Description of the attraction
Built in memory of one of the tragic events of Russian history, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is today one of the most visited sights of the northern Russian capital.
Built on the site where the Russian emperor was killed (or rather, mortally wounded), the cathedral was erected in memory of the tsar-martyr; all of Russia donated funds for the construction of this temple. Today, more than a hundred years after the tragedy that happened here, the building is considered one of the architectural gems of the city. Speaking about the "visiting cards" of the northern capital of Russia, they usually mention this cathedral as well. It has the status of a museum, but at the same time it is valid.
Background
The very next day after the murder of Alexander II by a terrorist group, the idea arose of erecting a temple or a monument at the site of the tragedy.
At first it was decided to build a chapel there. The building was designed by Leonty (Ludwig) Benois. Construction began. The pace of work was high: after about a month, the building was completed. The construction work was paid for by two St. Petersburg merchants. The chapel stood at the site of the tragedy for two years, then it was moved to another place. The building stood there for about nine more years, after which it was dismantled. At the place where the emperor was mortally wounded, after the transfer of the chapel, the construction of the cathedral began.
It is necessary to say a few words about the competition for the projects of the new church. Outstanding architects of that time took part in it, but all projects were submitted to the competition anonymously so that the name of the author would not influence the opinion of the competition committee. Eight best projects were selected. They were shown to the emperor, but none of them was approved by him. Expressing his will about the appearance of the future cathedral, the emperor stressed that the building should be built in the style of 17th century temples. The architects should have paid special attention to the Yaroslavl temples.
After these conditions were announced, the second competition began. But all the works were again rejected by the emperor. In the end, the project developed by Alfred Parland and Ignatiy Malyshev (archimandrite) was nevertheless chosen. However, the emperor ordered this project to be finalized; only after a sufficiently large revision did he finally accept the document.
Cathedral construction
The building was laid in 1883. After about fourteen years, it was completed. The creation of the mosaics that adorn the nine-domed temple was completed much later. It was it that delayed the consecration of the building for a whole decade.
The total cost of construction was more than four and a half million rubles. During the construction work, technologies that were new for that time were used. An electrical network was installed in the building: the cathedral was illuminated by one thousand six hundred and eighty-nine electric lamps.
The building is eighty-one meters high. Its capacity is approximately one thousand six hundred people.
Parish of the cathedral
Initially, the temple was not a parish: it was supported by the state. The order in the temple was unusual: the entrance to the building was possible only with special passes. Although the cathedral has an impressive capacity, it was not originally expected to be attended by large numbers of believers. At the same time, services were periodically held in the temple (in memory of the late emperor), sermons were heard.
In the post-revolutionary period, the financial situation of the temple changed dramatically for the worse. He was no longer supported by the state. The rector of the temple appealed to the townspeople with a request to financially support the cathedral in these difficult times.
The new authorities decided to form the parish of the church. The abbot ardently objected to this, making the following argument: the temple was not conceived as a parish, it had never been a parish before. But his objections were not heard. A parish was formed. For several years the temple belonged to the Renovationists (representatives of one of the trends in Russian Orthodoxy of the post-revolutionary period).
In the early 30s of the XX century, the temple, like many churches throughout the country, was closed by a decision of the authorities.
After closing
Soon after the church was closed, it was decided to dismantle it. In part, the detailed study of this issue was postponed to a later date. In the late 1930s, this issue was again raised and again resolved positively. But the military events that followed soon forced to postpone the dismantling of the building at a later time.
During the blockade of the city, the temple was used as a morgue. In the post-war years, the building housed the scenery of one of the city's theaters (that is, the temple turned into a warehouse).
In the early 60s of the XX century, an unexpected find was made in the temple: a German landmine was found stuck in one of the domes. It was found by the craftsmen who carried out restoration work in the building. The mass of the projectile was about one and a half hundred kilograms. It was neutralized; six people took part in these works (five climbers and one former sapper). The operation required from all its participants not only experience and special knowledge, but also composure, fearlessness, and iron restraint.
In the early 70s, it was decided to open a museum in the building of the temple (more precisely, a branch of the museum "St. Isaac's Cathedral"). By that time, the building was in need of serious restoration work. His condition could be described as emergency. Preparations began for large-scale restoration work.
The preparation took a long time. The work itself began only in the 80s of the XX century. The first stage of restoration ended only in the second half of the 90s. Then the museum was first opened to visitors. Interestingly, this happened exactly ninety years after the building was consecrated.
In the early 2000s, services were resumed. The parish of the cathedral was registered several years ago.
Architectural features and interiors
As mentioned above, the cathedral is one of the architectural gems of the city and arouses the constant interest of tourists. But which architectural features of the building should be paid special attention to? What interior details should you see first?
- The temple is crowned with nine chapters. Some of them are covered with gilding, others are decorated with enamel. The chapters are arranged asymmetrically, but this asymmetry is quite picturesque. Please note that the patterns on the domes are different, which gives the building an additional elegance and festivity.
- In the very center, you will see a tent, the height of which is more than eighty meters. The base of the tent is cut by eight windows. They are decorated with platbands, the shape of which resembles kokoshniks. There are also several windows in the upper part of the tent. There the tent gradually narrows. It is crowned with a traditional onion-shaped cupola. It is covered with enamel in three colors - green, white and yellow. Stripes of these colors, as it were, wrap around the head.
- Note the bell tower on the west side of the building. It is also crowned with an elegant dome. Its arched openings resembling kokoshniks are separated by columns.
- On the walls of the building you can see inscriptions telling about the numerous achievements of the country during the reign of the emperor, whose memory is perpetuated by the temple.
- Pay attention to the variety of finishing materials. During the construction of the building brick and marble, granite and enamels, mosaics and gilded copper were used.
- The interiors of the temple are distinguished by an abundance of mosaics. You can even say that the cathedral is a museum of this kind of art (one of the largest in Europe!). The area covered by the mosaic paintings is seven thousand sixty-five square meters. To create these works, sketches of thirty artists were used, among which were the famous masters.
But pay special attention to the following: that section of the pavement on which the emperor was mortally wounded by the terrorists has been preserved in the temple. Part of the embankment fence has also been carefully preserved. It was stained with the blood of the murdered king (by the way, this is where the name of the temple comes from). All this you can see in the western part of the building, directly under the dome of the bell tower. A special canopy (canopy) is installed over this place.
On a note
- Location: St. Petersburg, Griboyedov canal embankment, building 2.
- The nearest metro station: "Nevsky Prospect".
- Official website:
- Opening hours: from 10:30 to 18:00. During the warmer months (from late April to late September), the museum closes at 22:30. Ticket offices stop working half an hour before the closure of the museum object. Wednesday is the day off. During school holidays (excluding summer holidays) the museum is open seven days a week. It is also open on all public holidays (with the exception of the first day of the year).
- Tickets: 350 rubles. In the evening, the ticket price rises to 400 rubles. For pensioners, students, as well as for young people aged seven to eighteen, there is a discount: for them the entrance fee is only 100 rubles. Let us emphasize that the preferential tariff is valid only for those students and pensioners who are citizens of the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus. Discounts are also available for other groups of citizens eligible for a reduced rate (for example, visitors with disabilities). For holders of international ISIC cards, the ticket price is also reduced: for them, the entrance to the museum costs 200 rubles.
