The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

First, I want you to look at this building. Just look at it!

Is it not one of the most beautiful buildings you have ever seen? The Church on Spilled Blood is one of the main attractions in St. Petersburg, and it's easy to see why. It's something you can admire and appreciate without needing to know its history. However, like most of the sites here in Russia, learning the history behind the beauty can add a lot of meaning to it.

I am no historian. Actually, history was always my least favorite subject in school; it was so much harder for me than everything else. However, being in Russia has given me a true appreciation for history, as I've spent time listening to Russians tell the story of their country. So I'll share what little I know of the history of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

(Amidst pictures, of course.)

 The Church on Spilled Blood (as it is nicknamed) was commissioned by Tsar Alexander III in 1883, as a monument to his father, Alexander II - in fact, it is built on the exact spot where Alexander II was assassinated. (Hence "on Spilled Blood.") It took 24 years to complete construction of this marvelous building. This is partly because the Russians chose to rebuild the canal around the area, so that they might include in the cathedral the square of sidewalk where their Tsar lay dying. It is still there today, inside the cathedral's walls, with a small memorial built around it.

Another reason it took so long to build this cathedral is possibly because of the extensive artwork. As you can see from these pictures, the inside of The Church on Spilled Blood is covered with beautiful decorations. It reminds one of the gorgeous paintings in St. Isaac's. However, that is deceiving; those depictions you see on the walls and ceiling are not paintings. They are, in fact, mosaics. Over 7,500 square meters of mosaics line the interior of the Church on Spilled Blood; more than almost any other cathedral in the world!

In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the church was looted and badly damaged. This was the beginning of a hard time for this cathedral. In the next couple of decades, it would be abused harshly. It was closed by the Soviet government in 1930. Then in World War II it was used as a dumping ground for bodies during the Siege of Leningrad. Even after the war, it was used for a long time as a warehouse for vegetables. This earned it the sardonic name of "The Church of the Savior on Potatoes."

(A little nativity picture for you guys. Merry Christmas!)

 However, during these dark times, a miracle occurred in this building that Russians still remember. In World War II there was a terrifying moment when one of the bombs dropped upon the city fell through the roof of the cathedral. It fell through the huge chamber and landed heavily on the smooth floor. But, for reasons still unexplained, the bomb never detonated. It simply lay there on the floor, quelled, until some workers were brave enough to carry it away. The Soviet Union was an officially atheist state at the time, and yet - so I have been told - this instance was seen by many Russians as proof that there was someone there, protecting this place.

(Pictures on display of the bomb and damages. Sorry about the lighting.)

Starting in 1970, renovations were done to the Church on Spilled Blood. For almost thirty years, Russians and tourists alike walked by this amazing structure, but were not allowed to go inside. It was not reopened until August of 1997. (So recently, the first ILP volunteers in St. Petersburg never got to see the inside of it!) Now, at last, people are able to go inside and marvel at the beauty and the history of this fantastic place.

It's a great story. It's a great building.

I've had such a great time.