Church of the Savior on Blood

(Image source: www.visit-petersburg.ru)

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (Russian: Церковь Спаса на Крови, Tserkovʹ Spasa na Krovi) is one of the main sights of St. Petersburg, Russia. Other names include the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. On March 13, 1881 (Julian date: March 1), as Tsar Alexander's carriage passed along the embankment, a grenade thrown by an anarchist conspirator exploded, mortally wounded the tsar. The tsar, bleeding heavily, was taken back to the Winter Palace, where he died a few hours later. The construction began in 1883 during the reign of Alexander III. The church was dedicated to be a memorial to his father, Alexander II. The construction was completed during the reign of Nicholas II in 1907.

Architecturally, the Cathedral differs from St. Petersburg's other structures. The city's architecture is predominantly Baroque and Neoclassical, but the Savior on Blood harks back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of romantic nationalism. It intentionally resembles the 17th-century Yaroslavl churches and the celebrated St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The church contains over 7500 square meters of mosaics—according to its restorers, more than any other church in the world.