Opening hours of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood:

Daily, exept Wednesday, from 11.00 till 19.00.
September 16 – April 30: 11.00 – 19.00
Booking-office is closed at 18.00.
May 1 – September 15: 10.00 – 19.00
Booking-office is closed at 18.00.
May 1 – September 30: evening museum 18.15 – 23.00
Booking-office is closed at 22.00.
Adress: St Petersburg, Griboedov canal, 2б, liter «А».

Historical Note of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood:

The Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood, also known as the Church of the Resurrection of Christ is located in the historic centre of St. Petersburg on the Griboedov canal, whose waters reflect its fabulous forms. In fact, unlike other churches in the city built according to the principles of the neo-classicicism or baroque, the Cathedral of the Spilled Blood, with its many golden and multicoloured domes and festive bell tower follows a typical Russian style, referring to the medieval elements as well as the churches of the Golden Ring of the seventeenth century. Although it is smaller, it looks like St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

It was built on the behest of Tsar Alexander III in the place where his predecessor Tsar Alexander II was assassinated by an anarchist in 1881. Its curious name is explained by the fact that inside it, surrounded by an altar decorated with precious stones, a section of road on which the Tsar Alexander shed blood during the attack is preserved. Work on the construction of the cathedral, designed by Alfred Parland, began in 1883 but was only completed in 1907 due to financial difficulties. After the October revolution, the Soviet authorities were unable to recognize the extraordinary value of the cathedral, which fell into disrepair, was robbed of its artistic valuables and repeatedly risked being demolished. It was not until 1968 that the Ministry of Fine Arts put the church under supervision and began the restoration that ended in 1997.

The building is made special by the extensive recourse to the technique of mosaic which covers the facade and  walls of 7000 square metres. The interior of the church is covered with marble, porphyry, malachite and other semi-precious stones and mosaics depicting scenes from the New Testament which create a lively and colorful atmosphere. The iconostasis is very precious, consisting of marble, semi-precious stones and precious paintings by the famous Russian painter Nikolai Charlamov.