the church of the savior on spilled Blood
st Petersburg
The tale behind the building of this church is about as close to the Romanov family history as you could ever ask for since it’s built on the site of where Alexander II was fatally wounded by an explosive device in a complex assassination plot in 1881. His son, Alexander III, began construction two years later with the family’s own money along with private donations, but it was completed by the last tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, in 1907. Based on the design of St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow this church stands out much more from the architecture around it in Saint Petersburg by comparison. Its five elaborate onion domes draw the eye on the outside, but that’s nothing compared to the over 7,500 meters of intricate mosaic designs on the walls and ceilings of the church inside. Looted during the Soviet era, it took 27 years to restore it to its former glory.
The church is open 10.30am to 6pm every day except Wednesday. Between May and September it also opens in the evening until 10:30pm. Admission costs start at RUB 250 for adults and RUB 50 for children.