 |
This church has many different names depending on whom you ask. Along with the Church on Spilt Blood, there are also: “Bleeding Savour”, "Resurrection of Christ," "Assumption," "Church of the Redeemer."
On this site a terrorist from a revolutionary organization mortally wounded Tsar Alexander II on March 1, 1881, by tossing a bomb at his feet. His son, Alexander III, began construction of the memorial church in 1883 and it was completed in 1907 during the reign of Nicholas II. The church was modelled after the St. Basil's cathedral in Moscow's Red Square but was to combine different flamboyant Russian church styles across the country. It is the only building in Russian (or rather, pseudo-Russian) style in St. Petersburg.
During the Soviet times the church went through some dramatic times and was heavily damaged inside. At one time it was even used as premises for jewellery production when the stones were “delivered” right out of the walls... It was recently reopened after 27 years of restoration exposing astounding seven thousand square meters of mosaics.