Why was the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood built in St. Petersburg?

1882 – Design Competition for Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg, Russia
This marvelous Russian-style church was built on the spot where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in March 1881 by a group of revolutionaries, who threw a bomb at his royal carriage. The decision was taken to build a church on the spot where the Emperor was mortally wounded, and an architectural competition was held. The church was built between 1883 and 1907 and was officially called the Resurrection of Christ Church. The construction of the church was almost entirely funded by the Imperial family and thousands of private donators. Both the interior and exterior of the church is decorated with incredibly detailed mosaics, designed and created by the most prominent Russian artists of the day (V.M. Vasnetsov, M.V. Nesterov and M.A. Vrubel). Interestingly, despite the church’s very obviously Russian aspect, its principle architect, Alfred Alexandrovich Parland, was not even Russian by birth, nor the winner of the competition. The design harks back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of romantic nationalism.
The church was closed for services in the 1930s, when the Bolsheviks went on an offensive against religion and destroyed churches all over the country. It remained closed and under restoration for over 30 years and was finally re-opened in 1997 in all its dazzling former glory.
Translations of the church’s name vary between guidebooks and include The Church of the Savior on Blood, The Resurrection Church and The Church of the Resurrection of Christ.

Petersburg street by assassins after he had freed the common people from serfdom, offering them their first opportunity at freedom, private business, and prosperity. The people who admired him were devastated and decided to contribute funds to erect the most dazzling church in Europe on the site where he died. The church is breathtakingly beautiful, colorful and architecturally amazing.
Since our first impression of St. Petersburg was of dismal grey Soviet-style apartment buildings and dismal grey skies and weather, the colors and magnificence of the church are a welcome sight. However, what broke my heart is that the church is only a museum. Then we learned that St. Isaac’s Cathedral is also only a museum.
Wait a minute! The Church of the Savior on Spilled Bood was built with donated funds as a house of God to honor a czar who was a devoted believer! How can it be a museum rather than a church? The answer, of course, lies in the years of the Soviet Union, when the State became God and religion was condemned. Of course the Soviets preserved both the castles of the czars and the churches because of the value of their contents. But the meaning is gone.
During my undergraduate college years as an English major, I studied Russian literature extensively. As expressed by great writers like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, Russians were a deeply spiritual people. They were troubled, of course, with angst and obsessiveness affected by depressing weather and history. But underneath was strong belief and dedication to God.
Considering the land of Tolstoy as atheistic is so difficult for me. But as I viewed the beautiful church, I realized that at least some of Russia’s difficulties are due to that atheism. God is not dead – He still holds history in the palm of His hand and waits for people to realize that any “way” other than belief in Jesus is not the way to Heaven nor to true joy.
So I said a prayer as I always do at churches – a prayer for the people of St. Petersburg, that they might return to faith and the freedom it offers. And for those who attend the few open churches, that their faith and devotion might be strengthened. Amen.
I just want to continue to share ideas about grief and life with people who long as I do for comfort and understanding.

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood - 3D Jigsaw Puzzle
|Object||Put together the jigsaw puzzle.|
|Types||101-499 Pieces, 3D|
|Dimensions||44 cm x 30 cm x 54 cm / 17.3 in x 11.8 in x 21.3 in|
Puzzle Pieces: 233
Size When Completed: 44 cm x 30 cm x 54 cm / 17.3 in x 11.8 in x 21.3 in
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is one of the main sights of St. Petersburg, Russia. It is also variously called the Church on Spilt Blood and the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, its official name. This Church was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated and was dedicated in his memory.
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From Russia With Love: The amazing city of St. Petersburg
Daily Express, December 14, 2013
THE beautiful and historic city of Saint Petersburg is the ultimate winter wonderland.
The State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg [GETTY]
Pure white snow cascades around my shoulders as I look up to try to absorb the immense gold-leaf dome of St Isaac’s Cathedral. This spectacular structure, festooned with porticoes, frescoes, statues and colonnades, has been restored to how it would have looked to the Romanov tsars.
Another iconic building, the Church Of The Saviour On Spilled Blood, will also have you craning your neck. With colourful onion domes and dazzling mosaics, the church is one of the city’s most popular attractions and built on the spot where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated on March 13, 1881.
It is the vastness of St Petersburg’s cathedrals and palaces, the width of its main shopping street, Nevsky Prospect, and the opulence of its squares, parks and monuments that make you wish you had panoramic vision.
I find myself constantly walking backwards, bumping into fur-wrapped locals, as I try to get some perspective on the cultural jewels of Russia’s second-largest city.
My first visit here was in the summer when the city seemed completely different, with scorching temperatures, winding queues and tour groups packed around the major sights.
Now, as the nights grow longer and colder, I can effortlessly stroll into the cream of St Petersburg’s many attractions – none more colossal than the State Hermitage.
This special city is a real winter wonderland [GETTY]
St Petersburg boasts more than 200 museums and the Hermitage, mainly housed in the Winter Palace, is one of the most impressive in the world. It’s said you need.
11 years to look at every item on display within the endless corridors, ballrooms and grand halls. As a first time visitor I focus on the masterpieces in the state rooms where I meander past works by Renoir, Van Gogh, Manet, Monet and Degas.
To rest my weary feet afterwards, I relax in the Casa Leto, a privately-run hotel a few minutes away from the main sights.
Down Nevsky I stroll next morning, past boutiques, bookshops, designer-clad women and the plethora of bridges that curve over the vast canal network.

Peter the Great’s city is an exercise in invention. Its canals reflect a spellbinding collection of cultural palaces, while the environment inspired many great artists, writers and musical maestros.
The former Mikhailovsky
Palace, now the Russian Museum, houses one of the country’s finest art
collections, including works by Ilya Repin and Kazimir Malevich. The palace,
designed by Carlo Rossi, was built in 1819-1829 (00 7 812 595 4248; rusmuseum.ru; Inzhenernaya; £8).
The Church of the
Saviour on Spilled Blood was built on the spot where Alexander II was killed by
terrorists in 1881. It reopened in 1997 after its 7,000 sq metres of mosaics
were restored (00 7 812 315 1636; eng.cathedral.ru/saviour;
Kanal Griboyedova; £7).
Viewing the city from
its canals is an idyllic way of touring St Petersburg. From May to October,
find boats at the Fontanka River dock and on the Neva River outside the Hermitage
and the Admiralty. Anglo Tourismo runs guided tours in English from near
Anichkov Bridge (anglotourismo.com;
daily tours £11).
Peter and Paul
fortress is one of the city’s oldest buildings. For wonderful views, walk the
Nevskaya Panorama then head inside the SS Peter & Paul Cathedral, with its
122-metre gilded spire (00 7 812 238 4550; spbmuseum.ru; £5.50).
Kirovsky Islands are
the outer deltas of Petrograd Side. They were granted to 18th- and 19th-century
court favourites and developed into playgrounds. Accessible by Metro, they’re
popular for picnics, boating and on White Nights. Rent a rowboat on Yelagin
Island for £4.50 per hour.
Eat and drink
You’ll struggle to get enough
of the traditional savoury and sweet pies served at Stolle cafés throughout the
city and on Yelagin Island (stolle.ru;
Konyushennaya; pies from £1.50).
Classy, kosher restaurant LeChaim is the
city’s best place for Jewish cooking.

Whereas most of the architecture in St Petersburg is Baroque and Neoclassical, the Church on Spilled Blood is medieval Russian architecture that captures the take on Russian nationalism. It was intentionally constructed to resemble St Basil’s Cathedral in Russia! 😍
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is open daily 10:30am to 6pm and located at 2 Naberezhnaya Kanala Griboyedov, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 191186
Where To Eat
One of the best restaurants I have eaten in all of my travels and one I highly recommend is
Russian Vodka Room No 1
Take a break and have lunch or dinner at the Russian Vodka Room.
You can’t miss out on Russian cuisine because that would just be a tragedy…the food is fantastic! This is the Russian Mushroom Soup with Pea Barley served with sour cream.
Bowls. It’s the word to describe how much of this I could have eaten! Sour cream is *almost* like cream cheese for me. So, the more, the merrier!
Also, I had the Russian Meat and Pork Dumplings and they were absolutely fantastic as well. Actually, we didn’t have anything here that wasn’t out of this world yummy!
My friend Jackie got the classic Russian dish Beef Stroganoff and we shared all three for a complete experience…oh wait, not exactly complete. Because when in Russia…
You must try Vodka, right?? In the Caribbean? Try Rum. When in Rome, try wine and limoncello. And, when in Russia, try Vodka!
I had the Cherry Russian Homemade Vodka. Although I don’t like anything straight, this had a LOT of flavor and was really good! Oh, and don’t worry, if you don’t like cherry they have a million other flavors on the menu!
TIPS: Go mid-afternoon between lunch and dinner times to avoid the crowds. Get several dishes and vodka flavors to share for the full experience!
Russian Vodka Room No1 is open daily 12pm-12am and located at Konnogvardeyskiy Bul’var, 4, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 190000
Sadly, the end of my day in Saint Petersburg also ended my time in Russia. I wanted to stay longer and explore more of it.

Isaac's Cathedral and the Bronze Horseman statue, commemorating famed poet Alexander Pushkin's ode to the city founder, to the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, built atop the site where assassins finally succeeded in killing Tsar Alexander II, a tsar who sought change too fast for some, but too slow for others. Change and revolution are common themes to Saint Petersburg. Palace Square may hold a column celebrating Russia's defeat of the French during Napoleon's unsuccessful 19th century invasion, but it was the site of significant scenes of internal revolt, such as Bloody Sunday in 1905, when demonstrators were fired upon by Tsar Nicholas II's guards, and the October Revolution in 1917, when the Bolsheviks came to power, overthrowing the monarchy and moving the capital to Moscow.
I spent a month in college in Saint Petersburg in the back half of the 1990's, and visited the city again in the early 2000's, and the city has left in indelible mark in my memories. I highly recommend visiting during summer, when the nights are long and visitors can stay up late strolling the Neva and watching the drawbridges over the river open and close. The city is rightly called the "Venice of the North", and it is well worth exploring the numerous canals on foot and by boat. A stroll down Nevsky Prospekt shows off exciting architecture like the Admiralty, Kazan Cathedral, and Dom Knigi (The House of Books), while side streets lead to the exquisite Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (with its nearby Russian craft market) or to the Bank Bridge with its griffins. No visit to Saint Petersburg is complete without a stop at The Hermitage, but I also recommend spending time at the Russian Museum, to see works by Russian artists.
This World Heritage Site is all-encompassing enough to include many palaces outside the city. Not to be missed are Peterhof, also known as Petrodvorets, with its grand and gilded cascade of fountains that serves as centerpiece to Peter the Great's homage to Versailles, or Tsarskoye Selo, also known as Pushkin, where Catherine the Great commissioned a grand palace with a famed Amber Room looted by the Germans during World War II.

The domes of the church of the savior on spilled blood The domes However, the era in which Church of the Savior was built was a time of resurgence of nationalism, thus the classic Russian style of the church.
Looking at both the interior and exterior, it's easy to see why the church cost about 4.6 million rubles, way over the budgeted 3.6 million. The outside was designed to mirror the magnificent St. Basil's in Moscow, the city's easily-recognizable centerpiece, and the building - both inside and outside - features of mosaics, most of them designed by the prominent artists of the time, including Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Nesterov and Mikhail Vrubel. The majority of the mosaics depict biblical scenes and saints though some are just patterns. The colorful onion domes, of which the central one reaches a height of 81 meter (266 ft), are covered with bright enamels. The cathedral boasts a luxurious and rich decor, ornamental architraves, frames, corbels, ceramic tiles, and colored glazed tiles. The belfry is decorated with mosaic coats-of-arms of cities and regions of the Russian empire.
Interesting fact: This church never functioned as a public place of worship. Today it is a Museum of Mosaics.
During the Russian Revolution of 1917, much of this amazing church was ransacked and the interior was seriously damaged. In the 1930s, the Soviets closed the church, as they did with most churches in St. Petersburg. During World War II, it was used as a storage facility for food. If suffered yet more damage during the war, and afterwards, was used for many years as storage space for a local opera company. In 1970, St. Isaac's Cathedral assumed management of the church, and funds garnered from the cathedral (which was, at that time, a museum) were used to restore the Church of the Savior. Restoration was finally complete in 1997 and remains one of St. Petersburg's top tourist attractions.
The Cathedral should not be perceived as simply a cult building; its idea is broader and deeper. The image of the Savior in this Cathedral reflects not so much the cult aspect, but the political, historical, artistic, stylistic importance of the monument, and underscores its importance for the city.

Keepers of History
Walking on the Nevsky Prospect, a five-kilometer-long boulevard, it’s impossible not to notice the beautiful church of the shed blood of Christ, the most important Russian Orthodox church, which was built at the site where Russian emperor Alexander II was killed in the late 19th century. The luxurious interior and the preserved piece of stone where the emperor’s blood was shed, attract tourists from all over the world.
Out of the churches that represent a faithful witness of Russian tradition and history, the Petropavlovskaya left a special impression on me. It is located in the fortress under the same name, under the protection of UNESCO on the island of Zayachi, surrounded by Neva. It contains tombs of almost all Russian emperors, from Peter the Great to Nikolay II Romanov. Tsar Nicholas II and his family were buried in that holy place only a few years ago, after DNA analysis confirmed the identity of the remains found in the forest near Yekaterinburg, where the Bolsheviks burned the remains of the Imperial family after they were brutally murdered in the basement of the house in which they were imprisoned. I was very shaken by this story.
The Russian Versailles
One sunny afternoon I went on a tour of the park and the castle of the Peterhof complex, located around twenty kilometers from St. Petersburg, also under the protection of the UNESCO. It’s not too crowded in the autumn in front of the former imperial residence, which is also known as the Russian Versailles, with magnificent golden fountains in the middle of the park, so you’ll enjoy the beauty of nature in peace and the water that breaks down from the top of the Great Cascade, the largest fountain in the world. In October the fountains are turned off and the complex closes with a huge ceremony, attended by thousands of people.
A café with a turbulent past
The Nevsky Prospect is full of restaurants with great kitchen. The literary café is a place where you can order fantastic food and enjoy its history. Story has it that the poet Alexander Pushkin ate his last meal here before he was killed in a duel with Dantes, a French nobleman who allegedly liked Pushkin’s wife Natalia, the beauty of the Petersburg elite.
I spent a wonderful evening at the Mariinskiy Theater, the former Imperial Ballet House, and today one of the most famous opera and ballet houses in the world.

Savior on Blood
The Cathedral of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood is a unique masterpiece combining the old Russian style of architecture, talent of the best Russian artists and Italian stone carvers, and the art of Roman mosaic. Mosaics cover almost all the surface of the walls and ceilings there are 7 500 square meters of mosaics all in all. It is a unique example of a Russian style cathedral in the centre of St. Petersburg. Its coloured onion domes are so famous, that they are recognized today as one of the symbols of the city. The style of the church was inspired by St Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow. The onion domes, mosaics and intricately decorated facade are characteristic of 16th to 17th century Russian architecture. Thus, it differs in from most of the buildings of st. Petersburg which follow the western traditions of Neo-Classical and Baroque architecture. The church is one of the top tourists attractions of St. Petersburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a popular spot for taking photographs and acquiring Russian souvenirs. You have an opportunity to see the Spilt Blood Cathedral in all its beauty.
This church was built on the very site of Tsar Alexander II murder.
Officially consecrated as the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, the Russian Orthodox gem more commonly known as the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was built to honor tsar Alexander II of Russia, who was assassinated at the site where the church now sits, hence the reference to "spilled blood". The section of the street on which the assassination took place is enclosed within the walls of the church and the site of the murder is marked by a chapel in the building. At the request of Alexander III, son of Alexander II, construction on the church began in 1883. Funding for this amazing structure was almost totally provided by the Imperial family with other donations made by private individuals. The project was completed in 1907.
The principle architect chosen for the project was Alfred Alexandrovich Parland, who was, incidentally, a non-Russian-born individual. The architecture of the church varies greatly from other buildings and religious structures in St. Petersburg, which were largely constructed in the Baroque and neo-Classical styles.

It remained closed and under restoration for over 30 years. It was reopened in August 1997, after 27 years of restoration, but has not been reconsecrated and does not function as a full-time place of worship. The Church of the Saviour on Blood is a Museum of Mosaics. In the pre-Revolution period it was NOT used as a public place of worship.
Exterior: 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. Interestingly, despite the church’s very obviously Russian aspect, its principle architect, A. Parland, was not even Russian by birth. Both the interior and exterior of the church are decorated with incredibly detailed mosaics, designed and created by the most prominent Russian artists of the day (M.V. Nesterov, V.M. Vasnetsov and M.A. Vrubel). The Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood resembles a bit the St. Basil Cathedral on the Red Square in Moscow. The church is a perfect example of how you expect Russia to be: the golden onion domes, and fantastic colors, are so typical of the country, and are absolutely exquisite. What a colorful place to visit ! The views from the Griboyedov Canal are stunning ! I took thousand pictures of this cathedral !!!
The Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood from the Griboyedov Canal:
Kazan Cathedral from the Griboyedov Canal:
Interior: Absolutely beautiful - words cannot describe this masterpiece. The interiors walls are covered with what looks like paintings, but upon a closer look are actually tiny mosaics. The walls and ceilings inside the Church are COMPLETELY covered in intricately detailed mosaics and It might be the most beautiful mosaic mural decoration you have ever seen. The mosaic work is AMAZING. Every inch of space seems to be covered with huge religious mosaics, soaring upward to the ornate vaulted ceiling, where the face of Christ looks down in a blaze of light.

It intentionally resembles the 17th-century Yaroslavl churches and the celebrated St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.
The Church contains over 7500 square metres of mosaics — according to its restorers, more than any other church in the world. The interior was designed by some of the most celebrated Russian artists of the day — including Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Nesterov and Mikhail Vrubel — but the church's chief architect, Alfred Alexandrovich Parland, was relatively little-known (born in St. Petersburg in 1842 in a Baltic-German Lutheran family). Perhaps not surprisingly, the Church's construction ran well over budget, having been estimated at 3.6 million roubles but ending up costing over 4.6 million. 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.
In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, the church was ransacked and looted, badly damaging its interior. The Soviet government closed the church in the early 1930s. During 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.
In July 1970, management of the Church passed to Saint Isaac's Cathedral (then used as a highly profitable museum) and proceeds from the Cathedral were funneled back into restoring the Church. It was reopened in August 1997, after 27 years of restoration, but has not been reconsecrated and does not function as a full-time place of worship; it is a Museum of Mosaics. Even before the Revolution it never functioned as a public place of worship; having been dedicated exclusively to the memory of the assassinated tsar, the only services were panikhidas (memorial services). The Church is now one of the main tourist attractions in St. Petersburg.

The territory adjacent to the cathedral is one of the oldest areas of St. Petersburg, its historic downtown, which was formed in the first third of the 18th century. Because the church is located in the very heart of the city, its surroundings are of highest value. The historical and cultural environment here is extremely rich, represented by such treasures of world spiritual culture as the Russian Museum, the Maly Opera Theater, the Grand Philharmonic Hall, and churches of various confessions. The Cathedral is probably the only building in the city that stands out so much in its architectural and spatial environment with its silhouette, composition, and rich decor.
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

This is also the central shopping street in the city -- the Gostiny Dvor department store is here -- and something of an entertainment hotspot.
Address: Nevsky Prospekt
Palace SquareWidely considered to be the main square in the city, Palace Square combines several different styles of architecture. On the northern side is the Winter Palace and across the square on the southern side is the former Imperial Army General Staff building, through which you can gain access to Nevsky Prospekt via the Triumphal Arch. The Alexander Column acts as a central focus point. Named after Emperor Alexander I, it stands as a monument to the Russian victory against Napoleon's French army.
Address: Dvortsovaya Pl City Centre
The Church of Our Saviour on Spilled BloodBuilt on the site on which Alexander II was assassinated in March 1881, the church is famed for its richly decorated façade and Russian-style onion domes, not dissimilar to that of the St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.
Address: Griboedov canal embankment, 26, À
Russian Museum of EthnographyEstablished in 1895 by Emperor Nicholas II and opened in 1898, the museum is a must-visit attraction if you love the arts. There are several sites -- Marble Palace, Benois Wing, Mikhailosky Palace, Mikhailovsky Castle, Stroganov Palace. These can all be accessed by taking the Metro to Nevsky Prospekt. Permanent exhibitions include Russian Art in the Context of World Art (Marble Palace), Art of the 20th century (Benois Wing), Mineral Study (Stroganov Palace) and Russian Art of the 18th century (Mikhailovsky Palace).
Address: Inzhenernaya ul 4/1

The central dome is decorated with the Christ Pantocrator, and effigies of Christ, the Virgin and St. John the Baptist decorate the ceilings of small domes.
The Church of St. Savior ” on the Spilled Blood.”
The Yusupov Palace on the Moika edge whose name is linked to the murder of Gregory Rasputin.
Built in the late eighteenth century for Count Andrei Shuvalov, the Yusupov palace became famous due to its prominent owners: the Yusupov family, originally Tatars and one of Russia’s richest dynasties; and of course because it is linked to the murder of Gregory Rasputin. This is one of the few palaces of St. Petersburg that have kept the luxurious decor of reception rooms, private apartments, private gallery and a real little theater. Chaine des Rotisseurs there celebrated the tenth anniversary of National Bailiwick of Russia. Visitors are fascinated by the beauty of its interiors: the rows of parade unfold on the floor of the mezzanine floor which is accessed by a staircase of white marble. The first row of pageantry includes several rooms that have retained an ornate that date back to 1830. In the second row leading to the theater, there is an art gallery with several rooms where fabulous masterpieces of art belonging to the Yusupov are exposed, some of which are now in the Hermitage Museum. Indeed, five generations of Yusupov lived in this magnificent palace. After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the family left Russia to live in Paris, and the building became a national museum showcasing the lifestyle of the Yusupov family.
Exhibition of the “Murder of Rasputin”
An exhibition depicting the murder of Gregory Rasputin can be seen in the rooms of the apartment of Felix and Irina Yusupov, which is accessed through a private entrance or asmall vestibule. Rasputin, the legendary character with the ability to cure diseases through prayer, had a great influence on the family of Tsar Nicolas II. The aristocracy of the Court wanted him away from the imperial couple. A plot was well organized against him by Felix Yusupov, the last owner of the palace Yusupov and the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich.

We’d originally booked to stay a week in St Petersburg, but after a few days in this wonderful city we decided to stay another week as there’s so much to see and like about it!
Among our favourite places were the Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood and the Hermitage. Other highlights included wandering along the main street, Nevsky Prospect, where we found a fantastic food hall (to take photos inside you had to either pay a fee or make a purchase, so we bought some expensive bread!) as well as admiring the impressive buildings and designer shops.
There seem to be loads of churches and cathedrals in St Petersburg. Another of our favourites was St Isaac’s Cathedral with an amazing iconostasis (altar screen) and beautiful mosaics.
On our final day we visited Peterhof, a stately home just outside St Petersburg which is famous for its fountains. This was worth seeing and the reason that we visited so late in our stay was that the fountain season only started on 27 April (they are turned off during the winter). However like many museums in Russia it has a two tier pricing structure with cheaper tickets for Russian nationals and more expensive ones for foreigners. I don’t object to the principal of this if it means that more Russians get to see their historic sites, but in the case of Peterhof we felt the foreigners ticket was a bit overpriced, especially as you had to pay for each museum in the grounds separately and they were typically ~£6-10 each, and that’s after the £9 to get into the gardens.
We also celebrated Julie’s birthday in St Petersburg and managed to find some amazing cake at the Bushe cafe before a sushi dinner followed by beers and vodka shots (now that we know how) at our local, Barcelona Bar.
Here’s our St Petersburg round up:
What photo takes you right back to St Petersburg?
This was a tough one. We did so much that it was difficult to choose a single photo, but we decided on the magnificent Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood. Not only because its even more impressive inside than out, but our hostel was just a block away from it so we saw it every day.
Summarise St Petersburg in three words.

A couple weeks ago, I got to to visit the land of Anastasia! It was incredible – everything from the actual sights to the Russian letters on their signs was uniquely foreign and beautiful! While there, I saw everything from the Peter and Paul Fortress to the Cathedral on Spilled Blood. I’ll take you through a short digital tour now – so you can get a glimpse of the things I was blessed enough to experience!
Dancing Bears…Painted Wings…Things I Almost Remember…
The Battleship Aurora is a symbol of the Revolution because it fired the blank shot that started the October Revolution (Bolsheviks in 1917) and sent the troops to storming the Winter Palace (now known as The Hermitage).
This was a palace built by Paul the First, the son of Catherine the Great. He built it with a moat around it for added protection because he was paranoid that someone wanted to
kill him. However, within a few months of moving in somebody (I think one of his guards) strangled him to death in his bedroom. I thought this story was ironic, so I took a picture of the castle. Sorry for the poor quality of the picture.
This is a water taxi. Saint Petersburg is looking into getting more of them to help alleviate the traffic dilemma of the town. The canals go to a lot of places in the town, so it could be beneficial if people accept it.
This is the Peter and Paul Cathedral. It is located on Peter Island inside the Peter and Paul Fortress. The fortress holds 32 emperors' graves. The Fortress is sometimes called the Russian Bastille. Here Peter's son died because he started an
assassination plot to hill his father. However, people weren't executed here. They were only interrogated. In 1917 it was turned into a museum. The Cathedral was built in 1732, and it is an Orthodox Cathedral. It is 122 meters high, and it has real gold on top. It is gilded, so it never has to be replaced. This has the tombs of all the emperors from Peter the Great to Anastasia's family. This is where the tour guide killed my hopes that I was descended from Anastasia too - because she told me that Anastasia is buried here. DNA testing proved it. I choose to believe in her continuing existence though.

And in 1837 the monuments of the 1812 war heroes – Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly – were erected on the square in front of the Cathedral .
Today the Kazan Cathedral is an operating church with daily divine service and free admission. The Cathedral is always crowded and there is a little light inside, the absence of which creates a feeling of tranquility when you are in the temple.
Inside the temple is divided by granite columns to three so-called hall-corridors, whose ceilings are decorated with painting of flowers, and on the floor there is a mosaic of the Karelian marble in pink and grey shades.
No doubts that the Kazan Cathedral alongside with the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood and St. Isaac’s Cathedral, is the main church of St. Petersburg. It possesses a great historical value and is considered to be an architecture masterpiece, visited by thousands of tourists and city residents every year.

xxxxxPeter the Great began building the city of St. Petersburg in 1703. Situated at the eastern end of the Gulf of Finland, it was given spacious squares and broad avenues, and its public buildings were designed by Italian and French baroque artists. The famous landmark is the Winter Palace, the residence of the Tsars during the winter months. The royal family moved there from Moscow in 1713, and it then became the new capital city, remaining so until 1918. Seen as a symbol of the new Russia, it was a “window” overlooking the West, drawing Russia into the mainstream of European politics. Over the years this beautiful city has become a major seaport and an industrial and cultural centre. It has also played a significant role in the country’s political life, being the scene of the Decembrist Uprising in 1825 (G4), for example, and the starting point of the Revolutions in 1905 and 1917.
THE FOUNDING OF ST. PETERSBURG 1703 (AN)
xxxxxPeter the Great announced the building of St. Petersburg in May 1703 (illustrated), on the site of the Swedish fortress of Nienshants, captured that year. The city is situated on the delta of the River Neva, at the eastern end of the Gulf of Finland, and today occupies both banks of the river and a number of large delta islands. A major seaport and industrial centre, it ranks today among the world’s most beautiful cities and, because of its many canals and river channels, is often called the Venice of the North. Apart from its commercial value, it is an important cultural centre -
xxxxxThe city, with its spacious squares and broad avenues, was built by forced labour, but its sumptuous public buildings were designed by Italian and French baroque architects, brought to Russia for the task. The Fortress of Saints Peter and Paul, built for the holding of political prisoners, still stands, but the most famous landmark is the Winter Palace -
xxxxxThe royal family moved to St. Petersburg from Moscow in 1713, and it was in that year that the city, a symbol of the new Russia, became Peter’s capital and remained so until 1918.

We are at the shore of the Neva River, at the Castle's Quay. Look! On the
small Island over there is the Peter & Paul's Fort. Here Tsar Peter I. has
founded Saint-Petersburg. In the Fort itself is located the highest building
of the Town - Peter & Paul's Cathedral.
From here, from the Kirovsk-Bridge, we can see very well the Eastern tip of
the Basilius-Island, the largest island in the delta of the Neva River. In
front of you is the world famous architectural collection of the Strelky
(Eastern Tip): The Stock Exchange, the Rostral-Columns, the Tower of the
"Kunstkamera" (Chamber of Arts) and the Customs House.
At the right hand of it there is the former Tsar's Residence - the Winter
Nowadays in the building of the Winter Palace there is accomodated the world
famous Museum of Arts, the "Ermitage".
"Nevsky Prospekt" - the Main Street of Saint Petersburg, is the center of
the cultural and public life of the Town. It begins at the Admiralty
Building, close by to the Neva River, and ends at the
Alexander-Nevsky-Square, as well at the Neva River.
Here we find castles, museums, churches, temples, theatres, the public
library, shops, restaurants and cinemas.
And here we see as well the Kazan Cathedral, and soon we will see the most
beautiful place of Saint Petersburg, the "Palace of the Coast" (Ploshad
Right ahead of us is the Russian Theatre, and left the Little Opera and
Ballet Theatre. In this theatre are shown musical comedies and philharmony.
In the centre of the Square, in the green area, there is the Monument of
Alexander Pushkin, one of the most famous Russian poets.
Back to the narrative...
Well, this was a brief description of Old Saint Petersburg. I could submit hundreds of pictures from this beautiful area, but unfortunately this is contrary to the confluence rules.
To a foreigner's question not knowing Russia which is the most recommendable town there to visit, the answer will be clearly: "Saint Petersburg". It was and is a jewel. Compared with Saint Petersburg Moscow is just only a big village.

St. Petersburg is quite a young city but at the same time, it always has been not only a cultural and political center of the country but also a religious one. In its lifetime, the city faced many difficult situations like floods, famine, wars, etc. However, saint patrons of St. Petersburg always protected people. This is the reason why different churches and cathedrals have appeared in all parts of the city since the very beginning of the 18th century. And of course, every religious construction here has a tremendous story behind. Moreover, every church can be considered as a peculiar masterpiece created by the best architects who had ever been working in St. Petersburg. During this tour, you will have an amazing opportunity to get closer to the most legendary churches and cathedrals of the city.
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We can say that a visit to The Spit of Basil Island will allow you to see exactly the architecture that was conceived by architects and Peter I at the beginning of the XVIII century.
The Spit of Basil Island is a unique architectural monument of St.Petersburg. It personifies exactly the initial ideas for the development of the city. Moreover, nowhere else in the city is there any better view for enjoying the beautiful panoramas of the city with so many architectural monuments.
Author: Vladimir Sinyavsky
Location : St.Petersburg
Visit the grand locations The Spit of Basil Island and many more that St Petersburg has to offer!
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St Petersburg is the jewel in Russia’s crown, a city of canals that is reminiscent in many ways of Venice. The tsars ruled their empire here for centuries until the revolution in 1917 – putting the city high up on the lists of history buffs everywhere. Watch this gorgeous time-lapse from the city of the tsars!
Sights to see in St Petersburg include the Winter Palace – former home of the tsars, and now the home of the Hermitage collection; one of the world’s largest and most impressive art collections. Then there’s St. Peter and Paul Fortress, with its extraordinary baroque interior. Up until the revolution, this was a political prison; home for a while to Trotsky himself. Then there’s St Isaac’s cathedral – one of the world’s largest – and the famous Church on Spilled Blood, built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was murdered in 1881. And don’t miss Catherine Palace, and the Summer Gardens at Peterhof, overlooking the Gulf of Finland. There’s a load to see and do – just as well this video is a time-lapse after all!

Peter’s city, then and now
A photographer revisits—and revisualizes—a city of his youth
One of the charms of European cities is that any inkling of their origins is either lost in the distant past or conjured into a class of story called a foundation myth. Somehow, imperceptibly, a convenient Celtic village on a dank river becomes Alesia, drops from sight, then turns up later as Paris.
In Russia, the current capital Moscow has exactly the same kind of obscure pedigree: a river site (among hundreds) one day happens to make good, generally for reasons no one today can quite figure out.
St. Petersburg is different from these.
Peter the Great built that city deliberately to have his fully European home base, his new capital of a militarily powerful Russian state that intended to participate widely in world affairs. One day nothing had been there—in this case, nothing but a swamp where the Neva River met the Gulf of Finland. The next day construction had begun on part of a wall. Peter planned everything: He had the site surveyed, he financed it, and up went his namesake in regular mounds of waterlogged soil draining constantly into a system of canals. The date of founding was May 27, 1703, when the cornerstone of the Peter and Paul fortress was laid.
The founding of St. Petersburg and the style of its layout and construction made manifest Peter’s personal vision for Russia: The new city was his very expensive calling card to the rest of the world.
Peter left a legacy that we in Western Europe and the United States have been living with ever since, like it or not. In a week, St. Petersburg will celebrate its 300th anniversary. Commemorations have been going on both in Russia and abroad for many months leading up to the actual date.
By way of recognizing the anniversary here in Chico, the Office of International Programs at California State University has brought a fine exhibition to the Humanities Center Gallery, in Trinity Hall, of photographs of Peter’s city by the Czech Jiri Tondl.
Tondl took many of his pictures when he was a university student there from 1972 to 1977. He shot in black-and-white. He emphasized the everyday life of ordinary residents and stayed away from subject matter the Soviet state might find unwelcome.

The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments has a planned urban design with many baroque and neo-classical monumental buildings.
The shape of the city was developed by Peter the Great during the 18th century. In communist times, it was officially renamed in Leningrad.
Among the "related group of monuments" mentioned above is the Peter and Paul Fortress. This was the first project taken up by Czar Peter, and he moulded it after architecture he had seen in the Netherlands.
The magnificent Hermitage (Winter Palace) is also in St. Petersburg. It's one of the best museums in the world, and the collection has both volume and quality.
Map of St. PetersburgLoad map
Visit July 1990
St. Petersburg appeared to have more in common with its Scandinavian neighbours than Moscow. They were proud of that too: during my 2 week trip the Russian guide kept telling us "Wait til we get to St. Petersburg, its the best of Russia's big cities".
Actually, when we finally got there after Moscow and Kiew I didn't totally agree. I found it to be cold (in the psychological sense of the word). It also definitely is a harbour city, so you must like water and watching ships (I don't).
Besides the stunning Hermitage I visited the house where Pushkin used to live. It was a solemn expedition: the man was an icon in Russia.
The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments is easily my favorite of all World Heritage Sites I've seen in Russia. This 300-year-old city was wrested from swamps to become a capital, much like a city started later that century half a world away and much closer to home for me. Saint Petersburg is a feast for travelers, replete with history, culture, and architecture.
Saint Petersburg was a dream made manifest by Peter the Great, who envisioned a great European city built upon the Neva River delta looking westward. This city is a joy to explore on foot, from the broad avenue of Nevsky Prospekt to the grand square in front of the Winter Palace, home to the renowned Hermitage Museum; from Vasilievsky Island to the Peter and Paul Fortress; from St.

St. Isaac’s Cathedral is an outstanding monument of Russian architecture of the 19th century and one of the greatest dome constructions in the world, smaller in size only in comparison with the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence
Grandness of this temple is shown by its size: the height of the building is 101.5 m; the length is 111.2 m; and the width is 97.6 m.
The cathedral is one of the dominant buildings of St. Petersburg and the second in height after the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral. Its monumental and majestic image creates a unique accent in the city’s skyline and serves as much a landmark of the northern capital, as the spire of the Cathedral in the Peter and Paul Fortress and a gold ship atop of the Admiralty.

Visit to the cathedrals of St. Petersburg (by car)
- Saint Petersburg
This guided tour by private car or bus will include visits to the three main cathedrals of St. Petersburg: St. Isaac's Cathedral, Church of the Saviour on Spilt Blood and the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
St. Isaac's Cathedral (the Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia) is the largest Orthodox church in St. Petersburg and one of the most impressive buildings in St. Petersburg. The gilded dome of St. Isaac is clearly visible from various places in the city. The exterior is decorated with 112 granite columns each of which weighs about 100 tons and more than 400 bas-reliefs, the interior is impressing with elegant marble, malachite and lapis lazuli decor. St Isaac's colonnade located at an altitude of 43 meters offers stunning views of the city.
Church of the Resurrection or "Saviour on the Spilt Blood" was built on the site of the assassination of the Emperor Alexander II. The cathedral was built in the Russian style accoding to the model of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The main decoration of the construction is imosaic decoration that covers the area of over 7,000 sq.m. During the Soviet period the church was used as a warehouse because of "no cultural value." In 1997 the church was renovated and re-opened.
The Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra (the Alexander Nevsky Monastery) was constructed by the order of Peter the Great at the end of Nevsky Prospekt where he commanded to place the relics of St. Alexander Nevsky (the patron of the new Russian capital). Among the buildings of the Monastery there is a majestic Holy Trinity Cathedral built in the style of early classicism, the Lazarevskoye Cemetery (necropolis of the XVIII century) and the Tikhvin Cemetery (necropolis of Masters of Arts, the burial place of Lomonosov, Suvorov, Karamzin, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Dostoevsky and other prominent figures of Russia).

The Church is situated in the centre of the estate. The first wooden church was built there in 1716, in Stroganovs' time. It was consecrated and dedicated to the Blachernitissa Icon of the Theotokos, the family sacred icon of the estate's owners.
The Icon was given this name since originally it was kept in Blachernae (a small town on the bank of the Bosphorus, near Constantinople). The Byzantine empress built there a monastery in the 5th century. A church dedicated to the Theotokos was situated there and owned the Blachernitissa. As late as in that time, the Icon was revered as a miracle-working. So, in 1830, when cholera raged in Moscow, nobody fell ill with it in Kuzminki parish. Duke Sergey Golitsyn cast a bell of 260 poods (4,258 kg or 9,390 lb.) in weight in honour of this event.
After Constantinople was occupied by the Turks, the Icon was hidden in the patriarchate. Then, for the safety reasons, it was moved to the Monastery of Athos and in 1653 (1654), it was gifted to Tsar Alexis I by some merchant.
However, there is a legend that two Blachernitissa icons were delivered to Moscow. One of them came to the Cathedral of the Dormition, Moscow, and the other became a patronal icon of the Church of the Blachernitissa Icon of the Theotokos in Kuzminki. The icon of the Virgin Mary with child is painted with a rare embossed technique and, according to modern experts, dates back to the 7th century. Today, the Icon is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery.
The stone church was built in 1759 to 1774 with support from Duke Mikhail Golitsyn. Originally, it was a baroque church. However, as early as in 1784 to 1787, the Church was rebuilt as a classical one. Architects: I. Zherebtsov, R. Kazakov, I. Yegotov.
In 1812, during Napoleon's invasion, the church was looted. Witnesses said that the French rode into the Church and carried off holy vessels and icons.

St.Petersburg (known as Petrograd in 1914-1924 and as Leningrad in 1924-1991), the northern capital of Russian Federation, the seaport, the administrative centre of Leningrad region, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, was founded by Russian tsar Peter the Great on the small Zayachy island in the mouth of the Neva river as a fortress on May 27, 1703. The city became the capital of Russia in 1712 up to 1918 when the capital was transfered back to Moscow. The northern geografical location of St.Petersburg (the same latitude as Greenland, Alaska and Chukotka) explains the white nights from June 11 up to July 2 when the sun sets only 9 degrees below the horizon and the faint twilight gradually turns into the dawn. The city was built by the most famous Russian and European architects and nicknamed "the Babylon of the Snows" and "the Venice of the North". The present city is a large industrial, transport, scientific and cultural centre of Russia with a territory of 620 sq.km and a population of 5 million. The Petropavlovskaya Fortress is a remarkable , historical and architectural memorial in St.Petersburg. The Winter Palace, designed by Rastrelli in the 18th century, the former residence of Russian tsars, located on the Palace Square, is one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles in the world. The Hermitage with its collection of over 2,5 million exhibits is one of the very finest world art museums. The Russian Museum contains 3 thousand paintings (10th-20th centuries) of Russian artists. The St.Isaac`s Cathedral (1818-1858) is an outstanding monument of the late Russian Classicism. The majestic architectural ensembles in the suburbs are well-known all over the world. Peterhof or Petrodvorets - the former Russian imperial residence, Pavlovsk (18-19th centuries), Pushkino (18-19th centuries) - the former country residence of the Russian tsars, are among them.
In the northern part of the Ladoga Lake which was called Nyevo in the ancient times, there lie numerous islands,
the largest of them being Valaam.

This new location allowed greater trade and cultural contacts between the Russian capital and the West.
He also adopted some Western bureaucratic and economic policies, which enabled him to govern his expanding territory more effectively.
However, Peter is also known for his autocratic and oftentimes cruel manner of governing. He was often at war with his neighbors in an effort to expand Russia's borders. A series of widespread revolts was mercilessly crushed during his reign. And St. Petersburg was built at great cost in human life by serf labor.
The $25 million, 30-story structure, topped by a red light as a hazard warning to low-flying aircraft, depicts a monstrous Peter standing triumphantly atop a miniaturized 18th-century Russian Navy vessel crashing through cresting waves.
The monument, which supporters call Moscow's Statue of Liberty, was designed by a highly successful but much maligned Moscow-based international sculptor, Zurab Tsereteli. In recent years, Mr. Tsereteli has built an empire of monuments in this city, which many observers attribute more to his close relations with Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov rather than to his artistic ability.
"In Russia today, all these things have become close to politics," complains Marat Gelman, a Moscow art dealer leading the movement against the Peter monument.
The Peter the Great monument has many Muscovites up in arms about its artistic merit and historical symbolism.
"This is art?" snorted a passerby. "I think it's just a way for Luzhkov to stand out as a politician. Its style doesn't fit Moscow, and it has just ruined my lunch spot."
In recent months, dozens of artists and other citizens, exasperated by Tsereteli's monuments and the city government's resolve in continuing construction on Peter, have held public protests demanding that the statue be removed. The protests have brought some results, in contrast to Soviet days, when entire neighborhoods of Russian cities were torn down without notice to make way for projects promoting the "advancement of Socialism."
In response to the frequent protests, Mr. Luzhkov created a commission in March to help him decide the fate of the Peter the Great statue and has promised that he will be guided by public-opinion polls.
A poll carried out earlier this year found that Muscovites who disapproved of Tsereteli's work outnumbered his fans by almost 2 to 1.

St. Petersburg is the City of Tsars but I would personally call it the city of creativity as architecturally it’s one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. St Petersburg has all the ingredients for a memorable travel experience such as the exquisite art, lavish architecture and rich cultural traditions that have inspired and nurtured some of the modern world’s greatest literature, music and visual art.
Peter the Great founded this city in 1703. What is so wonderful about St Petersburg is that it combines Russian heritage with a European outlook. The city is Russia’s cultural hub.
If you explore the city with a travel guide or a local, you may hear different and interesting stories about the palaces, museums, broad avenues and winding canals. St Petersburg’s turbulent past has endowed the city with grand architectural and artistic treasures.
There are so many attractions in St. Petersburg the list will make your head spin. Here are five places to visit in St Petersburg:
1-Peter and Paul Fortress
The cathedral is where the Romanovs are buried. There’s a former prison and various exhibitions. This is a mandatory stop on any tour as it gives you great insights into Russian history.
2-St Isaac’s Cathedral
St Isaac’s Cathedral has a lavish interior and is actually a museum (services are held in the cathedral on major religious holidays). You probably won’t want to bother climbing the steps to the colonnade but if you do summon up enough energy the views are amazing. The cathedral was designed in 1818 and over 100kg of gold leaf was used to cover the dome.
3-State Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace
This museum is absolutely huge and one of the best museums I’ve seen. Russsia’s Tsars once resided here. Now it has one of the world’s best art collections. Even if you are not an art connoisseur, you will be amazed at the creations on display.
4-Pushkin and Catharine Palace
The summer residence of the Russian Tsars conjures images of a grand era and a Russian Baroque wonder. Catherine Palace’s famous Amber Room is worth the trip. The palace was the residence of the Tsars in the 18th and 19th centuries.
5-Church on the Spilled Blood
Make sure you take a look at the five-domed Russian Orthodox church, which is decorated with a mosaic interior. The name came about in reference to the assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander II at this spot in 1881.

The city of St. Petersburg is known for a large number of historical attractions. Many of them are known even to those who have never been to a city on the Neva. We will focus on one of them – the Spit of Basil Island.
The Spit of Basil Island can be called a visiting card of the historic city center. This architectural monument is located so well that it offers a beautiful view of the heart of the city. It offers beautiful views of the Neva, the Winter Palace and the Peter and Paul Fortress. We can say that this monument is an example of the harmony of architecture and nature.
Historically, this area was planned starting from the first steps of building a city. Back in 1716, the project of the architect Domenico Trezzini assumed a trapezoidal square surrounded by houses, but Peter I decided to make the place a cultural and business center of the city. Therefore, next to The Spit of Basil Island, such historically significant architectural monument as the Exchange Building was built.
The development history of The Spit of Basil Islandis quite interesting. If the area itself did not change significantly, the Exchange building survived several projects. The exchange building was erected in wood in the 1730s, and in the 1780s it was rebuilt in stone. After that, in 1805 a new project appeared under the leadership of Jean-François Tom de Tomon. He was inspired by his albums with sketches of Roman monuments, which he made while traveling to Italy. Thus, the new building was built in the style of ancient architecture. The facade was turned to the Neva, the building is surrounded by a colonnade of 44 columns.
Even more interesting are the two majestic Rostral columns with statues of sea deities at the foot, which served as lanterns for the port of the capital in the 19th century. The project of these columns was created considering the personification of the power and greatness of the state’s navy and refers to the ancient Roman custom of decorating columns with rosters – the noses of ships that were defeated in battles. Thus, the architect was able to transfer the architecture of ancient times to the city on the Neva.
Despite the large number of projects for the development of this place, the area has always remained the central object of all projects.

Todor Alexandrov Blvd., next to Metrostation no.7
The St. Spas church was built and consecrated after the Liberation, in 1883, on a corner lot between Nishka and Lomska streets (today Todor Alexandrov Blvd. and George Washington Str.), upon the foundations of a small 15th – 16th c. chapel of the same name, dug two-meters into the ground. Reconstructed profoundly and expanded with a narthex and two side naves by the Revival master-builder Georgi Novakov Dzhongar, the building was enhanced by the addition of large-scale architectural details: capitals, alcoves, cornices, gables, windows and domes of various shapes.
The church was furnished with iconostases by the woodcarver and icon painter Peter Filipov; icons, in a modernized Russian style departing from the Byzantine iconographic dogma – by an unknown author; murals – by the artists Haralampi Tachev, Apostol Hristov, and Dechko and Radomir Mandov. By the altar of Saint Spas was buried the hanged on November 15, 1877, Kiro Geoshev – bookseller from Sofia, associate of Vasil Levski and member of the Sofia Revolutionary Committee. In the western section of the churchyard was the tomb of Major General Sava Mutkurov; by the altar curtain – the tombs of the parents of Ivan Denkoglu – merchant and patron of the Bulgarian Revival Enlightenment.
The British – American bombing attack on Sofia of March 30, 1944, devastated and scorched half of the temple. After the end of the war, the surviving section was restored and hosted services until the early 1980s, when it was demolished to free space for the monumental building of the Bulgarian Foreign Trade Bank (today UniCredit Bulbank). In 1986 – 1987, the medieval St. Spas – a monument of culture of national importance, was conserved within a dedicated underground space.

St. Petersburg’s skyline says it all. From the banks of the Volga the views include the golden cathedral towers of the Peter and Paul Fortress and the pointed towering Minerats and bright blue tiles of the mosque dome just to the right of it. Peter the Great wanted his capital to reflect the cultural make up of his vast empire.
Russian southern cities which lie on the Caspian Sea were the only real Russian ports linking the nation to the Silk Road trade. St. Petersburg is just up the Volga River from the trading post village of Novgorod. Russia supplied furs, honey and slaves to Muslim lands as far as Baghdad. The original route connecting the Volga River to the Caspian Sea until the 11th century. By the 13th century, another route linking the Black Sea to the Byzantine and Persian Empires replaced the original. This is the route workers travelled when Peter the Great invited all Russians to help construct their new capital St. Petersburg. This included the first large number of Muslims to travel to this part of the country. They were the Tatars from the Volga Region.
The Russian Empire connects the east to the west making it more Eurasia then Russia and covers almost one sixth of the earth’s surface. This being said – there has always been a rich cultural, linguistic and religious diversity among all of its people. Peter the Great had genuine interest in the affairs of the muslim community since Russia was beginning to extent it’s empire into Ottoman territory. Among many things, he personally ordered the first Russian language Qur’an to be published in 1716 to help welcome in Russia’s new subjects. It wasn’t until much later that a proper mosque was built for those how made St. Petersburg their home.
The mosque has suffered a lot over the centuries. It was shutdown by the Bolsheviks – like most religious institutions – and later used as a storage warehouse during World War II. The mosque’s doors remained locked through 1956 but didn’t get any major renovations until the 1980’s.
Today, nearly where a half a million residents and many descendants of the Tatars. The Great Mosque with its tall blue dome is hard to miss even on a foggy day. Most non-muslim visitors can only view the mosque from the outside gates since it is a working mosque.

In 1991 not far from the Cathedral by the min alley the monument of Peter I, presented to the city by its author Mikhail Shemyakin was set up.
On the territory of the fortress there are the expositions of the Museum of the History of Saint Petersburg. The oldest one is placed in "former prison" of the Trubetskoi Bastion, built in 1870-72. Since Peter's reign the most important state criminals were sentenced to solitary confinement cells, later - to isolated cells of a Secret House of the Alexeevsky ravelin. The prisoners of "Russian Bastilia" were: the son of Peter I - Tcarevich Alexey, Artemy Volynsky, Tadeush Kostjushko, the participants of the Freedom movement, Alexander Radichshev, Decembrists, Petrashevs, Fjodor Dostoevsky, Mikhail Bakunin, Nikolai Chernyshevsky, Peter Kropotkin, Maxim Gorky, members of "The People's Will", members of Social Revolutionary Group, Bolsheviks… After the February Revolution the Tsar ministers were sentenced into prison of the Trubetskoi Bastion, and in the night on 26 October 1917 - the members of the Temporary Government. During the Civil War there were sacrifices of "red terror, the members of Kronstadt uprising in 1921. The exposition firstly opened in the prison in 1924, tells about its building, regime and several generations of prisoners.
In former Commandant's House since 1975 the exposition "The History of Saint-Petersburg" was opened. Nowadays it presents the past of by - Neva territories from ancient times to the foundation of Petersburg in 1703 and about the history of the city until the mid - 19th century. In the Engineer's House there are various exhibitions from the richest museum funds. In the Ioann ravelin room there is a museum of Gasodynamic Laboratory, devoted to the development of national rocket building and astronautics. There in 30's there was the first in the USSR experimental and gasodynamical laboratory on constructive design of rocket engines. The exposition tells about the founders of astronautics - Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Nikolay Zhukovsky, Sergei Koroljov, and many others.

Khram Spasa na Krovi (Church of the Saviour on the Spilt Blood)
St Petersburg (Federal City of St Petersburg. Northwestern Federal District) RF
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Leningrad is the former name of St. Petersburg, Russia. St. Petersburg is a Russian port city on the Baltic Sea. It was the imperial capital for 2 centuries, having been founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, subject of the city’s iconic “Bronze Horseman” statue. It remains Russia’s cultural center, with venues such as the Mariinsky Theatre hosting opera and ballet, and the State Russian Museum showcasing Russian art, from Orthodox icon paintings to Kandinsky works. There are many church buildings in Leningrad. However, today, a mere handful function in the way in which they were initially designed. Most of them have been turned into a museum. This also includes the towering St. Isaac’s Cathedral that visually reminds onlookers of the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg. It is dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan, one of the most venerated icons in Russia. It is the most informative presentation of the official attitude toward religion.
Kazan Cathedral has also been converted into a museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. In the basement of this stately cathedral, the display of religious history proceeds in chronological order down to the present day. The visitor is able to actually see the instruments of torture that had been used during the time of the Inquisition. The scene that will haunt you in the night is that of an Inquisition court trial, with life-size wax models. The traumatized victim who is in shock is chained on his knees before his accusers along with monks dressed in black robes. The executioner looks ever prepared to carry out whatever action is necessary.
On Leningrad’s main avenue, Nevski Prospekt, opposite the Kazan Cathedral, on the other side of the street (at the intersection of Nevsky Prospekt and the Griboyedov Canal), we find the largest bookstore in the city, Dom Knigi (also known as the Singer House).

Kazan Cathedral in Red Square
The Kazan Icon Cathedral of the Mother of God was erected in memory of the liberation of the Russian state from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders, which was achieved with the help and intercession of the Mother of God, who showed his mercy through the Miraculous Kazan icon. The temple was built at the expense of the first tsar of the Romanov Mikhail Feodorovich dynasty and consecrated in 1636. Since the construction of the temple became one of the most important churches in Moscow, his abbot occupied one of the first places in the clergy of Moscow.
Throughout its history, the cathedral was rebuilt several times, in the 1760s, 1802-05, 1865.
In the 1920s the renovationists served in the cathedral for some time. In the years 1925-1933. The restoration of the cathedral was carried out under the direction of the architect P.D. Baranovsky In 1928 the bell tower of the cathedral was demolished. In 1930, the Kazan Cathedral was closed, and in 1936 – demolished.
The cathedral was restored in 1990-1993. at the expense of the Moscow City Hall and donations from citizens. Kazan Cathedral is the first of the Moscow temples completely lost during the Soviet era, which was recreated in its original forms. It was possible to recreate the historical appearance of the temple thanks to the measures taken by the architect P.D. Baranovsky before the destruction of the temple, and the studies of historian S.A. Smirnova On November 4, 1993, the church was consecrated by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II.
The main throne was consecrated in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the northern corridor – St. Guria, archbishop of Kazan and San Barsanuphius, bishop of Tver. South hall in honor of the schmchch. Hermogenes and Tikhon, Patriarchs of Moscow and All Russia (not consecrated).

SOURCE: www . mapsofworld . com/travel/infographics/saint-basils-cathedral
St Basil’s Cathedral is located in Red Square, right in the heart of Russia’s capital city, Moscow.
No visit to Moscow would be complete without exploring the many rooms and galleries that make up the nine individual churches on the site.
Although originally constructed as a Russian Orthodox cathedral on the instructions of Ivan the Terrible in the mid-16th century, this iconic building now houses a museum and is probably the most recognizable building in the country and a major tourist attraction.
The cathedral’s status as one of the world’s most celebrated buildings was further enhanced in 1990 when it was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

- Blagoveshchensky Bridge (formerly the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge) – built in 1850 as movable seven-segment iron bridge connecting Labour Square with the 7th Line of Vasilievsky Island.
|Kuzminskii railway bridge||Big Obukhovsky Bridge||Liteyny Bridge||Blagoveshchensky Bridge|
Whereas most tourist attractions of Neva are located within St. Petersburg, there are several historical places upstream, in the Leningrad Oblast. They include the fortress Oreshek, which was built in 1323 on the Orekhovy Island at the source of Neva River, south-west of the Petrokrepost Bay, near the city of Shlisselburg. The waterfront of Schlisselburg has a monument of Peter I. In the city, there are Blagoveshchensky Cathedral (1764–95) and a still functioning Orthodox church of St. Nicholas, built in 1739. On the river bank stands the Church of the Intercession. Raised in 2007, it is a wooden replica of a historical church which stood on the southern shore of Lake Onega. That church was constructed in 1708 and it burned down in 1963. It is believed to be the forerunner of the famous Kizhi Pogost.
Old Ladoga Canal, built in the first half of the 18th century, is a water transport route along the shore of Lake Ladoga which is connecting the River Volkhov and Neva. Some of its historical structures are preserved, such as a four-chamber granite sluice (1836) and a bridge (1832).
On 21 August 1963 a Soviet twinjet Tu-124 airliner performed an emergency water landing on Neva near the Finland Railway Bridge. The plane took off from Tallinn-Ülemiste Airport (TLL) at 08:55 on 21 August 1963 with 45 passengers and 7 crew on board and was scheduled to land at Moscow-Vnukovo (VKO). After liftoff, the crew noticed that the nose gear undercarriage did not retract, and the ground control diverted the flight to Leningrad (LED) – because of fog at Tallinn. While circling above St.

The connection with Okhta was carried out due to self-propelled ferries, so-called planes, on which it was an expensive pleasure to cross over and for not everyone it was possible, so the people composed the song:
From under Smolny to Okhta
Is very expensive transportation.
How I have moved my dear
On my hands.
Bolsheokhtinsky Bridge - from the history of building
In 1829, during the elaboration of development plan of St. Petersburg, Nicholas I denoted the need to build a ferry from the center of St. Petersburg to the working Okhta. Because of the lack of funds, the solution of this problem was postponed and the issue was raised again only in the 1860s. It was decided to connect the Okhta with St. Petersburg not only by the ferry, but also administratively. There were disputes over the location of the bridge, because everyone wanted him to be built next to his company, and boatmen and ferrymen did not want to lose their job and by all available measures prevented the start of building process. And only on June 5, 1884, the City Council decided to build a bridge from the Smolny Cathedral to the Krejton shipyard, in the area of the old Petrozavod, so it was said "To recognize the Okhtin suburb, which had to be annexed to the city of St. Petersburg".
On September 1, 1901, an international contest for the ferry project was announced. The 16 presented projects were rejected because of their non-compliance with the technical decisions and the building of the bridge was postponed. Only after the tragic event, when in the spring of 1907 Arkhangelsk ship sunk down during the crossing of Okhta and people died, the ruler ordered not to delay the building of the ferry. Then among 4 presented non-competitive works the project "Freedom for navigation" was selected, executed by Professor of Nikolaev Engineering Academy, colonel G.G. Krivoshein and military engineer Lt. Col. V.P.Apyshkov. The building of the ferry base took place on June 26, 1909, on the eve of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava, whose triumphant was Peter the Great, so the bridge was named after the emperor Peter the Great.

Peter and Paul Fortress
If the Romanovs were murdered by a Bolshevik squad in 1918, it took until 1991 for their bodies to be excavated from their burial site outside Yekaterinburg. The rumours of Anastasia’s survival had been going strong through the years, but the two missing bodies in the grave (Alexei, and either Anastasia or Maria) just added fuel to the fire. It took until 2007 to find them in the woods!
The Romanovs are now canonised and buried in the St Catherine Chapel inside the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. The Cathedral and Fortress is one of the oldest landmarks in all of Saint Petersburg, and the burial site of almost all the Russian emperors and empresses. Notable names include Catherine the Great and Peter the Great, as well as Maria Feodorovna (Anastasia’s now-famous grandmother).
Peter and Paul Fortress is a goldmine when it comes to Russian history. A single ticket opens doors to many a building and exposition inside its walls, and its riverbank offers you the best view of the Neva and Winter Palace! The Cathedral itself is breathtaking from the moment you set foot inside, with the kind of architecture that is sure to leave a long-lasting impression on you!

Bronze Horseman
The Bronze Horseman is an equestrian statue of Peter the Great, the founder of St Petersburg, and was commissioned in 1768 by Catherine the Great. It is rumored to be the largest stone ever moved by humans, originally weighing 1500 tons and carved down to 1250 tons to be moved to its current site!
Bronze Horseman is located at Senate Square, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 190000
9. Big Obukhovsky Bridge
The Obukhovksy Bridge is St Petersburg’s newest bridge across the Neva River and the only one that isn’t a drawbridge. Opened in December 2004, the bridge is 395 feet tall and 1.75 miles (2,824 meters) long!
Obukhovksy Bridge is located at Saint Petersburg, Russia, 192012
10. Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Finally, I saved the best for last! The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was the place I wanted to see most while I was in St Petersburg. In my opinion, this would be St Petersburg’s equivalent of the Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, although I did like St Basil’s architecture slightly more!
However, there’s NO denying that this classic Russian architecture is beautiful and unique. I’ve said it a million times, but this kind of architecture was my primary reason for wanting to visit Russia and I was not disappointed!
And, guess what I spy? Onion domes!! Before you think I’ve lost my mind and you’re curious as to what onion domes are, you definitely need to read my Moscow post!
The interior of the Church was jaw-dropping. When I first got in, I even forgot to take pictures because I was so amazed!
But, I finally remembered I was, in fact, in possession of a camera. Then, I looked around for signs that allowed for photography because, in so many places like this, photography isn’t allowed.
Finally, once I found proof of permission, I went completely crazy! With the camera that is… (although some days the former could be debated! 😜)
Built between 1883 and 1907, the Church was constructed on the site where Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded in 1881.

Today, the museum complex also contains the Menshikov Palace, the eastern wing of the General Staff building, the Staraya Derevnya Restoration and storage facility (with carriages and automobiles), and the Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Factory. It is recommended that Port of St. Petersburg visitors purchase their tickets before they go to the Museum and that they join a tour group.
Located at Fontanka and Nevsky Avenue. Photo taken 31 May 2012.
Photo by A.Savin
The Peter and Paul Fortress (Petropavlovskaya Krepost) in the Port of St. Petersburg is located on Rabbit Island where Peter the Great made his base while the city was being built. The Peter and Paul Cathedral on the island holds the tombs of the Russian tsars from Peter I to the last tsar, Nicholas II, and his family. Peter the Great built the fort to protect the new Port of St. Petersburg from the Swedish Navy. The fortress was founded on May 27, 1703, the official anniversary date of the Port of St. Petersburg. The fortress housed some of the city's garrison as well as acting as a high-security jail for political prisoners, including Peter's son Alexei. Other famous prisoners included Dostoyevsky, Trotsky, Gorkiy, and Lenin's older brother Alexander. In addition to the Cathedral, the fortress contains one of the two places in Russia that mints medals and coins, the Mint, and the City History Museum.
Taken 9 March 2012.
Photo by Dmottl
The Peter and Paul Cathedral was the first stone church in the Port of St. Petersburg. Built in the early 18th Century, a beautiful golden angel holds a cross atop the cathedral's gilded spire. At 123 meters tall, it is the Port of St. Petersburg's tallest building. The oldest landmark in the Port of St. Petersburg, the Cathedral was closed in 1919 and converted to a museum in 1924. While it is still a museum, religious services began again in 2000. The Cathedral contains a carillon of 51 bells weighing a total of over 15 metric tons and with a range of four octaves.
St. Petersburg Nakhimov Naval School is in the background.

On 17 June, 1777 the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Chesmenskaya) was founded
Later at the request of Catherine II a marble plaque was placed at the entrance reading: «This temple was built in the name of the Holy Prophet Forerunner and Baptist John in memory of the victory over the Turkish fleet, won by Chesme in 1770 on the day of Christmas. Founded in the 15th summer reign of Catherine II in the presence of King Gustav III of Sweden under the name of Count Gotland and consecrated on June 24 during 1780 days in the presence of His Majesty the Roman Emperor Joseph II under the name of Count Falkenstein».
- Address: St. Petersburg, ul. Lensoveta, 12

3)In Novgorod itself, there is the district of St Sophia, which includes: the Kremlin with its 15th-century fortifications, reinforced in the 17th century: the church of St Sophia from the mid-11th century, and other monuments from the 12th to 19th centuries, monuments in the commercial district (including many of the oldest churches in the town, such as the Church of the Transfiguration, decorated with frescoes at the end of the 14th century by Theophanes the Greek, who was responsible for reviving medieval Russian painting and was the teacher of Andrei Rublev); and four religious monuments (12th and 13th centuries) outside the old town (including the famous church of Neredica). 4) This was the very place where Vladimir Yaroslavovich built a huge stone Cathedral of St. Sophia in 1050. This cathedral became the symbol of the strength and power of the Prince’s authority, and later it was adopted as the symbol of the power of the Novgorod Republic. Residents of the city would die as soldiers fighting for the Holy Sophia. 5)George’s Church of the St. George’s Monastery could also compete with the Sofia cathedral. The chronicle says that the prince’s monastery was founded in 1119, becoming the second one in Russia after the Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra. It was located on the legendary route from the Vikings to the Greeks, and formed the southern gate of Novgorod. And while George’s Church yields to the Sophia in size, its image reflects the highest ideas of our ancestors of beauty and harmony. The George Monastery is especially beautiful during the spring flood of Volkhov, it turns into an island surrounded by the water. 6)In 1136 the state system was changed from the prince’s rule to Veche and the popular council, a new chapter in the history of temple construction began. At that time citizens were free to decide how to build and what to build. New churches were ordered by Boyars, merchants, and residents of the streets. Of course, their artistic tastes and material resources were far less than those of princes. The buildings became smaller and the décor simpler. But the overall image of Novgorod architecture is preserved.

The Stock Exchange, designed by the French architect Thomas de Tomon and built between 1805 and 1810, was inspired by the best examples of Ancient Greek and Roman architecture.
The building was completed in 1810, although the official opening of the Exchange was not until 1816. De Thomon's facades feature 44 Doric columns on a high red granite stylobate, and above the main portico is a statue of "Neptune with two rivers - the Neva and the Volkhov". De Thomon went on to design the surroundings of the building, including the Rostral Columns (gas-fired navigational beacons), the square in front of the Stock Exchange, and the embankment. Thus the building became the focal point of the edge of Vasilevskiy Island - a vital location because it faced the Winter Palace on the opposite side of the Neva River.
When the Bolsheviks seized power, the Stock Exchange Building became a sailor's club, then the Chamber of Commerce of the North-West Region, a labour exchange, the Soviet for the Study of Manufacturing Capability in the USSR and several other institutions before being transferred to the Central Naval Museum in 1939. The museum closed in 2011, reopening in 2013 in the renovated Kryukov Barracks situated on the Moika Canal.
In December 2013, St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko announced that building would be transferred to the State Hermitage Museum. The city handed the keys to the historic Old Stock Exchange Building were turned over to Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the Hermitage on April 18, 2014. The event coincided with the 250th anniversary of the State Hemitage Museum.
Earlier this week, the government announced that it is prepared to allocate 1.12 billion rubles from the Federal budget for the repair and restoration of the building. The State Hermitage Museum claim that the building is in a terrible state of disrepair, noting that 1.6 billion rubles are necessary carry out the repairs. The funds are to be allocated from five ministries, including the Ministry of Culture.
Restoration of the building is expected to last until 2017, once complete, it will house the new the Russian Imperial Guard and Heraldry Museum.
A Russian Moment No. 66 - Maltese Chapel, St.

Today we are going to take a brief look into one of the city’s most iconic buildings, the Kazan Cathedral, a beautiful piece of architecture and one which has many stories to tell. The current building is in fact a reconstruction of the original church, which was destroyed at the direction of then General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, in 1936. This was in fact one of the first churches to be rebuilt following the fall of the Soviet Union.
The original cathedral had its fair share of damage and after part of the building was burned down back in the early 17th century. The rebuild was done using brick structures and that is wha inspired the colorful and detailed rebuilding of this new church once that old one had burned down.
When Stalin ordered for a clearing of the churches, this was one that everyone wanted to be saved, along with St. Basil’s, yet attempts to do so were in vain.
Unlike some rebuilds, the idea of this one was to mimic the original building which had originally stood on this ground. Carried out by the Moscow city branch of the All-Russian Society for Historic Preservation and Cultural Organization, what they managed to achieve with this rebuild was absolutely stunning, and almost identical to the previous cathedral which had been constructed here.
The church is open throughout the week for visitors and it is a great place to spend a couple of hours, exploring the history and the stories that can be told about the place. Throughout the years this church, in both its original and rebuilt versions, have been home to religious dissidents and the place has even seen a number of battles take place. The architecture inside the church is equally as impressive as the stories that can be told
Whilst St Basil’s of course gets a great deal of the attention owing to that iconic design, this is also a great place to visit during your time in Moscow.

It is the largest network of gravity-fed water fountains in the world. We ended our tour of Peterhof with a walk from the prominent center fountain, called the Grand Cascade, along a canal that flowed through the gardens to a pier where a hydrofoil took us back to St. Petersburg.
We enjoyed our jaunt across the Gulf of Finland to the mouth of the Neva River. Approaching St. Petersburg by water gave us a new appreciation for the beauty of the buildings on the waterfront. The Hermitage, for instance, was dazzling from a distance! After a nice lunch at the City Café, we hopped back on the bus for a drive by St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Bronze Horseman statue of Peter the Great, the battleship Aurora, and the Rostral Columns before stopping at the most gorgeous sight in St. Petersburg—The Church on the Spilled Blood!
The church was built between 1883 and 1907 on the spot where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in 1881 (hence the gruesome name). Both the exterior, designed in the traditional Russian onion-dome style, and the interior are decorated with bright shades of marble and detailed mosaic tiles. According to restorers, it contains several thousand square yards of mosaics – more than any other church in the world. The church was closed in the 1930s when the atheist Soviets, who were offended by religion, began destroying churches all over the country for being “inappropriate symbols of Christianity”. The church remained closed and under restoration for years and was finally re-opened in 1997, not as a place of worship, but as a Museum of Mosaics. The pictures we took of this church are some of my favorite travel photos!
It’s hard to comprehend the damage the city has endured from various disasters including fires, floods and wars, especially the cruel Nazi occupation of WW II, but all the sites we toured have been restored to their original glory. Architecturally, the city ranks as one of the most splendid in Europe. The historic district was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. While I didn’t find St. Petersburg to be a particularly congenial city, clearly there is a fondness for art, opulence and beauty here.

9.00 – 11.30am – Our guide meets you at the hotel. City tour of St. Petersburg. Within the City Tour you will drive along the most popular sights of our beautiful city such as Point of the Basil Island, Palace Square with famous Winter Palace, Menshikov Palace, Academy of Fine Arts. Several times we will drive along Nevskiy Prospekt – the main street of our city. You will see such places as Arts Square, Catherine’s Garden, Anichkov Bridge, St. Isaac’s Square, Bronze Horseman. At the most beautiful places the guide will supply you with more information and will offer you to make a stop for taking photos. Inside tour of Peter and Paul fortress with its Cathedral is included into this City Tour. The Fortress is the place where the city began in 1703. Inside St. Peter and Paul’s Fortress there is a Cathedral with the same name that occupies a special place among the churches of St. Petersburg. This cathedral used to be a burial place for the Russian Tsar Family beginning from the time of Peter the Great. Peter the Great was the first to be buried in the unfinished building of this Cathedral. A tradition to bury the members of the ruling dynasty, widespread throughout the world, was followed in St. Petersburg, too.
11.30 – 12.00pm – Inside tour of the Church on the Spilt Blood. The Church on the Spilt Blood was created in the best traditions of Russian art of the 14th to 17th centuries and stands out among all St. Petersburg churches by its distinct national appearance. It was made in 1883-1907 on the spot where on March 1st, 1881, the terrorist mortally wounded Alexander II.
12.30 – 1.00pm – Inside tour of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. St. Isaac’s Cathedral is an integral part of St. Petersburg as well as St. Peter’s Cathedral is a part of Rome, and St. Paul’s Cathedral is a part of London. It is one of the largest domed buildings in the world. Built in the early 19th century, it is remarkable for the perfect harmony of architecture, painting, sculpture and mosaics. Nowadays it functions both as a church and a museum.

Today marks the 450th anniversary of Russia’s St. Basil’s Cathedral, the San Francisco Chronicle
The Cathedral stands outside the Kremlin on the Red Square in Moscow.
Russians will celebrate the anniversary by opening an exhibition dedicated to St. Basil, the religious dissenter who stood up to Czar Ivan the Terrible, and other “holy fools.”
The cathedral was built in 1561 to celebrate Ivan’s conquest over Mongol rulers, and is upheld by believers to be a place for miracles and healing.
It has become known over time as the place where St. Basil is buried.
© 2017 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Photographs by William Brumfield
It is said an icon of St. Nicholas appeared miraculously in a tree before Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoi in a meadow where he and his troops had stopped to rest on their way south, to confront Tatar troops. The Grand Prince’s army went on to win the battle over Khan Mamai at Kulikovo Pole, marking an epochal event in Russian history.
Viewing the icon’s appearance as a good omen, Prince Dmitry ordered that a monastery dedicated to St. Nicholas be set up at the site, around the tree. According to medieval legend, the miraculous icon warmed (“ugreshe”) the Prince’s heart, giving the monastery its popular name.
Grand Prince Dmitry founded the St. Nicholas-Ugreshsky Monastery in 1380, near the court village of Ostrov, a location already well known among Moscow’s princely elite. The new monastery rapidly gained in stature and, by the 15th century, it had its own legation in the Kremlin.
Like other Moscow monasteries, St. Nicholas-Ugreshsky shared the city’s turbulent fate. Built of wood in its early centuries, the monastery was burned to the ground in 1521 during a major attack on Muscovy by the Crimean Tatar khan Mehmed I Giray (1465-1523).
Reconstructed shortly thereafter, the monastery gained its first masonry church with the building of the new Cathedral of St. Nicholas, presumably in the 1520s or 1530s. Frequently renovated, parts of the structure were rebuilt in the 1840s. In 1940, the cathedral was razed. As part of the revival of the monastery after 1990, the cathedral was rebuilt in a stylized form suggestive of 15th-century Muscovite architecture.
Throughout the 17th century, the St. Nicholas-Ugreshsky Monastery was a frequent pilgrimage site for the tsar and his courtiers. The young tsar Peter I was a frequent visitor in the late 1680s, and in 1698 the monastery was a place of detention and interrogation for the musketeers (streltsy) involved in the infamous revolt against Peter’s authority.
With the secularization of Russian society and politics in the 18th century, the influence of monasteries waned, as did financial support.

Peter and Paul Fortress
The very first building to be constructed in St. Petersburg is this edifice. The structure’s construction began in 1712 and was completed in 1733, a long 21 years later.
Architect: Bartolomeo Rastrelli (Rebuilt Structure)
Named after Catherine, the wife of Peter the Great, the palace exteriors have been made using around a 100 kilograms of gold.
Grand Cascade Lodge
Year: 1714 – 1728
Architect: Bartolomeo Rastrelli
Also known as the Peterhof Palace, this structure has a giant fountain – the Samson fountain situated at the center of the cascade. The fountain shows the moment when Samson tears open the jaws of a lion.
Year: 1748 – 1764
Architect: Bartolomeo Rastrelli
This edifice was built to house the daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth, when she opted to become a nun. Today, it is used as a concert hall.
Year: 1754 – 1762
Architect: Bartolomeo Rastrelli
This palace was the original residence of the Russian monarchs. The palace has approximately 1,786 doors, 1,945 windows, 1,500 rooms, and 117 staircases.
Year: 1747 – 1751
Architect: Bartolomeo Rastrelli
This was the traditional baptismal church of the children of the Tsars. However, it was open to public viewing in 1900. The church was damaged during World War II, and was converted into a post office.
St. Michael’s Castle
Year: 1797 – 1800
When one of the soldiers was guarding the construction site of this castle, he had a vision that Archangel Michael was guarding the castle alongside him. Thus, the castle came to be known as Mikhailovsky (St. Michael’s) Castle.
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Architect: Lev Vladimirovich Rudnev
The university’s library was the only one that was open to general public, which was done in the year 1756. In 1941, it was named after the famous academician Mikhail Lomonosov.
The 19th century was mainly dominated by the Byzantine and Russian Revival.

The State Russian Museum (Русский музей) is one of the most famous and one of the most visited museums in St. Petersburg. Collection of Russian museum has more than 400 000 exhibits. It is the largest museum of Russian art in the world. The main exhibition of the museum is located in the city center, in the Mikhailovsky Palace. The museum has several branches.
The State Russian Museum was founded in 1895 by Emperor Nicholas II. The museum was opened in March 1898. Russian Museum in St. Petersburg was the first Russian state Museum of Russian art. Before 1917, the museum was called "Museum of Russian Emperor Alexander III".
Museum got Russian works of art from different sources: Academy of Fine Arts, the Hermitage, the Winter Palace and other. Many of art works were acquired in private collections. Over the years the museum collection has got items from different sources.
Currently, the museum's collection includes more than 400,000 items. Museum artworks give an idea of development of Russian art for a period of more than 1000 years, from X to XXI century. Russian museum has exhibits that represent all types and genres of art. Here you can see icons of XII-XV centuries, paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints.
The main building of the museum is located in the city center, close to Nevsky Prospekt, at Arts Square (Площадь Искусств). The main museum building was built by architect Carlo Rossi in 1819-1825 years. The palace was designed for the Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, the son of Emperor Paul I (Mikhailovsky Palace). In 1895 the building was purchased and transferred to the museum. The Mikhailovsky Palace and the adjacent buildings currently house the museum main exhibition. (Do not be confused. There is also Mikhailovsky Castle (Engineer's Castle) nearby).
A large number of objects are under the control of the Russian Museum are in the St. Petersburg: Mikhailovsky Palace, The Benois buiding, Mikhailovsky (Engineers') Castle and the park, Marble Palace, Stroganov Palace, the Summer Palace of Peter I, the Mikhailovsky Garden, Summer Garden and Peter I House.
Famous "Savior on the Spilled Blood" church is located near the Russian museum.

The exterior was originally designed to resemble Tamerlane’s Gur Emir Mausoleum in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The inside design is a combination of both the art nouveau popular in the beginning of the 20th century and traditional mosque motifs. I didn’t see but pictures show the interior filled with blue and green tiled ceilings and scripted passages of the Qur’an. The outside views are amazing and maybe the inside will be open for visitors next time.
Its something worth seeing while in St. Petersburg and not too far away from other wonderful sites like the Peter and Paul’s fortress and the former Bolshevik headquarters – Kshesinsky Palace. It’s just a short walk across the river or an easy tram ride from most parts of St. Petersburg.
Efim Rezvan, deputy director of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography states it best: “There is no panorama of the center of St. Petersburg that does not show two minarets. And this symbol is not only of St. Petersburg. This reflects the country itself, and the dramatic history of the mosque reflects the dramatic history of the country.”

The elegant golden silhouette of Peter and Paul Cathedral is a symbol of St Petersburg that is easy to recognize. Lots of city legends and historical facts are linked to this place. The Cathedral occupies the main place in the whole ensemble of Peter and Paul Fortress. It’s actually the most beautiful building there.
The cathedral was never a place for engagements or epiphany, and only the funeral service for the Imperial family members and the fortress commandants took place there. All were first buried in the Cathedral and later in the special Grand Ducal Burial Vault.
History of the Cathedral
The Peter and Paul Cathedral as we know it know stays on the place of the former wooden church, built under the order of Peter the Great on the Hare Island in 1703. The stone walls around it started to appear 10 years after in accordance with the project by Domenico Trezzini. A piece of relics of Andrew the Apostle were laid in the foundation. The outside construction works finished in 8 years.
A rare carillon was purchased from Holland for the chimes. After the settlement of the spire of 40 meters high, Peter and Paul Cathedral was the tallest building in the city for almost 300 years.
The Peter and Paul Cathedral was sanctified on June 28, 1733. It had been built for 19 years (1712-1733) with the attentive participation of Peter the Great, Catherine I, Peter II and Anna Ioanovna.
After the events of 1917 lots of values were moved to Moscow, where most of them got lost. Some historical artifacts are preserved in the Hermitage and other museums of the city. In 1924 the Cathedral also became a museum which helped to save its artistic value.
Architecture and interior
From the outside the building slightly remind the orthodox cathedral. Its rectangular walls are only adorned with rigorous pilasters and bas-reliefs about the windows. Main attention is drawn to the baroque facade that smoothly turns into a high bell tower with a golden spire. There on top an angel-shaped with a christ of 3,2 meters high and 3,8 meter wingspan is placed.
There is a story that once lightning stroke the main adornment of the Cathedral. Only roofer Petr Telushkin managed to the get on top of the Cathedral and fix the problem.

The weighty mass of St. Isaac's Cathedral
dominates the skyline of St. Petersburg. Its gilded dome, covered with 100
kg of pure gold, soars over 100 meters into the air, making it visible far
out onto the Gulf of Finland. The Cathedral was commissioned by Alexander
I in 1818 and took more than three decades to complete. Its architect,
August Monferrand, pulled out all the stops in his design, incorporating
dozens of kinds of stone and marble into the enormous structure and lading
its vast interior with frescoes, mosaics, bas-reliefs, and the only
stained glass window in the Orthodoxy. By the time the cathedral was
completed in 1858, its cost had spiraled to more than twenty million
rubles--as well as the lives of hundreds of laborers. Both the exterior
and the interior of the cathedral deserve prolonged observation, and the
view from the dome is stupendous.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan
This cathedral is one of the most magnificent,
and most peculiar, landmarks of St. Petersburg. Built in 1811 by Andrey
Voronikhin, its plan is a strange compromise between a number of different
architectural imperatives. Its patron, Paul I, desired a church plan
modelled on that of St. Peter's in Rome, with its semicircular colonnade
facing north so as to conform to the formal layout of Nevsky prospekt.
This plan was carried out, but the orientation of the church itself was
dictated by a higher authority. Owing to the Orthodoxy's requirement that
the church altar and entrance follow an east-west alignment, the church
itself sits sideways at the center of the colonnade, its main entrance
facing west (as if this were not confusing enough, the present entrance is
located on the east). On the square in front of the Cathedral are statues
of the two commanders of the Russian army during Napoleon's march to
Moscow, Barclay de Tolly and Mikhail Kutuzov.
Historical Sites | The
Hermitage & The Russian Museum
The Theatres of St. Petersburg | Cathedrals
Copyright (c) 1996-2005 interKnowledge
Corp. All rights reserved.

St. Basil’s Cathedral
As its name implies, St. Basil’s Cathedral [wiki] on the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, is named after Saint Basil (who is also known as Basil Fool for Christ). The story goes that in the 1500s, an apprentice shoemaker/serf named Basil stole from the rich to give to the poor. He also went naked, weighed himself with chains, and rebuked Ivan the Terrible for not paying attention in church. Most of the time, admonishing anyone with name “the Terrible” wasn’t such a good idea, but apparently Ivan had a soft spot for the holy fool (as Basil was also known) and ordered a church to be built in his name after Basil died.
St. Basil’s Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church, sports a series of colorful bulbous domes that taper to a point, aptly named onion domes, that are part of Moscow’s Kremlin skyline (although the church is actually not part of the Kremlin).
Oh, and Ivan the Terrible lived up to his name after he supposedly blinded the architect who built the church so he would not be able to design something as beautiful afterwards.

This cathedral was built as a memorial to celebrate the conquest of Smolensk.
Kul Sharif Mosque in Kazan
This mosque was built in the 16th century, and was named after Qolşärif who served there. However, it was destroyed by Tsar Ivan the Terrible, and was rebuilt in 1996 and inaugurated in 2005.
By the end of this century, the use of decorative elements increased in church architecture, and cult construction was on the rise. Large churches with bell towers, multiple cupolas, and aisles were built. The edifices, especially the churches, had asymmetric construction with oddly-shaped cupolas and arches. A lot of western architects were hired by the then Tsars to design a few key buildings.
New Jerusalem Monastery
Architects: Architects: P.I. Zaborsky, Yakov Bukhvostov, Bartolomeo Rastrelli, Matvei Kazakov, Karl Blank and others
The reason behind building this monastery at the said area was due to its striking resemblance to the Holy Land. The edifice was shut down in the year 1918, and was later blown up by German army. Currently, it is under renovation.
Church of Elijah the Prophet
Year: 1647 – 1650
This church was built by the wealthy brothers Anikey and Nifantey Skripin. The murals in the church, for the first time showed peasants working. Until then, it was not allowed to paint peasants on the walls of wealthy edifices.
This church was built in the 17th century, but was consecrated only in the year 1704. However, during the Soviet period, the church suffered heavy damages.
The Transfiguration Church, 37 meters tall, is one of the tallest log structures in the world. It is said that the entire structure is built without using a single nail!
The face of Russian architecture changed during this period. This era saw a more methodical construction pattern with symmetric structures and geometric shapes. The ‘rule book’ construction phase began during these times. Baroque-styled cathedrals were constructed in most of the eastern cities. Among other prominent architects, the rise of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli was the most significant development in the world of architecture. His magnificent structures were the highlights of St. Petersburg.

Brick was also used for the pilasters which delineate the façade. It was originally plastered, but underwent restoration after it was damaged during World War II. Its apse points towards the river, which provides a welcome sight for ships approaching from the Baltic. The shingled roof resembles the bochka roofs popular at the time. The walls were built from local quarrystone, which contrasted with the red bricks. The ground plan of the church is almost square with four pillars, one apse and one dome.
- 1 Pre-Christian architecture (before 988)
- 2 Kievan Rus Christian period (988–1230)
- 3 Early Muscovite period (1230–1530)
- 4 Middle Muscovite period (1530–1630)
- 5 Late Muscovite period (1630–1712)
- 6 Imperial Russia (1712–1917)
- 7 Post-Revolution (1917–1932)
- 8 Postwar Soviet Union
- 9 Modern Russia
- 10 See also
- 11 References
- 12 Further reading
- 13 External links
Pre-Christian architecture (before 988)Edit
Russian architecture is a mix of Byzantine and Pagan architecture. Some characteristics taken from the Slavic pagan temples are the exterior galleries and the plurality of towers.
Between the 6th and the 8th century, the Slavs built fortresses, named grods, which were tightly constructed wooden mechanisms of separation.
Kievan Rus Christian period (988–1230)Edit
Early Muscovite period (1230–1530)Edit
The Mongols looted the country so thoroughly that even capitals (such as Moscow or Tver) could not afford new stone churches for more than half a century. Novgorod and Pskov escaped the Mongol yoke, however, and evolved into successful commercial republics; dozens of medieval churches (from the 12th century and after) have been preserved in these towns. The churches of Novgorod (such as the Saviour-on-Ilyina-Street, built in 1374), are steep-roofed and roughly carved; some contain magnificent medieval frescoes. The tiny and picturesque churches of Pskov feature many novel elements: corbel arches, church porches, exterior galleries and bell towers.

This Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Russia is one of the Russian Orthodox cathedrals which is located right inside the Peter and Paul Fortress which is present in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is the oldest landmark of St. Petersburg and it was built during the time of 1712 and 1733 right on Hare Island and along the Neva River. It is at times marked as the highest Orthodox Church so far in the world.
The current building of Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Russia was actually designed by Trezzini and it was built in between 1712 and 1733. It is gold-painted and it has height of 123 metres. This cathedral got closed in the time of 1919 and then it turned out into a museum in year 1924. On official terms, it is a museum and known for its religious services.
The architecture of Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Russia features unique designs in it. Its tombs are present on the ground floor. There is a lightning rod that protects this cathedral. It has a carillon and on this site large number of concerts are being periodically performed.

2. Saint Isaac’s Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor
St. Isaac’s Cathedral is the largest Orthodox Church of St Petersburg. It was built in the XIX century dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia. The cathedral is a Late Neoclassical. In addition, it is a city dominant: along with a dome the church towers over the city more than 100 meters.
The Cathedral was built by the French architect Auguste de Montferrand (1786–1858), who lived in Russia for 41 years. It’s interesting, that the cathedral was being constructed for 40 years. The guides in St. Petersburg can tell you a curious legend. The legend says that the architect got a prophecy that he will die when the Cathedral is finished. And by a strange coincidence, during the construction of the church the various obstacles were constantly occurring. Finally, the Cathedral was completed. In a month after that- the architect died in the presence of Russian Emperor Alexander II.
Only best artists were being invited for the construction of the cathedral: Fedor A. Bruni, Karl Briullov, Ivan Buruhin, Vasily Shebuev, Franz Riss, and sculptors – Giovanni Vitali, Petr Klodt. The Exterior of the Cathedral is decorated with sculpture. The Interiors are decorated with natural stone – marble, lapis lazuli, malachite and mosaics. In the Cathedral you can also see the stained glass windows and a rich collection of paintings on biblical subjects as well.
3. Palace Square
The architectural ensemble of the square was formed in XVIII-XIX centuries. Its territory is more than 2 times the territory of the main Square in Moscow. The square is surrounded by the Winter Palace, the General Staff (1819–29), and the Guards Corps Headquarters (1837–43). Next to the Winter Palace there is the Small Hermitage building, which is located not in the Palace square, but it is included in an architectural ensemble of the palace square.
The palace was constructed by a lot of architects, most notably Rastrelli, in what came to be known as the Elizabethan Baroque style but it was completed already during the reign of Empress Catherine II. After the construction of the Winter Palace until 1905 it was forbidden to erect buildings higher than the Winter Palace in St.

In 1828, Empress Maria Feodorovna gifted a purl and diamond brooch to the family sacred icon of the Church, the Blachernitissa Icon.
During the 19th century, the Church's interior and finishing were repeatedly changed. In 1829, the side chapel of St. Sergius of Radonezh was built according to the designs by Domenico Gilardi and Mikhail Bikovsky. In 1839, it was connected to a wooden gallery. There are two side chapels in the Church that are dedicated to St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Sergius of Radonezh. The most known of the estate's owners, Duke Sergey Golitsyn, was buried in the side chapels of St. Sergius of Radonezh in 1859. In 1842, a clock was mounted to the side chapel. It had only one hour hand.
The Church functioned till 1929. After it was closed, the holly vessels were moved away; the bell tower was dismantled; the building itself was rebuilt as a hostel; the dome and the bells were broken.
In 1992, the Church was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1995, architect Y. Vorontsova reconstructed the original appearances of the Church and the bell tower. In September 1995, the Church was consecrated by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.
The Cathedral Mosque appeared in Moscow because of Tatar population keeping growing in the city. By the early 20th century, the Tatars lived not only in Zamoskvorechye, but also in Sretenka, Myasnitskaya, Trubnaya, and other streets.
Since 1894, the Muslim Community repeatedly appealed to Moscow authorities for permission to build the second mos...
The Church of St. Nicholas "Red Chime" is located in Kitay-gorod, one of the Moscow oldest historical districts, in Yushkov Drive (later known as Vladimirova Drive, and since 1992 as Nikolsky Lane) connecting Varvarka Street and Ilyinka Street. The church was first mentioned in the 16th-century chronicle.
The name of "Red Chime" was given to the...

The Church of St. Gabriel the Archangel, or Menshikov`s Tower was built at the beginning of the XVIII century by an outstanding architect I. Zarudny with the participation of Italian masters (including D. Trezini).
A. D. Menshikov ordered to build the church. Peter the Great's favorite wished to erect a church with a tower. It was to be higher than Ivan the Great s bell-tower. And in 1707 a six-tiered baroque tower with a golden figure of an angel on a 30 meter high steeple rose over Moscow.
Its full height was 81 meters, and that was 3 meters higher than Ivan the Great s bell-tower. A needlelike steeple was characteristic of the Dutch and Danish architecture, and it was applied in the Russian architecture for the first time.
Later on an Italian master D. Trezini used the same device when erecting the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
I. Grabar a prominent artist and a true lover and connoisseur of the Russian art considered Menshikov's Tower to be one of the greatest works of Russian architecture of all times.
Unfortunately it was not for long that the tower preserved its original appearance. One summer day in 1723 a terrible thunderstorm caused a fire. Wooden ceilings were all burnt down, and 50 bells fell, having destroyed all interiors.
At the end of the XVIII century an unknown architect reconstructed the tower only without the upper tier.
He also replaced the steeple with a sculpture. At the same time freemason's lodge used the building for its meetings. The masons changed the interiors of the church. But later on masonic symbolism was destroyed by order of metropolitan Philaret.
In 1820s the Church of St. Gabriel the Archangel was closed. After the Great Patriotic War the church was reconstructed and nowadays a coaching inn of the Antiokchiisky patriarchy occupies the building.
Address: 15-a, Arkhangelskiy Laner, Moscow
Underground: Chistye Prudy

All the churches are elaborately painted and decorated.
The cathedral and four tall kremlin churches with their silver "blind" domes were imitated throughout the city. This is particularly evident in the Savior-on-the-Market church and the cathedral church of the Nativity convent, both dating from the 17th century and situated near the kremlin walls. The oldest church within the town center was consecrated to St. Isidore the Blessed in 1565. They say that Ivan the Terrible had the architect executed, because his church was so much smaller than its predecessor.
The kremlin is flanked by two monasteries, both facing the Lake Nero. To the right from the kremlin stands the Abraham monastery, founded in the 11th century and one of the oldest in Russia. Its cathedral, commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in 1553 to commemorate the conquest of Kazan, inspired numerous churches in the region, particularly in Yaroslavl.
Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery, situated to the left from the Kremlin on the town's outskirts, has been venerated as the shrine of St. Dmitry of Rostov. Most of the monastery structures were built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the fine neoclassical style. There are also two 17th-century churches: the Conception of St. Anna, and the Transfiguration of Our Savior. Unlike most other churches in the town, the monastery belongs to the Russian Orthodoxy and houses a theological seminary.
Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos
The citadel of Rostov seen from Lake Nero
Rostov Kremlin in summer (1911)
The courtyard in the kremlin
The vicinity of Rostov is rich in old architecture. For example, an old wooden church (1687–1689) may be seen in Ishnya. One of the best preserved monasteries in Russia, named after the saints Boris and Gleb, is situated in Borisoglebsky, about 20 kilometers (12 mi) west of the town. The monastery was favored by Ivan the Terrible, who personally supervised the construction of towered walls and bell-tower around an even more ancient cathedral. The only addition made to the monastery after Ivan's death is a barbican church, commissioned by the metropolitan Iona Sysoyevich.

St. Isaac’s Cathedral is named after the saint to whom it is dedicated: Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, and it is located in Sankt Petersburg, being the largest Orthodox cathedral found in this specific town.
The church was erected by the order of Tsar Alexander I, but the actual building process took quite some time to be initiated, mainly because the designs which were presented before the commission appointed to supervise the project were deemed unworthy. The architect to receive the job was Auguste de Montferrand, but even his design was received with immense criticism. Montferrand’s plan consisted of a gigantic structure with 4 identical porticos, but this was not what the commission had in mind.
They considered the design to be quite dull in its repetitiveness and this definitely did not inspire grandeur, which was what they were looking to achieve through the cathedral. Even if the edifice was to be colossal in size this did not necessarily mean that it was to be the epitome of greatness. This was quite a dispute in this regard, so the Tsar himself intervened in the matter and appointed Montferrand to supervise the construction of the cathedral.
Thus, the project was under way. However, the edifice did not see the light of day until 40 years had passed – this being the timeframe in which it was built (beginning 1818 and being finished in 1858). The history of the cathedral is very interesting, the church having witnessed different political regimes, time in which its appearance and scope had changed. For instance, when the Soviet Union was in power, any depiction which was religious in nature was destroyed. In fact, in 1931, the building was transformed into an Antireligious Museum.
As a consequence of this shift, the dove sculpture – the symbol of the Holy Spirit, but also of peace and conciliation – was removed, so as to make room for Foucault’s pendulum. This device was used to demonstrate in the simplest way possible that the earth is indeed round. The symbolism behind this? The Soviets felt the need to erase all remnants of religion, or more accurately of blind belief in something that cannot be demonstrated, and replace these with something palpable, logically explained.

Construction lasted until 1820, with the date of comletion engraved on a medallion on the southern wall of the church. The cathedral formed the backbone of the main city square and was primarily funded by two local merchants.
Assumption Cathedral was built by Yaroslavl masons and painted by a native of the village of Teykovo. In order to make the church appear as luxurious as possible while still being frugal, the artist used the grisaille technique in which a tonal gradation of color is used to imitate columns, cornices and stucco. Stories from the Bible are depcited in framed pictorials, while images of evangelists can be seen under the central dome. The altar is decorated with references to the Trinity, and Old Testament scenes are depicted on the walls and ceiling of the refectory.
In Assumption Cathedral, an inscription states that on August 11, 1866, the cathedral was visited by Tsarevich Alexander (the future Emperor Alexander III), to whom Archpriest John Nicholas presented an icon of his patron Saint Alexander Nevsky.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Assumption Cathedral suffered the fate of most churches and monasteries in Russia – after being looted, it was used for secular purposes for decades. It was returned to the Orthodox community only in 1992, at which time restoration work on it began.
St. Nicholas Cathedral is the oldest stone builing in the city. It was built in 1766, 11 years before Myshkin was granted city status.
The story of Alexander Petrovich Berezin, a merchant of the first guild and the city head of St. Petersburg, is closely connected with Nikolsky Cathedral. Berezin was born near Myshkin in the village of Yeremeytsevo to a poor peasant family. Circumstances led his father to place an icon of St. Nicholas in the Myshkin tavern. But Berezin bought back the icon more than a quarter of a century later. He was deeply impressed by the fact that his ancestral relic had been miraculously preserved and returned to his family. In memory of this event, Berezin built Nikolsky Cathedral, along with a church in St. Petersburg and Church of the Ascension in Kruglitsy.

There are two churches situated at the small part of Bolshoi Sampsonievsky prospect - Sampsonievsky (Sampson) Cathedral with a bell-tower and a church to Anna of Kashin.
Thus, Sampsonievsky cathedral.
Erected in 1728-1740 according to J. Trezini and I. Lapshin plan, jointly with M.G. Zemtsov (in 1730).
Original windows in the tower are apparently decorative.
Originally there was a wooden church on the place of today's building which was devoted to russian army victory by Poltava (gained on June 27, 1709, the St. Sampson day). Stone building was erected later.
Sampsonievsky cathedral gave names to three streets - Bolshoi (former Karl Marx prospect) and Malyi Sampsonievsky prospects, Sampsonievskaya street (Bratstvo street formerly)
Cathedral was recently restored though scaffolding is still seen in some places
There are several tablets with texts on the walls of the cathedral. Say, for example, two of them
(translated, of course) :
Appeal of the emperor Peter the Great to his forces before Poltava battle:
"Warriors! It is the hour which will rule sway the destinies of the Homeland. You must not think that you fight for Peter, but for nation given to Peter, for your own clan, for Homeland, for our orthodox faith and the Church. You must not be embarrassed by the fame of enemy's invincibility, falsehood of which was refuted by your victories more than once. Let truth and God, your defender, be with you in the battle, remember that Peter does not value his own life, but let Russia, piety, glory and welfare live forever."
Welcome speech of the emperor Peter the Great to his forces after Poltava battle:
"Hello, sons of homeland, my beloved children!
I created you by the sweat of my works; state can't live without you as the body can't live without soul. Loving God, orthodox faith, homeland, glory and Me, you did not spare your lives and rushed to the thousands of deaths fearlessly. Your courageous deeds will be never forgotten by the descendants."

Petersburg Topic: A Russian Moment
The interior of the Maltese Chapel, Vorontsov Palace, St. Petersburg
The Maltese Chapel of St. John the Baptist is a former Catholic chapel built for the Order of Malta Knights by Giacomo Quarenghi in 1800 on the orders of Emperor Paul I. After the opening of the chapel on April 29th, the Emperor became Grand Master of the Order of Malta. The chapel is located in the Vorontsov Palace in St. Petersburg which today houses the Suvorov Military Academy.
Built in 1797-1800 in the Classicist style, the chapel served exiled French aristocrats (Catholic knights of the Maltese Order) who resided in the Russian capital at the turn of the 19th century. The chapel was added to the south wing of the palace, and could accommodate up to 1,000 people. The austere facade is decorated with a Corinthian portico; the interior boasts lavish stucco moulding and decorative paintings. In 1810, it was given to the Page Corps, the Maltese Chapel was used as the house church for Catholic pages and foreign diplomats. In 1853, a side-chapel with a marble sepulchre of Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg (sculptor A. I. Terebenev) and stained-glass windows was attached to the Maltese Chapel. In 1909, an organ of the German Walker company was installed. In 1918, the church was closed, the building was altered to accommodate a club. In the 1990s, restoration works were carried out under the supervision of architect S. V. Samusenko.
The Maltese Chapel was restored in 2003 for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. Today, the building serves as an assembly hall of the Suvorov Military School. Tours and concerts are held in the chapel on Saturdays throughout the year.
A Russian Moment No. 65 - State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg Topic: A Russian Moment
State Russian Museum - formerly the Emperor Alexander III Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
120 years ago, on April 3 (25), 1895, Emperor Nicholas II decreed the foundation of the State Russian Museum in St.

The first churches were commissioned by the princes; however, after the 13th century merchants, guilds and communities began to commission cathedrals. The citizens of 13th-century Novgorod were noted for their shrewdness, diligence and prosperity, expanding from the Baltic to the White Sea. The architecture in Novgorod did not begin to flourish until the turn of the 12th century. The Novgorod Sophia cathedral was modeled after the original Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev; it is similar in appearance but smaller, narrower and (in a development of North Russian architecture) onion-shaped domes replace cupolas. Construction was supervised by workmen from Kiev, who also imported bricks. The primary building materials were fieldstone and undressed limestone blocks. It is said that the interiors were painted in frescoes, which have now vanished. The doors were made of bronze.
The katholikon of Yuriev Monastery was commissioned in 1119 by Prince Vsevolod Mstislavovich. The architect was known as Master Peter, one of the few architects who have been recorded at this time in Russia. The exterior is characterized by narrow windows and double-recessed niches, which proceed in a rhythm across the façade; the interior walls reach a height of 20 metres (66 ft). Its pillars are closely spaced, emphasizing the height of the vaulted ceilings. The interior was covered in frescoes from the prince’s workshops, including some of the rarest Russian paintings of the time.
The Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior was a memorial to Ilya Muromets. During the Mongol invasion, Ilya was reputed to have saved the city; the church was built in his honor on Elijah Street in 1374. During this time the city-state of Novgorod established a separate district for the princes, subdividing the city into a series of streets where the church still stands. The church windows are more detailed, the niches deeper and the dome (seen in larger cathedrals) is augmented by a pitched roof.
Another church closely resembling the Church of the Transfiguration is the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki. It was constructed in 1406, and the primary difference is in building material. The detail is focused on the west and south facades. New ornamental motifs in the brick appear at this time.

If you walk slowly along the embankment of the Griboedov canal towards the Nevsky prospect, you will soon see the counterpart of St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome – the Kazan Cathedral.
The Cathedral looks fascinating due to its monumentality on the outside and the amazing beauty inside. The Kazan Cathedral was built and named in honor of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God, which Is placed inside the temple and is considered to be one of the most revered icons in Russia. So the queue of people wishing to touch the shrine is a common thing here.
The Cathedral was created by the talented Russian architect, the former serf, Andrey Voronikhin. According to a legend he created the design of the cathedral at will of emperor Paul I, who said, “I want a cathedral in Saint Petersburg that will comprise a bit of St. Peter’s Cathedral and a bit of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.”
However, the construction works on the site of the old Kazan church began after the murder of the emperor. Voronikhin confronted a difficult task. Construction of the new cathedral was planned on the section of the Nevsky Prospect which extended from the West to the East. In orthodox churches the altar should always face East and the main facade with the entrance should face West, though Nevsky Prospect was on the North side of the future temple. Voronikhin found an elegant solution — side facade was visually turned into the main facade by building a semicircular colonnade, which unfolded toward the main alley of the city. Grand 96 columns in four rows! This solution not only helped to avoid violation of basic rules of the construction of an orthodox church, but retained the symmetry and harmony of the cathedral with Nevsky Prospect and everything that surrounded this piece of architectural art.
“After the defeat of Napoleon’s army by Kutuzov, military banners and keys of the French fortresses were brought here and placed on the walls of the cathedral”
After the defeat of Napoleon’s army by Kutuzov, military banners and keys of the French fortresses were brought here and placed on the walls of the cathedral. Nowadays most of the trophies are kept in the Historical Museum in Moscow and the Kazan Cathedral keeps only six trophy banners and keys in twenty-six bundles beside the tomb of field marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, who was buried in the North aisle of the Cathedral in 1813.

Visitors are attracted by their sacred inside: copies of Raphael’s Bible, more than 50 paintings depicting the Old Testament and four other the New Testament, as well as ornamental compositions in the grotesque style decorating the walls. At the gallery of ” Lodges of Raphael,” there are two genuine works by Raphael, treasures of all collections of the Hermitage, and the crouching boy of Michelangelo, another jewel of the Hermitage collections and unique work of this famous artist in Russia.
Saint Peter’s and St. Paul Cathedral
Tsar Peter I the Great wanted to give Russia an opening on the Baltic Sea and a naval force. In 1703, he put on Zaïatchii island in the delta of the Neva, the first stone of a new fortress he called ” Saint- Petersburg “. In this fortress was built St. Peter and St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was the first college built in stone. At the top of its spire 123m high, stands an angel holding a cross that will be one of the most important symbols of St. Petersburg. In this cathedral are the remains of tsars and tsarines of the Romanov dynasty of Peter the Great to Nicolas II. Indeed, Tsar Nicolas II and his family were shot in SIberia in 1918 and thrown into mass graves. In 1990, they found their bones and they were transported to the cathedral and buried in the Chapel of St. Catherine of Martyrs.
The tombs of Tsar Peter 1st the Great and Tsarina Catherine 1st.
St. Isaac’s Cathedral
Being among one of the largest religious buildings in the world, St. Isaac’s Cathedral is topped by the largest golden dome in the world. A whole host of artists such as Karl Brioullov ,Fidor Brouni, Vasily Chebouïev Ivan Vitali, Nikolai Pimenov and Piotr Klodt, participated in the painting and sculpture works in the cathedral. The sculptures are made according to the method of electroplating which is to reduce the weight of the enormous bronze statues and reliefs. The paintings adorning its beautiful interior were replaced by mosaics since changes in temperature and humidity have damaged them. After his consecration in May 30th, 1858, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral received the relics of St.

There is a gravestone-monument to the three statesmen, organizers of Volynsky plot against Biron, near the cathedral (they were arrested and put to death on June 27, 1740).
A.P.Volynsky was a cabinet-minister, A.F. Khrushov was a councilor of Admiralty establishment, P.M. Yeroshkin was an architect, main architect of the Saint-Petersburg building Commission.
Monument was established much later - in 1885 (sculptor is A.M. Opekushin).
View on Sampsonievsky cathedral from the park
Once there were graves of Saint-Petersburg architects-constructors on the territory of this park, however they did not remain till our times, so now this fact is marked…
…with the monument "to First constructors of Petersburg" (authors are Mikhail Shemyakin and Vyacheslav Bukhaev). Sign on the right says (on the left it's apparently the same but in Latin):
"SAINT SAMPSON THE RECEIVER OF WANDERING GAVE PEACE TO THE FIRST ARCHITECTS CONSTRUCTORS, CITIZENS OF SAINT-PETERSBURG
PETR MIKHAILOVICH YEROPKIN(1698-1740)
ALEXANDER PHILIPPOVICH KOKORINOV(1726-1772) "
If going farther along Sampsonievsky prospect you can see the church to Anna of Kashin (there was such a princess in ancient Russia).
Church was being built in 1901-1902 by architect Andreev and in 1907-1909 - by architect A.P. Aplaksin.
View on the church from the yard.
Dwelling wing, directly connected with the church, was provided by the project.
At the same time I added some amount of interesting links into section

St.Nicholas’ Orthodox Church in Gifhorn (Germany) – a copy of the ‘gem’ of the Russian wooden architecture of the 18th century – has for a long time heard none of the divine liturgy chants or the ringing of the bells after the service. The reason for this is the decision by a private sponsor, who at the end of the 20th century granted the financial resources and the territory to rebuild this magnificent church, to sell it to the Russian Orthodox community for a hefty sum. What caused the problem is the breathtaking beauty of the architectural marvel.
It was the beauty of the wooden Transfiguration Church, created by Russian architects in 1756, that encouraged German entrepreneur and ethnography lover Horst Wrobel to replicate it in Germany. The copy in question was built in 1995 in Lower Saxony, near the town of Gifhorn in Wrobel’s private estate where he set up a museum of old mills on the riverbank. The beautiful church fits in perfectly well with the picturesque landscape. Its original, the above-mentioned Transfiguration Church, which used to be located in one of the villages of the Vladimir Region (about 200 km from Moscow), burned down seemingly beyond repair in a fire caused by a strike of lightning in the 19th century. In the 20th century it was rebuilt on the basis of the original designs, but this time, on the territory of the wooden architecture museum in Suzdal.
It was in Suzdal that Horst Wrobel saw the breathtaking beauty and exquisite elegance of the Orthodox shrine. With the help of old drafts he had a copy of the church built in his estate and dedicated it to St.Nicholas the Miracle Worker. In autumn 1995 His Holiness Patriarch Alexey II, while on a visit to Germany, paid a visit to Horst’s museum of mills and the church on the territory of the museum. In a solemn ceremony the Wrobel family presented His Holiness Patriarch Alexey II with St.Nicholas’ Church. According to Father Superior Archpriest Gennady (Budko), the gift certificate was not of legal but of symbolic nature:
The symbolic document of 24.11.1995 points out that «50 years after the end of the Second World War this church serves as a bridge across our nations, from person to person, and from heart to heart.

It is believed that the first wooden church on this site was built in 1620 by Prince Pozharskii. Soon after a stone cathedral replaced it that was consecrated in 1636. The church has been rebuilt several times and suffered serious damage during the Napoleonic invasion. Between 1925 and 1930 it was restored, but the cathedral was demolished in 1936. A modern building was built in here 1990 to 1993. It is an operating Orthodox church.

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The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Mother of Jesus on the Moat (Russian: Собор Покрова Пресвятой Богородицы на Рву?), Popularly known as St. Basil’s Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox church erected on the Red Square in Moscow between 1555 and Built in 1561 by order of Ivan IV of Russia to commemorate the capture of Kazan ‘and Astrakhan’, it represents the geometric center of the city and the hub of its growth since the fourteenth century. It was the tallest building in the city of Moscow until the completion of the Great Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, which took place in 1600.
The original building, known as the Trinity Church and later as Trinity Cathedral, consisted of eight side churches arranged around the ninth, central church of Intercession; the tenth church was erected in 1588 over the tomb of the revered fool Basil the Blessed. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the cathedral, perceived as the symbol of the heavenly city on earth, was popularly known as Jerusalem and represented an allegory of the Jerusalem Temple in the annual Palm Sunday parade headed by the Patriarch of Moscow and the Tsar.
The design of the building, whose shape resembles ‘the flames of a bonfire rising into the sky’, has no analogues in Russian architecture: “It is like no other Russian building. Nothing similar can be found in the entire millennium Byzantine tradition elapsed between the fifth and fifteenth century … a strangeness that astonishes by the unpredictability, complexity and dazzling bloom detail reproduced in its design. “The cathedral foreshadowed the climax of Russian national architecture of the seventeenth century, but it has never been reproduced directly.
The cathedral has operated as a division of the State Historical Museum since 1928, was completely secularized in 1929 and, in 2009, is still owned by the Russian Federation. The cathedral from 1990 is included in the UNESCO list as a World Heritage Site, along with the Moscow Kremlin.

Peter the Great rewarded the roofer with a lifelong right for free alcohol drinking in every tavern of Russian Empire. The further life of the roofer is not known.
Actually in 1756 the Cathedral got on fire cause of the lightning, and the spire and the chimes suffered the most. In 1757-1758 the wooden constructions of the spire were replaced by the metal ones, prepared by architect D. Zhuravsky. The clock was placed only 20 years, and every hour it played a melody of the national anthem.
The dominant of the inside interior is a gorgeous carved iconostasis with standing figures at front – Peter, Paul and 4 evangelists. The iconostasis was created by architect Zarudny and painters T. Ivanov and I. Telega. It partly reminds a Triumphal Arch, since the Emperor planned the Cathedral to be as a monument to the victories of Russian army. The keys from the captured cities, Swedish and Turkish banners were kept. Nowadays most of them can be found in the Hermitage, while there are only copies in the Cathedral. The visitors of the Cathedral can climb the bell tower and watch the panorama view.
Photo taken from kuda-spb.ru
Grand Ducal Burial Vault
The Peter and Paul Cathedral served as a burial place of Imperial family members. Peter the Great is buried in the Catherine’s aisle of the temple. There in summer 1998 in the 80th anniversary of the execution of Nicolas II, his wife Alexandra Feyodorovna, their children and servants, their remains were buried in the same aisle.
By the beginning of the 19th century, there was no place left in the Cathedral, so the special Grand Ducal Burial Vault was built. It’s connected with the Cathedral by a passage. The last burial ceremony took place in 2006, the remains of the last Russian Tsar’s mother Maria Feyodorovna were moved there from Denmark. Since 1990 the memorial service for Russian Emperors has taken place in the Cathedral.

In 1812, the palace was destroyed by the French - although, according to the French version it was burned by Russian incendiaries. The palace was restored only in 1823 under the supervision of Major-General PS Ushakov, director of the Smolensk Cadet Corps. In 1824, the Smolensk Cadet Corps was housed in a renovated building and was renamed the Moscow Cadet Corps in 1838. The building’s interiors were again renovated by the Italian-Russian architect Joseph Bové.
In October 1917 the Moscow Cadet Corps mounted a fierce resistance against the Bolsheviks in Lefortovo. Colonel V.F. Rahr organized the defence of the barracks with cadets from the senior classes. Fighting lasted for six days, until heavy artillery from the enemy forced their surrender. Some of the prisoners were subsequently shot by the Reds in the neighbouring Lefortovo barracks.
Since 1937, the building has housed the Military Academy of Armored Forces, now the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Given its status as a military institution, the building has generally been inaccessible to the public. In 2004, the Moscow authorities initiated negotiations with the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation on transferring the property rights of the Catherine Palace to the city.
To view previous A Russian Moment listings, please refer to the directory located on the left-hand side of this page.
The Church of St. Mary Magdalene is an historic Russian Orthodox church in Darmstadt, Germany, built for the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, nee Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt. She and Emperor Nicholas II wished to have the opportunity to pray in an Orthodox church while visiting Germany, which usually occurred about once every year-and-a-half or two years.
The architect Leon Benois (1856-1928) created the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in the Russian revival style between 1897-1899; construction was carried out under the direct supervision of the architect Gustav Jacobi, and then his assistant - Friedrich Olleriha. The construction of the church was paid for by Emperor Nicholas II, who spent 310,000 rubles (the original estimate was 180,000 rubles) from his personal funds.
It was decided that the church be built of Russian stone and upon Russian soil.

According to police statistics, Palm Sunday, the day following the flashmob, saw an oblast-wide church attendance of no more than 30,000 people, and the population of Ekaterinburg alone is almost 1.5 million, with active churchgoers accounting for a mere 2-3% of its population. Protesting believers have drawn attention to precisely this fact. Church attendance in the centre of town is too low to warrant a new church, whereas some densely populated residential areas boast no churches whatsoever.
Goloborodsky denies the claim that the 66-metre-high church would tarnish the historical appearance of the pond and that of the Dynamo Stadium spit. The latter, he insists, has “already been hemmed in by skyscrapers,” so much so that it’s “now a dwarf you can scarcely see.” And the architect brushes aside concerns that the vista of the pond would be ruined, declaring that the church would only “occupy an inconsequential sliver of backwater,” and that the height of the cathedral should be measured from the upper cornice of the main structure, in which case, he says, it would come to 22 metres. Goloborodsky fails to specify how exactly the additional 40-odd metres would vanish from the view.
When confronted with the assertion that the project has been instigated from the top down without even the semblance of ongoing dialogue with ordinary residents, Goloborodsky parries with a quote from the Gospel: “Many are called, but few are chosen. The city is constantly changing. Churches are allegedly being imposed on the populace, but no one comes out to protest against office developments.”
In his opinion, the real cause of local people’s indignation is not so much the choice of site for the cathedral as their desire “that it not be built at all.” But, though anti-clerical motives on the part of certain protestors cannot be ruled out, their primary objective would nonetheless appear to be the preservation of the pond’s historical appearance.
“Something to be treasured”
The disputes over the church are demonstrative of two incompatible approaches to history and historical memory.
The proposed external appearance of the church has raised a great many questions: like the Church of the Saviour on Blood in St Petersburg, it is to be executed in a pseudo-Russian style that apes the ornamentation of St Basil's Cathedral on Red Square.

Coordinates: 59°58′14″N 30°18′1″E / 59.97056°N 30.30028°E
The Convent of St. John of Rila
The Convent of St. John of Rila (Иоанновский монастырь) is the largest convent in St. Petersburg, Russia and the only stauropegic monastery in the region. It was established on the bank of the Karpovka River by Saint John of Kronstadt (1900) as a branch of the Sura Monastery of St. John the Baptist. The main pentacupolar church of the Twelve Apostles (1902) was built to a Neo-Byzantine design by Nikolay Nikonov. The ground floor contains the marble tomb of St. John of Kronstadt. The convent was disbanded by the Soviets in 1923. It was reopened as a branch of Pühtitsa Convent in 1991.

When Alexander II authority was challenged, he turned repressive, and he vehemently opposed movements for political reform. The revolutionary “People’s Will” group, finally, assassinated Tsar Alexander II on March 13, 1881. He was killed in the streets of St. Petersburg by a bomb thrown by a member of the group. Ironically, on the very day he was killed, he signed a proclamation–the so-called Loris-Melikov constitution–that would have created two legislative commissions made up of indirectly elected representatives. He was succeeded by his 36-year-old son, Alexander III, who rejected the Loris-Melikov constitution. Alexander II’s assassins were arrested and hanged, and the People’s Will was thoroughly suppressed. The peasant revolution advocated by the People’s Will was achieved, at last, by Vladimir Lenin’s Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1917.
History: This marvelous Russian-style church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood (Церковь Спаса на Крови, Tserkovʹ Spasa na Krovi) was built on the spot where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in March 1881. The Church is prominently situated along the Griboyedov Canal; paved roads run along both sides of the canal. The church was officially called the Resurrection of Christ Church. The construction of the church was almost entirely funded by the Imperial family and thousands of private donators. 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 complete during the reign of Nicholas II in 1907.
The church was closed for services in the 1930s, when the Bolsheviks went on an offensive against religion and destroyed churches all over the country. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, the church was ransacked and looted, badly damaging its interior. The Soviet government closed the church in the early 1930s. During 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 graveyard 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.

The united architectural
ensemble includes: fortification system - fortress walls,
curtains, bastions and ravelins (1706-1740,
the architect Dominique Tresini, the engineer Burhard Kristof
von Minikh); the Parade Peter Gate (1717-1718, the architect
Tresini), the Bathhouse (1762 -1766, the arch. Alexander Vist)
where a copy of Peter's boat (the Grandfather of Russian Float)
is stored; its original is now in Central Military and Navy
Museum; designed by bas-relief "The Overthrow of Simon
the Magi by Peter the apostle" by Conrad Osner; the Mint
Works (1798 -1806, the architect Antonio Posto); the Engineer's
house (1748-1749), the Commandant's house (1743-1746, the
engineer de Marine) and others.
In the centre of the ensemble there is the Peter and Paul Cathedral (1712-33, the architect Tresini). Its bell-tower served as a city Clock tower. It became a symbol of establishment of a new capital of Russia on seaside lands. Topped by a golden tall-spire bell-tower stayed the highest (122,5m) architectural construction of Petersburg. The main decoration of the Cathedral interior is carved golden iconostasis of the in a Baroque style made by Moscow carved on wood by design of Tresini and Ivan Zaprudny.
The cathedral was firstly used as a necropolis of the Romanov House. There are the remains of Russian Emperors from Peter I to Nikolai II and members of their families (excluding Peter II and Ioann IV). The Grand Ducal Burial Vault (1896-1908, the architects David Grimm, Anton Tomishko, Leonty Benois) where before the revolution 13 members of the Emperor family were buried. In 1992 in the Burial Vault the Great Duke Vladimir Kirillovich was buried (e died in emigration); in 1995 the remains of his parents - Kirill Vladimirovich and Victoria Fjodorovna - were brought from Koburg (Germany).
The Commandants' Cemetery is by the East Wall of the Peter and Paul Fortress, where 19 from 32 commandants of the fortress were buried.

Nikon personally designed his new residence at the New Jerusalem Monastery which was dominated by a rotunda-like cathedral, the first of its type in Russia.
In 1712, Peter I of Russia moved the capital from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, which he planned to design in the Dutch style usually called Petrine baroque. Its major monuments include the Peter and Paul Cathedral, Menshikov Palace, and the Menshikov Tower.
Catherine the Great patronized neoclassical architects invited from Scotland and Italy. Some of the most representative buildings from her reign are the Alexander Palace by Giacomo Quarenghi and the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra by Ivan Starov. During Catherine's reign, the Russian Gothic Revival style was developed by Vasily Bazhenov and Matvei Kazakov in Moscow.
Alexander I favored the Empire Style, as evidenced by the Kazan Cathedral, the Admiralty, the Bolshoi Theatre, Saint Isaac's Cathedral, and the Narva Triumphal Gates. Later, the nineteenth century saw a revival of traditional Russian architecture. The redevelopment of the center of Moscow saw the Neo-Byzantine construction of the Great Kremlin Palace (1838-1849), the Kremlin Armoury (1844-1851) and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (1832-1883), all designed by Konstantin Ton.
Stalinist architecture put a premium on conservative monumentalism. In the 1930s, there was rapid urbanization as a result of Stalin's policies. There was an international competition to build the Palace of the Soviets in Moscow in that decade.
After 1945, the focus was on rebuilding the buildings destroyed in World War II but also erecting new ones: The Seven Sisters in Moscow are seven high-rise buildings built at symbolic points in Moscow. The building of Moscow University (1948-1953) by Lev Rudnev and associates is particularly notable for its use of space. Another notable example is the Exhibition Centre in Moscow, which was built for the second All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (VSKhV) in 1954, that featured a series of pavilions each decorated in the style of the feature that they represent. The other famous examples are the stations of the Moscow Metro and Saint Petersburg Metro's that were built during the 1940s and 1950s are world famous for their extravagant designs and vivid decorations.

The Hierarch emphasized that the media provide a mixed picture of what is happening in the world, with an emphasis on the negative — disasters, diseases, catastrophes. “The problem of suffering is a deep mystery of God the mystery of life. Only through prayer we can touch the mystery, only through prayer we can understand many things, we can look beyond the visible horizon… God forbid we repeat past mistakes,” said the Archbishop.
Founder and President of group of companies “Etalon”, the President of Fund “Creative world” Vyacheslav Zarenkov said that the monument was planned to deliver in 2014, by which time he was executed by the sculptor, but only today managed to implement. “The Tsar’s Village — a special place, hence the soldiers went to the First world war, — he reminded. Here brought dead, wounded, they recover not only in hospitals but also in monasteries. Not only the priests who were at the forefront and lead educational work among the soldiers, and monks who treated the wounded, contributed to the victory”.
Vyacheslav Zarenkov said that the memory of the First world war after the revolution was deliberately erased, because there were a lot of mistakes, and people who are in power do not want them to be seen. “I hope that this monument symbolizes the Union of faith clergy and laity, recalled the courage of the soldiers,” said said V. Zarenkov, saying that his grandfather died from gas poisoning in the war.
They read the greeting of the Chairman of the Russian historical society, Director of the foreign intelligence service Sergei Naryshkin.
The rector of the St. Petersburg Academy of arts named after Ilya Repin Semyon Mikhailovsky noted that the successfully chosen place for the monument — in front of the reconstructed temple. Sculptor, academician of the Russian Academy of ARTS Vladimir Gorevoy added that this monument we pay tribute to those who went to war and who prayed for the fighting.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the government of St. Petersburg, legislative Assembly of the city, the administration of the Pushkin district.
To the monument and laid flowers, marched in solemn March of the honor guard.
1 August (19 July Church calendar) — the day of Russia’s entry into the first world war in 1914. Tsarskoye Selo was the site of the quartering of regiments of the Imperial guard.

Lower part was real church with altar where priest serve the liturgy. Don't forget to go down to the Crypt which is even more impressive: take time to finding your way to the basement where there are more chapels and rooms to visit. The ceiling is covered with frescoed of Christ, Virgin Mary, angels and toward the front is like a small church decorated with frescoed and statues, and even have a spiral with dome. The height of its inner space is 79 meters. Every square inch of the inside has been hand painted with icons and artwork. Right on the axis of the main entrance there is a unique iconostasis in the form of white marble octagonal chapel crowned by a gilded dome. The main shrines of the Temple are the icon of the Nativity wrought by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy from Bethlehem, six original restored canvases by Vereshchagin and the authentic throne of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon in the main altar. The silence (even when it is very crowded) and the open spaces are relaxing and invites you to walk around this big place. The general atmosphere inside is one of quiet are and respect:
Before you turn to the east side of the cathedral and walk through the Patriarchal Bridge - try to visit the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour Gardens. The Monument to Alexander II (the Liberator Tsar) is located to the left of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in the garden area. Alexander II is honored here because he helped lay the foundation for the original Cathedral and was Tsar of Russia during that time (destroyed in 1931 by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin) and ruled during its construction. Completed in 2005 and partly inspired by a destroyed imperial monument from 1898, the statue itself was paid for by private donations, with the rest of the monument mainly financed by public funding. On June 2, 2004 Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov signed a decree about the erection of a new monument to the emperor Alexander II in Moscow. The memorial was designed by professor Alexander Rukavishnikov, a member of the Russian Academy of Arts and national sculptor of Russia. At first, the monument was supposed to be set by the Kremlin's Kutafya Tower; however, a new place was found for it around Christ the Savior Cathedral. DO NOT MISS THE WONDERFUL GARDENS AROUND THE MONUMENT !

During the night of July 16/17, 1918, the last Russian Emperor Nikolai II and his family were executed in the house that belonged to the engineer Nikolas Ipatiev in Yekaterinburg. In 1997, that house was destroyed on the initiative of the KGB. In 2000, Nikolai II and his family were declared saints by the Russian Orthodox Church, and on the place of execution, The Church on Blood was erected to commemorate the last Emperor’s family. There is a tradition in Russia to build churches and cathedrals to commemorate the violent deaths of tsars. Besides the Church on Blood in Yekaterinburg, other churches have been built in St. Petersburg and Uglich. In Yekaterinburg, this church has become a place of pilgrimage for Orthodox Christians and a tourist attraction visited by many people including artists and politicians.

St. George the Victorious cathedral
Project implementation period: 1999
St. George the Victorious cathedral has been constructed in honor of the heroism of Russian warriors in the Great Patriotic War. Capsules with soil from hero cities and areas, where main battles of the Great Patriotic War took place have been placed into the basement of the cathedral. Appearance of the church combines stylistic approach of the traditional old Russian church architectonics and recognizable elements of the Saint-Petersburg architectural school. The building occupies the area of 180 m² and stands on the 1,5 m high artificial hill. A small dome crowns the hip roof broach spire having the height of 36 meters, outer walls of the cathedral are decorated with mosaic panels, illustrating warrior saints.
The cathedral is the first church made of stone, built in the city since 1917.
This cathedral symbolizes our grateful aсknowledgement of the past and our architectural message to the future. As builders, we always remember that we live and work in the city that overcame the years of war, having saved its great architecture. For us it is important not only to carry on traditions of architects of the past, but to make Saint-Petersburg a city that is worth of the new time.

Narva Triumphal Arch is located at Ploshchad’ Stacheck, 1, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 190020
3. St Nicholas Naval Cathedral
St Nicholas Naval Cathedral is a Baroque Orthodox cathedral and is associated with the Russian Navy.
It is in the shape of a cross with Corinthian columns and is an example of Elizabethan Baroque.
St Nicholas Naval Cathedral is located at Nikol’skaya Ploshchad’, 1/3, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 190068
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4. St Nicholas Naval Cathedral Bell Tower
The Bell Tower, a few steps across from the Cathedral, is freestanding and four stories tall.
The Tower has a gilded spire on top that took three years to complete from 1755-1758.
St Nicholas Naval Cathedral Bell Tower is located at the same address as the Cathedral.
5. Winter Palace
The Winter Palace was the official residence of the Russian monarchs from 1732-1917.
Alexander II was the last tsar to have his main residence here. After his assassination, they deemed the Palace too hard to secure due to its large size. While this wasn’t the location of Alexander II’s assassination, there had been an attempt on his life a year prior that caused a lot of damage to the Palace.
Winter Palace is located at Palace Embankment, 32, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 190000
6. St Isaac’s Cathedral
St Isaac’s Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great. It is the largest Russian Orthodox Cathedral in St Petersburg as well as the largest orthodox basilica and the fourth largest cathedral in the world!
St Isaac’s Cathedral is located at St Isaac’s Square, 4, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 190000
7. Monument to Nicholas I
The Monument to Nicholas I was established in 1859 and is a Neo-Baroque style bronze, equestrian monument. What I find interesting is that it was Europe’s first equestrian statue with only two support points and the only one that preceded it was the Andrew Jackson equestrian monument in Washington DC!
Monument to Nicholas I is located at St Isaac’s Square, 11, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 190000
8.

The first heart, belonging to King Ferdinand IV, was placed in the Augustinian Church on 10 July 1654, according to his wishes. The last heart, belonging to Archduke Franz Karl of Austria, was placed in the crypt on 8 March 1878. Here rest the hearts of nine emperors, eight empresses, one king, one queen, 14 archdukes, 14 archduchesses and two dukes. The bones are interred in the Imperial Vault of the Kapuzinerkirche, the internal organs in the catacombs of the Stephansdom:
Two organs have added to the prestige of the church in the music world. Not only did Franz Schubert conducted his Mass here, but Anton Bruckner’s Mass in F minor also had its world premiere here:
From this church - you can continue to a very special attraction in Vienna - the Prunksaal. It is situated a few steps from the church in Josefsplatz.
Tip 2: Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, ulitsa Volkhonka, 15. Nearest Metro: Kropotkinskaya (Кропоткинскаяmore) (Line 1, RED, Sokolnicheskaya Line). If you are coming from city center, take the exit on the right.
Duration: 1-2 hours.
The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (Храм Христа Спасителя, Khram Khrista Spasitelya), originally built in the 19th century in commemoration of the Russian army's victory over Napoleon. When Napoleon Bonaparte retreated from Moscow, Tsar Alexander I signed a manifest on 25 December 1812 declaring his intention to build a cathedral in honor of Christ the Savior - as a memorial to the sacrifices of the Russian people. The cathedral took many decades to build and did not emerge from its scaffolding until 1860. The cathedral was consecrated on 26 May 1883, the day before Alexander III was crowned. The original church was the scene of the 1882 world premiere of the famous 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky. It was destroyed in 1931 on Stalin's personal order. The demolition was supposed to make way for a colossal Palace of the Soviets that was never built.

Remedial activities conducted in 1990, suspended its heel.
Peter and Paul Cathedral, of course, is the most valuable architectural monument, one of the spiritual symbol of Kazan. Built on an elevated site, a beautiful and majestic, cathedral differs by its kind of decoration. Composition of temple and bell tower is made in the style of the so-called Russian, or «Naryshinsky», Baroque, widespread in Russia at the end of XVII — the first half of XVIII century. This composition is also found in the Kazan region (Pyatnitskaya church in Kazan, the Church in Potaniha of Vysokogorsky area, both churches were built with funds of merchant Mihlyaev). Decor gives the unique appearance to the cathedral — an abundance of facade details and their bright coloring, which is preserved to our time. Unfortunately, the names of the builders of the cathedral remained unknown. Many art critics point to the similarity of decor with ornamental decoration of temples, built in the first half of XVIII century in the Ukraine. Perhaps the church is really was built by the Little Russians, but Peter and Paul Cathedral is not a simple mechanical copy of a style. Much of his appearance is unique and is the result of outside the stylistic predilections. Great merit for that, Kazan remained a magnificent temple, belongs not only to the builders of the cathedral and I.A. Mihlyaev, but the cathedral elders and the clergy later.
Kazan Icon of the Mother of God-miraculous icon, was revealed in 1579 from the ashes.
Place of finding the icons indicated in his sleep a little girl Matrona Virgin herself. Numerous copies of the Kazan icon of Our Lady can be seen today in various corners of the earth, all of which are recognized by the Orthodox Church as miraculous. Although initially regained the icon was stolen and burned in 2005 in Kazan returned to her best-known copy of the XVIII century, a long time kept by the Pope John — Paul II.
Once upon a time in ancient times, near the sacred Mount Sinai, which towered of the same name peninsula, surrounding shore with its warm water of the Red Sea, arose monastic settlement called Raifa …
It is difficult to unequivocally say that it literally meant.

Church of All Saints or Church on the Blood is a very important place for Russian Orthodox people and a significant historical site located in Yekaterinburg. This is the place where the Romanov Tsar family was killed in July 1918; at that time, there was no church, and the Romanovs' execution is associated with Ipatiev House. A curious fact: after World War II, the former Ipatiev house served for the anti-religion museum.
The church was built in 2003, and soon it became the primary site of Yekaterinburg; it attracts thousands of pilgrims from Russia and worldwide. In front of the church, there is a monument to the Romanov family, with spiral stairs symbolizing the stairs in Ipatiev's house and reminding of the last minutes of Tsars' family. The interior and outside look modern but the overall style is typical for Orthodox architecture.

The Domaine of Villarceaux is a French château, water garden and park located in the commune of Chaussy. The gardens are located on the site of a medieval castle from the 11th century, built to protect France from the British, who at that time occupied Normandy, the neighboring province. Many vestiges of the medieval fortifications remain in the park. A manor house and French water garden was built there in the 17th century. In the 18th century a château in the style of Louis XV was built on a rocky hill overlooking the water garden.
One famous resident in the 17th century was Ninon de Lenclos, the author, courtesan, and patron of the arts. Another was Françoise d'Aubigné, the future Madame de Maintenon and future wife of King Louis XIV, who lived there after the death of her first husband, the poet Paul Scarron, at the invitation of her friends the Montchevreuil, cousins of the Marquis of Villarceaux. The Marquis fell in love with her, and commissioned a full-length portrait of her, nude, which greatly embarrassed her. The portrait can be seen today in the dining room of the house. The house also contains a collection of 18th-century furniture.
The domaine is part of the regional park of Vexin, and is used for concerts and cultural events. The gardens are classified among the Notable Gardens of France.
The gardens contain a rare 18th-century ornamental feature called a vertugadin, modelled after the hoop skirts of the 18th century, surrounded by statues brought from Italy.References:
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is one of the main sights of St. Petersburg. The church was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated and was dedicated in his memory. Construction began in 1883 under Alexander III, as a memorial to his father, Alexander II. Work progressed slowly and was finally completed during the reign of Nicholas II in 1907. Funding was provided by the Imperial family with the support of many private donors.
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.

The Cathedral is the head church of the
Ekaterinodar and Kuban eparchy. It is one of the largest Russian churches, an architectural monument of our city. It is the centre of Kuban’s spiritual life.
The decision to build the Cathedral was taken by the public of Ekaterinodar the 17th of October, 1889 – a year after the terrifying Tzar’s train accident, which the august family miraculously survived. Shortly before the emperor Alexander the 3rd with spouse and sons visited Ekaterinodar. In honor of the salvation the decision was taken to build the majestic Cathedral with seven altars.
The building of the region’s largest cathedral took 14 years. The project was schemed by a talented local architect Ivan Vasilyevich Malgherb. The foundation was laid the 23rd of April, 1900 on the square of St. Catherine, where thenadays stood a decrepit wooden church of St. Catherine, built at 1814. The ceremonial consecration of the main altar took place the 24th of March, 1914.
The hard years of the cathedral parish came after the October Revolution; the Cathedral went through the “renovationism”, in 1922 was completely ravaged under the mask of help for the starving people of Povolzhye.
By a miracle it escaped the fate of the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevski. It was being prepared to be blown up, allegedly for bricks. Salvation came from the creator – the architect Malgherb succeeded in convincing the Church Destruction Committee that the destruction would be unreasonable. The 26th of July 1934 the Eparchy administration announced its breakup due to the small number of its members. The Cathedral was made a storehouse of.
The resumption of divine services happened only after the liberation of Krasnodar from the German-fascist invaders in 1944. A restoration was made by the celebration of the millenary of the baptism of Rus.
In 2014 the Cathedral is expecting to observe its 100th anniversary.

Architecturally, Holy Trinity Monastery includes all major types of temples of its time: refectory (the Forty Martyrs shrine), traditional cubic (Holy Trinity Cathedral) and crosswise (temple of St. Peter and St. Paul). The architectural dominant of the monastery, the Cathedral of the Trinity (1715) is built in somewhat unexpected in Siberia style of Ukrainian Baroque. It is characterized by three domes, southern location of the main facade, octagonal “garlic” shape of the domes. The influence of Ukrainian architecture on Siberian Baroque, noted by many researchers, is mainly explained by the large-scale deportations and migration of Ukrainian population to Siberia in the XVII-XVIII centuries.
The restoration works are still ongoing in the Holy Trinity Monastery. Together with the temples, a vicarious building and a monastery church are being restored, which were badly damaged during the Soviet period of Russian history. Unfortunately, a part of the monastery is occupied by the urban services. At the same time, the monastery is a favorite place of city residents and tourists. Every year, thousands of travelers arrive here to enjoy the magnificent views of churches and take part in religious services.
Spasskaya Church is one of the most beautiful temples in Tyumen, as well as one of the major architectural monuments. The first church was wooden, and it burnt down in a fire. Construction of the stone church began in 1794 and ended in 1819. The church was built in Siberian Baroque style. Once, there was an icon of Christ Not Made by Hands here, that helped stop the loss of cattle and cure the most dangerous human diseases. It was made specifically for this church, hence the name Spasskaya (Of the Saviour). Currently, the icon is lost. Spasskaya church is the only one in the province of Tobolsk, which has been crowned by 13 crosses.
During his visit to Tyumen, Emperor Alexander II, first of all, went to Spasskaya Church and was pleasantly surprised by the luxury of its interior decoration. So, in the interior of the summer church, located on the first floor, there are fragments of murals, made by the master of goldsmith workshop Peter Belkov, a citizen of Tobolsk.

Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer (Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ) in Moscow - Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox church near the Kremlin on the left bank of the Moskva River, on the site, known previously Chertolye. Existing construction - implementation in the 1990's external reconstruction of the temple of the same name, created in the XIX century. On the walls of the temple were inscribed the names of the officers of the Russian Army, who died in the war of 1812 and the other at the time of close military pohodah.Stroitelstvo lasted almost 44 years by the architect Konstantin Ton: the church was laid September 23, 1839, consecrated - May 26, 1883. December 5, 1931 church building was destroyed. Rebuilt in the same place in 1994-1997.
La complessità si basa sul numero di poligoni presenti nel modello. Modelli più complessi hanno un rendering più lento in Google Earth. Puoi ottenere ulteriori informazioni in merito nella nostra knowledge base.

Its palaces and parks were created under Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great between 1744 and 1796. The main landmark is the Catherine Palace designed by Rastrelli and the famous Amber Room inside the Palace.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
On our way back to St. Petersburg we will stop by an impressive memorial dedicated to the struggle and hardship of the residents living in the city during WWII. The Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad and St. Petersburg Siege Memorial was built to be the main focal point of Ploshchad Pobedy (Victory Square) in the early 1970s. A special bank account was opened to take donations and many people took part in the construction including volunteers and famous artists of the Soviet Union such as Mikhail Anikushin, Sergey Speransky, and Valentin Kamensky, all of whom participated in the defense of Leningrad.
Overnight in St. Petersburg (Breakfast, Lunch)
PETER-&-PAUL FORTRESS - CHURCH OF THE SAVIOR ON SPILLED BLOOD - ST. ISAAC CATHEDRAL
Our tour of St. Petersburg continues today with three important visits: Peter and Paul Fortress, The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and St. Isaac Cathedral.
Peter-and-Paul Fortress was built in 1704 to defend the city from naval attacks, however it never served its primary purpose. Instead, its historical mission turned out to be rather gruesome: thousands of workers died while building the fortress, many political prisoners, including Peter's own son Alexi were kept and tortured in its cells. The tombs of the Romanov family are also in its Cathedral.
The stunning Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was built on the spot where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in March 1881. The construction of the church was almost entirely funded by the Imperial family and thousands of private donors. Both the interior and exterior of the church are decorated with incredibly detailed mosaics, designed and created by the most prominent Russian artists of the day
Our next visit is to one of the world’s largest and most splendid St. Isaac Cathedral.

It is also a typical ” Italian staircase “: water flows tablecloth wide steps disposed gradually and paved with marble, tufa and shells, then falls into a large basin. Two caves, on the upper and lower sides,with decorated interiors as ” natural cave ” are arranged on the slope between the stairs.
The Marble Palace
Catherine II the Great asked Antonio Rinaldito build the Marble Palace for her favorite, Count Grigory Orlov . It was he who had helped her mount the coup against her husband Tsar Peter III in 1762, and take the throne to become the Empress Catherine II the Great. But Catherine ii was not Russian, but German princess. She was chosen by Elizabeth 1st as a wife for her nephew, the future Tsar Peter III.
St Petersburg Subway
Common transport in St. Petersburg, the metro runs at a great depth, between 20 and 30km, due to the geology of the basement of the city. It transports daily more than 3 million passengers and has more than 60 stations. Some stations run under the river Neva and its branches. Decorated with marble and granite, these stations are illuminated by more than 700 lighting elements – chandeliers, candelabra and bronze sconces, crystal and decorative glass. The first metro line in St. Petersburg, with a length of 10,8km, was opened in 1955.
The church of Saint-Sauveur ” On the Spilt Blood ” It includes the most beautiful mosaics
Renowned for its exotic appearance, the Church of the Savior ” on the Spilt Blood ” drains many tourists. It is built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was wounded following the terrorist attack that cost him his life, hence the name of the Church of the Savior ” of the spilt Blood.” Majolica sconces and mosaicpanels inlays adorn its exterior facades. Its interior includes the largest collection of mosaics in the Orthodox architecture. At the entrance, there are illustrations of scenes from the Old Testament and the twelve great feasts. Drawings in the center tell acts of the earthly life of Christ in Glory and the Eucharist. The figures of the “pillars of the Church”: the Apostles, Prophets, Saints and martyrs Prelates, decorate the spandrels.

During the first quarter of this century, there was Greek Revival which prevailed up to the middle of the century. Reconstruction of the cities using massive design plans and technical advances was the main priority during that period. In 1918, Alexey Shchusev and Ivan Zholtovsky founded the Mossovet Architectural Workshop, where planning of the reconstruction of Moscow as a new Soviet capital took place. But after World War II, the focus was on reconstructing the destroyed buildings and building new ones. In 1945, Stalin changed the look of many post-war cities. After his death in 1953, social and political changes took place in the country, which brought an end to Stalinist architecture. As a result, the buildings became simple and square-shaped.
Monument to Minin and Pozharsky
Designer: Ivan Martos
It is the bronze statue that stands in front of the St. Basil’s Cathedral. It commemorates Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin who put an end to the Time of Troubles in Russia.
Uspensky Cathedral in Omsk
Architect: Ernest Würrich (Original Structure)
This cathedral was built in the year 1891, but was shut down after the Russian Revolution, and was blown up later in 1935. Later, it was rebuilt during the 21st Century.
Hospice of Count Sheremetev
Architect: Elizvoy Nazarov
This hospice was first built as a charity shelter to the poor, by Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev, husband of Russian theater actress Praskovya. But after her demise, the hospice was reconstructed to serve as a monument in her memory.
Admiralty Building at St. Petersburg
Year: 1806 – 1823
Designer: Andreyan Zakharov
Currently serving as the headquarters of the Russian Army, this building was reconstructed in the 19th century. The spire has a weather-vane at its top.
St. Isaac’s Cathedral
Year: 1818 – 1858
Architect: Auguste de Montferrand
St. Isaac’s Cathedral was the city of St Petersburg’s main church, and was built between 1818 and 1858. It has the capacity to accommodate 14,000 worshipers at a time.

According to Roizman, it “will be the third cathedral of this kind, and the challenge facing those who’ve concocted this idea is to demonstrate that Ekaterinburg is the country’s third capital.”
Goloborodsky, for his part, goes so far as to argue that, despite the fact that Ekaterinburg was founded under Peter the Great in 1723, the church oughtn’t to be constructed in the Petrine style. “The church’s relationship with Peter,” he stresses, “were complicated. Peter abolished the position of patriarch and subordinated the church to a secularly administered synod. He humiliated the church, therefore there can be no reference to the Petrine era in this new church’s architecture.” It was the seventeenth century, according to Goloborodsky, that witnessed the “crystallisation of Russia’s national self-identity,” with its architecture “evincing the joyful character of the era that saw the Romanov dynasty accede to the throne.”
The proposed church, with its architectural allusions to the pre-Petrine period, would thus be used to propagate an artificially enforced myth of the nation, while the real history of the city — its industrial past, its role in the development of Soviet constructivism — would be destroyed.
Until recently, Ekaterinburg’s constructivist legacy was scarcely even perceived as a legacy in the popular consciousness. The situation, however, has begun to change over the last couple of years, in large part thanks to the endeavours of a particular group of researchers. Larissa Piskunova, Igor Yankov and Lyudmila Starostova — all members of the City Pond Committee — are anthropologists who have been studying the architectural past of their city through the prism of its inhabitants’ histories.
With the help of excursions, exhibitions and lectures, this group seeks to explain constructivism’s aesthetic codes to as many citizens of Ekaterinburg as possible, and to draw their attention to the uniqueness of the city’s buildings. Ekaterinburg, notes Piskunova, is remarkable for the fact that entire constructivist complexes have been erected here, and not simply individual buildings, as in Moscow.