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The Church of the Resurrection, also known as the "Saviour on
the Blood", was constructed in memory of Alexander II who was
assassinated in 1881. The church stands in the very place where his
carriage exploded with a bomb thrown by a young man who opposed
Alexander's reforms. Alexander is, arguably, one of the greatest
tsars in Russia's history. One of his main accomplishments had been
"the emancipation of serfs" in 1861 , which brought an end to
the de facto slavery of the Russian peasantry. This
happened 5 years before the emancipation of slaves in the US.
Alexander II thought highly of the United States and it is largely
thanks to his diplomatic efforts during the American Civil War that
the South received almost no assistance from European powers.
Alexander also sold Alaska to the US in an effort to focus on
exploration of the Russian Far East. Alexander's sudden death, some
argue, took Russia from its path towards democracy to a trajectory
that lead to the Bolshevik revolution.
The Cathedral of Saviour on Spilled
Blood
The Cathedral of Saviour on Spilled Blood, also known as The
Resurrection Church or the Church of the Resurrection of Christ,
was built on the spot where the Russian Emperor Alexander II was
murdered. It attracts people with its exuberant decoration, its
five onion-domes are covered with jeweler's enamel total area of
3280 square feet. It is made in Russian architectural style and
reminds a bit St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. Its peculiar scenic
multicolored exterior makes the Cathedral stand out among other St
Petersburg architectural buildings which are characterized by
strict proportions and color combinations.
It is said about this Cathedral that it was took 24 years to build
it and 27 to restore. In fact, people got so used to the
construction trestle that was surrounding it that a joke appeared:
as soon as the trestle is removed, the soviet regime will fall
down. Ironically, that really happened. It may be a mere
coincidence, but the reconstruction that finished in 1991 was
followed by the famous events which put an end to the dark
communist times.
The Cathedral is famous not only for its architectural value, the
legend has it that there is an icon in it with important dates in
Russian history encrypted, for example 1917 - October revolution,
1941 - the beginning of the WW2, 1953 - the death of Stalin and
some others. Some people say that there is one date that refers to
the future, but no one so far managed to make out the
numbers.
The Cathedral of Saviour on Blood suffered as much as other famous
cathedrals during soviet 'witch hunt'. Devastated and vandalized,
it was closed in 1930 and stood empty and deserted for some time
when in 1931 it was decided to demolish it. Luckily, it was
postponed soon and the same proposal arose only in 1938. But by the
time everything was ready for the explosion in 1941, Hitler's army
had invaded Russia. The miners were hastily called off to the war.
After the war the cathedral was used as a warehouse for a nearby
theater. And if it were not for the restoration people, who
persuaded the authorities to make it a part of the Isaak's
Cathedral, this architectural gem would sank into oblivion.
The highlight of both interior and exterior of the Cathedral is a
range of numerous mosaics based on the paintings of such famous
Russian painters as Vasnetsov, Nesterol and Vrubel. With total area
of 23130 square feet, it is one of the biggest mosaic collections
in Europe. The cathedral is decorated with Italian limestone and
different semi-precious stones like jasper, mountain crystal, topaz
and others. On the outside, there are 20 granite plates which tell
about the most important events during the reign of Alexander
II.
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