Church of the Savior on Blood

Coordinates: 59°56′24″N 30°19′43″E / 59.94000°N 30.32861°E / 59.94000; 30.32861
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Church on Blood in Yekaterinburg, see Church of All Saints, Yekaterinburg.
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Церковь Спаса на Крови (
Alfred Alexandrovich Parland, Archimandrite Ignaty (Ivan Malyshev)
TypeChurch
StyleRussian Revival architecture
Groundbreaking1883 (1883)
Completed1907
Website
Savior on the Spilled Blood

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (Russian: Церковь Спаса на Крови, Tserkovʹ Spasa na Krovi)[a] is a Russian Orthodox church in Saint Petersburg, Russia which currently functions as a secular museum and church at the same time. The structure was constructed between 1883 and 1907. It is one of Saint Petersburg's major attractions.

The church was erected on the site where Narodnaya Volya members assassinated Emperor Alexander II in March 1881. The church was funded by the Romanov imperial family in honor of Alexander II, and the suffix "on [Spilled] Blood" refers to his assassination.[1]

History

Construction began in 1883 during the reign of

Nicholas II
in 1907. Funding was provided by the Imperial family with the support of many private donors.

The church is prominently situated along the

Griboedov Canal; paved roads run along both sides of the canal. On March 13, 1881 (Julian date: March 1), as Alexander II's carriage passed along the embankment, a grenade thrown by an anarchist conspirator exploded. The tsar, shaken but unhurt, got out of the carriage and started to remonstrate with the presumed culprit. A second conspirator took the chance to throw another bomb, killing himself and mortally wounding the tsar. The tsar, bleeding heavily, was taken back to the Winter Palace
, where he died a few hours later.

A temporary shrine was erected on the site of the attack while plans and fundraising for a more permanent memorial were undertaken. In order to build a permanent shrine on the exact spot where the assassination took place, it was decided[citation needed] to narrow the canal so that the section of road on which the tsar had been driving could be included within the walls of the church. An elaborate shrine, in the form of a ciborium, was constructed at the end of the church opposite the altar, on the exact place of Alexander's assassination. It is embellished with topaz, lazurite and other semi-precious stones,[3] making a striking contrast with the simple cobblestones of the old road, which are exposed in the floor of the shrine.[citation needed]

Architecture

Detail of the richly decorated onion domes

Architecturally, the cathedral differs from Saint Petersburg's other structures. The city's architecture is predominantly

St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.[2]

Mosaic of Christ Pantocrator under the central dome

The church contains over 7500 square meters of

Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, which houses 7700 square meters of mosaics.[citation needed
] The interior was designed by some of the most celebrated Russian artists of the day—including
Alfred Alexandrovich Parland, was relatively little-known (born in Saint Petersburg in 1842 in a Baltic-German Lutheran family).[citation needed] Perhaps not surprisingly, the church's construction ran well over budget, having been estimated at 3.6 million rubles but ending up costing over 4.6 million.[citation needed] The walls and ceilings inside the church are completely covered in intricately detailed mosaics
– the main pictures being biblical scenes or figures – but with very fine patterned borders setting off each picture.

Russian Revolution of 1917

In the aftermath of the

Second World War when many people were starving due to the Siege of Leningrad by Nazi German military forces, the church was used as a temporary morgue for those who died in combat and from starvation and illness. The church suffered significant damage. After the war, it was used as a warehouse
for vegetables, leading to the sardonic name of Saviour on Potatoes.

Modern usage

In July 1970, management of the church passed to

panikhidas
(memorial services) took place. The church is now one of the main tourist attractions in Saint Petersburg.

Holy Gates

In 2005, the State Museum of St. Isaac's Cathedral began the recreation of the Holy Gates (permanently lost in the 1920s during the Soviet period). Entirely produced with enamels and based on the pictures and lithographies of the time, the new Holy Gates were designed by V. J. Nikolsky and S. G. Kochetova and reified by the famous enamel artist L. Solomnikova and her atelier. Orthodox bishop Amvrosij of Gatchina celebrated the consecration of these new Holy Gates on 14 March 2012, the 129th anniversary of Alexander II's assassination.[4]

  • The church from the park
    The church from the park
  • Mosaics in the interior
    Mosaics in the interior
  • Exterior mosaics
    Exterior mosaics
  • View from Griboedov Canal
    View from
    Griboedov Canal
  • Iconostasis of the church
    Iconostasis of the church
  • Interior
    Interior
  • Savior on the Spilled Blood, Saint Peteresburg, Russia
    Savior on the Spilled Blood, Saint Peteresburg, Russia

Notes

  1. ^ Other names include the Church on Spilled Blood (Russian: Церковь на Крови, Tserkov’ na Krovi), the Temple of the Savior on Spilled Blood (Russian: Храм Спаса на Крови, Khram Spasa na Krovi), and the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ (Russian: Собор Воскресения Христова, Sobor Voskreseniya Khristova.)

References

  1. ^ "The Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood". Saint-Petersburg.com. Saint-Petersburg.com. 2015-03-29. Retrieved 2015-03-29.
  2. ^ a b c d "The Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Savior on the Blood Church) in St. Petersburg, Russia". www.saint-petersburg.com. Retrieved Mar 21, 2019.
  3. ^ "Church of the Savior on Blood, St. Petersburg". Sacred Destinations. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-29.
  4. ^ "A Russian Moment No 36 - Sanctuary and Royal Gates, Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg". Royal Russia. Royal Russia. 2014-05-04. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-29.
  5. ^ Franich, Darren (November 8, 2010). "The Amazing Race recap: Horrible Clowns". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  6. ^ Morella, Alex (August 17, 2014). "The Amazing Race Oz – Amazing Race Australia vs New Zealand Episode 4 & 5 Recap". Survivor Oz. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
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