. Benois at the expense of the merchant I.F. Gromov. On April 17, 1881, Alexander II, had he been alive, would have turned 63 years old, and his birthday was chosen as the date for the consecration of this chapel.
A memorial service for the repose of the soul of Tsar Alexander Nikolaevich was performed here every day. Part of the pavement and a small section of the embankment fence, on which traces of the emperor’s blood remained, were all very clearly visible through the glass doors of the chapel. Two years later, it was moved to Konyushennaya Square and subsequently dismantled, and in its place the construction of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood began.
How the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on the Blood was built
The start of work was preceded by two competitions for the best project. The first 26 of them were ready on December 31, 1881. Many architects of that time, such as I. S. Bogomolov, A. L. Gun, I. S. Kitner, the already mentioned L. N. Benois and a number of others, presented their vision of the future memorial temple. A special commission selected 8 projects, which they considered the most successful, while recognizing the best work by A. I. Tomishko, made in the Russian-Byzantine style and called “Father of the Fatherland”.
The winning projects, of course, were shown to the current sovereign, but he did not like any of them. Alexander III wanted to see in the future temple the features of truly Russian architecture, inherent in churches of the 17th century, especially in Yaroslavl. And the actual place where the king was mortally wounded was to be decorated as a separate chapel.
The second competition, the results of which were summed up on April 28, 1882, also did not reveal a final winner. It already presented 31 projects, their authors were many famous architects - for example, R. P. Kuzmin, N. V. Sultanov, R. A. Gedike, A. I. Rezanov, A. L. Ober, A. N. Benoit and others. Alexander III was forced to reject them too, since not a single work corresponded to his vision of the future cathedral.
And so, after some time, a project finally appeared that, although not completely, still satisfied the demanding tastes of the sovereign. Its developers were the architect Alfred Parland and the rector of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage, Archimandrite Ignatius (Malyshev). The Emperor imposed his highest resolution on it on July 29, 1883 and ordered the authors to finalize their research, and on May 1, 1887 it was finally approved.
The Savior on Blood in the evening illuminationThe first stone for the foundation of the temple, however, was laid back in October 1883. A special commission was formed for the construction of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, headed by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, the youngest son of the deceased Tsar. The commission included architects R.B. Bernhard, D.I. Grimm, A.I. Zhiber, R.A. Gödike, who made adjustments to the project as the work progressed. I.V. Storm played a significant role in improving the cathedral: thanks to his proposals, the overall composition of the temple only benefited.
If it were not for the mosaic work, which was not progressing as quickly as we would have liked, the consecration of the Savior on Spilled Blood could have happened ten years earlier. And now this long-awaited and blessed day has come: on August 6 (19), 1907, on the day of the Orthodox holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky) performed the consecration ceremony. It was furnished very solemnly, with the participation of Emperor Nicholas II and members of his family. Less than a year later, in April 1908, the same Metropolitan Anthony consecrated the Iveron chapel-sacristy, which stood next to the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on the Blood. The sacristy was a repository of icons that were ever presented in memory of the tragic death of Alexander II.
The Savior on Spilled Blood was built using the latest technologies for those years, so it can rightfully be called one of the most modern buildings of the early 20th century. Moreover, it was even completely electrified, something that even many important government institutions could not dream of. 1689 lamps illuminated the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood from the inside, which was simply unthinkable at that time! As for the cost of the entire construction, it is estimated at a rather impressive amount - 4.6 million rubles. The cathedral in memory of the murdered Tsar-Liberator was the second religious building in St. Petersburg after St. Isaac's Cathedral, which, being under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was entirely supported by the state.
The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on the Blood differed from other churches in that it was not planned for mass visits. Parishioners could only enter it with passes. Some of the services held there were dedicated to the memory of Alexander II, who died at the hands of terrorists. Professor P. I. Leporsky was appointed rector of the cathedral in September 1907.
After the October Revolution of 1917, the Bolshevik government stopped allocating funds for the maintenance of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. As a result, the rector had no choice but to turn to the people of Petrograd with a request to support the cathedral in these difficult times and, if possible, financially, contributing feasible amounts for its maintenance.
At the end of 1919, city authorities decided to organize a parish at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ on the Blood. Peter Leporsky actively objected to this, rightly noting that he had never been a parish. But the Petrograd Soviet did not give up on its goal, and already on January 11, 1920, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was transferred to the so-called “twenty,” that is, to the newly formed parish. In 1922-1923, the cathedral was administered by the Petrograd Autocephaly under the leadership of Nikolai (Yaroshevich), Bishop of Peterhof.
After the Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Metropolitan Sergei (Stragorodsky), issued a “declaration” declaring unconditional loyalty to the communist regime, the Savior on Spilled Blood became the center of an opposition movement in the Russian Orthodox Church known as Josephiteism. His followers did not support the line of cooperation with the Bolsheviks. And the matter did not rest with the latter: on October 30, 1930, according to the resolution of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the temple was closed.
A year later, the commission of the Leningrad Regional Council on Issues of Cults made the case that it was advisable to dismantle the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on the Blood, but they decided to postpone the implementation of this task indefinitely. In 1938, the authorities again returned to the issue of the need to demolish the temple, and they had already resolved it positively, but then the Great Patriotic War began, which distracted the city authorities to solve more important problems. Thus, during the siege, the cathedral premises were used as a morgue for Leningraders who died from hunger, cold and wounds. After 1945, scenery for performances was stored in the former church, which by that time was rented by the Maly Theater.
At the end of the 60s, the Savior on Spilled Blood was taken under state protection. In July 1970, it was decided to organize a branch of the St. Isaac's Cathedral Museum there, which became a salvation for this monumental structure from final oblivion: after all, it was in disrepair and needed urgent restoration. Work began in the early 80s, the first stage of which was completed only in 1997. At the same time, the memorial museum-monument “Savior on Spilled Blood” opened its doors to visitors, this happened exactly 90 years after its consecration.
On May 23, 2004, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Vladimir (Kotlyarov) celebrated a solemn liturgy at the Savior on Spilled Blood - the first after a long break that stretched over more than seven decades. Ten years later, the parish of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on the Blood received official registration.
Video: Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in winter
Architectural features of the temple
Despite the fact that the Savior on Spilled Blood was built as a memorial church in honor of the murdered emperor, its appearance is rather festive and bright. The temple is decorated with numerous figured platbands, kokoshniks, tiles, and multi-colored tiles. At the heart of the religious structure is a compact quadrangle, topped with five chapters, covered with four-color jewelry enamel. In total, there are nine of them in the temple, as mentioned above, and it is they who create that unique asymmetry that makes the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood one of the most recognizable on the banks of the Neva and in Russia.
The role of the central chapter is assigned to an 81-meter tent, at the base of which, on the wall, there are 8 oblong windows. Their platbands are made in the form of kokoshniks. The tent, which is narrowed at the top, is crowned by a lantern with a bulbous dome with a cross. It is covered with white, green and yellow enamel in the form of stripes that seem to wrap around it. Another element that gives the building recognition is the bell tower topped with a dome, located in the southwestern part. It has a certain resemblance to the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Moscow Kremlin.
It is difficult to name materials that would not be used in the decor of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood: this includes ordinary brick, granite, marble, and enamel, not to mention copper with gilding and mosaics. The walls, towers and domes are covered with magnificent patterns. Against the background of decorative red brick, white arches, arcades and the aforementioned kokoshnik pediments look surprisingly harmonious. Mosaics play a special role inside the temple, occupying an area of 7065 square meters. meters, and this exhibition is one of the largest on the entire continent. It is not surprising that the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is called the “Museum of Mosaics”. All this splendor was created in the workshop of V. A. Frolov based on sketches by a large number of artists - Vasnetsov, Koshelev, Parland, Nesterov and others. Mosaic panels with gospel scenes almost completely cover the walls, pylons, and ceilings. This is a stunning sight that will impress anyone, so we definitely advise you to go inside.
The floor, lined with colorful patterns of marble slabs, is in amazing harmony with the mosaic decoration of the temple. The carved iconostasis is also made of Italian marble. In general, more than 20 types of different minerals were used in the design of the building (different types of marble, Ural and Altai jasper, porphyry, orlets, etc.).
The place where Emperor Alexander II was mortally woundedThe main place in the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is a fragment of the Catherine Canal, which includes a cobblestone pavement, paving slabs and part of a lattice - it is highlighted by a tent-like canopy made of jasper, carved by domestic stone-cutters. This fragment has remained untouched since those tragic and memorable times when Emperor Alexander II was mortally wounded here. At this place, a “Crucifix with those present” was installed, made of marble and granite. There are always red carnations there. On the sides of this unique cross there are icons with images of saints.
The external appearance of the temple and its interior decoration, generally speaking, are thought out and executed in such a way as to emphasize even in the smallest detail its monumentality, subordination to one main task - to perpetuate the repentance and memory of the Russian people about the innocently murdered Tsar-Liberator.
Thus, above the semicircular window of one of the bell towers of the Savior on Spilled Blood there is a mosaic icon depicting the heavenly patron of the emperor - St. Alexander Nevsky. In kokoshniks we see images of the heavenly patrons of other members of the imperial family. In the niches of the false arcade (they are located in the lower part of the walls of the facade) there are two dozen boards on which are carved the main transformations associated with the reign of the deceased. Moreover, the boards are not wooden, but made of red granite.
People kept coming and coming to the fragment of the embankment where terrorists mortally wounded the emperor. They offer prayers here for the repose of his soul. Funeral services are still held near this tragic place.
Working hours
The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on the Blood is open daily, except Wednesdays, from 10:30 to 18:00. During the high tourist season, namely from May 1 to September 30, this temple, like many other attractions of St. Petersburg, is open to visitors until late: it is open until 22:30. The ticket office closes at 22:00.
Ticket prices
The price of one adult ticket to the Church of the Savior on Blood in 2016 was 250 rubles. Children and youth aged 7-18, as well as university students, graduate students, cadets of military educational institutions paid 50 rubles for a ticket. The same cost was set for pensioners from among the citizens of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. Please note: in order to purchase a ticket at a reduced price, a pensioner must present not his certificate, but his passport.
Ordering an audio guide in Russian, English, French, German, Spanish and Italian will cost 100 rubles.
Artists paint the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
How to get there
The closest metro station to the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is Nevsky Prospekt. Upon exiting, on the right side of the former Ekaterininsky Canal (next to Konyushennaya Square and Mikhailovsky Garden, not far from the Field of Mars), you will see this monumental temple built on the site of one of the most high-profile political assassinations of the century before last.