Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood
This marvelous Russian-style church was built on the
spot where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in
March 1881. After assuming power in 1855 in the
wake of the disastrous defeat of Russia in the
Crimean war against Britain, France and Turkey,
Alexander II initiated a number of reforms. | In 1861 he
freed the Russian serfs (peasants, who were almost
slaves). Within the first half of his reign military,
judicial and urban reforms were undertaken and
Russia became truly a capitalist country. However, in
the second half of his reign Alexander II was no longer
keen on continuing reforms. After a series of attempts
on his life, including an explosion in the Winter
Palace and the derailment of a train, Alexander II was assassinated by
revolutionaries, who threw a bomb at his royal carriage. |
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It was decided to build a church at the spot where the emperor was mortally
wounded. The church was built in 1883-1907 and was officially called the
Resurrection of Christ Church (a.k.a. Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood).
Most of the money for the church was donated, by the royal family and
thousands of private donors. Both inside and outside, the church is decorated
with unique mosaics, designed by the most prominent Russian artists of the time
(V.M. Vasnetsov, M.V. Nesterov, M.A. Vrubel, etc.) and created in 1895-1907.
For all the "Russian look" of the church, its main architect A. Parland was not
even a Russian by origin. |
The church was closed for services in the 1930s, when Bolsheviks were
destroying churches nationwide. For the last 20 years it has been under
restoration. The restoration work is currently near completion and the church has
just reopened. |
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