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Historical background of the Savior on Spilled Blood Cathedral
The famous church “Savior on Spilled Blood” was constructed in honor of Alexander II — a Russian Tsar who was killed in 1881. The church stands in the same square where the extremist who was opposing Alexander’s reforms threw a bomb at the royal carriage.
Alexander II played a great role in Russian history; one of his most significant achievements was the serfs’ liberation in 1861. It meant that the slavery, which was factually occurring on the territory of Russian Empire, was officially stopped. And it happened even 5 years before slavery was abolished in the USA.
Architectural features of the Cathedral
Tourists are fascinated with the beauty of the building. The Cathedral has five onion-shaped domes redundantly garnished with jeweler’s enamel. The Savior on Spilled Blood looks a little bit like the famous St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. The church’s bright and extraordinary facade looks a little strange among all the classically designed buildings with monotone color pallets.
The Cathedral took 24 years to build initially and 27 years to reconstruct after its destruction in early Soviet times. There was a joke among the residents of the city that when the building overpasses outside it get removed, the Soviet Regime would fall. It may seem strange, but the building was finally restored in 1991 and that was the year when a series of events that led to the end of the Communist reign happened.
The most prominent feature inside and outside of the Savior on Spilled Blood is the gorgeous mosaic collection that takes its origins from the works of Vasnetsov, Nesterol, and Vrubel. The collection includes 23130 square feet of mosaic, which makes it almost the largest in Europe.
The cathedral’s majesty is highlighted by beautiful limestone and different semiprecious stones incorporated into its design. The exterior is decorated with granite plates. All of them depict the complete story of Alexander II’s reign.