slothis · English

Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg

2016-09-22 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

After leaving Kazan Cathedral, I felt somewhat reverent and calm. One good thing about making sure to visit religious buildings while traveling after quitting my job is that they help me easily let go of the hardships and struggles I've been carrying. After enjoying some solitary reflection and daydreaming in the park, I decided to stop by another of St. Petersburg's proud landmarks, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

Three women playing the cello and violin on the street and people walking past them
Three women looking at sheet music and playing the cello and violin in front of a building wall
A classical trio I saw on the way. They were pretty and their music was even prettier, so a lot of people were watching, but they quickly packed up and left because some shirtless drunk started singing loudly and acting threateningly. Crazy people are a problem everywhere.
I gave them a little money, so I guess it's okay to post this picture...
People walking along the canal and the ornate domed roof of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in the distance

When I first saw this church, thanks to my trauma in Izmailovo, I just breezed right past it, thinking, "St. Basil's Cathedral is so famous, they must have built knock-offs everywhere." However, after reading a book and realizing it holds an incredible amount of history, I immediately added it to my must-visit list.

To give a brief history, Alexander II was the victim of an assassination attempt here and died a few days later. When I read a Russian history book on the Trans-Siberian Railway, the assessment of Alexander II was quite generous. He tried in his own way to reform the monarchy and strip away many privileges, but I guess he looked just the same to the extremists. However, seeing the massive bloody revenge that followed, I think this assassination was a complete misjudgment. Anyway, after the murder, Alexander III, who ascended as Tsar, built the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (or the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ) to honor his father, preserving the blood-stained spot exactly as it was.

Thanks to this unique history, the placement and orientation of the interior murals differ from other Russian Orthodox churches. While other churches were built according to their own rules based on the Bible, this church was built solely around Alexander II.

Exterior of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood featuring ornate mosaic decorations and onion-shaped domes under a blue sky
Facade of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood decorated with intricate mosaics and multi-colored domed roofs
Excuse me, ma'am, please step aside.
People walking below the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood building and its ornate architectural details
Sunlit ornate domed roofs and wall decorations of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Colorfully decorated onion-shaped domes and mosaic murals of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

The exterior of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood looks similar to St. Basil's Cathedral. But for some reason, it gives off a bizarre vibe—from some angles, it looks gloomier than St. Basil's, and from others, it seems even more dazzling. Among the famous tourist spots in St. Petersburg, the area around the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood has the most busking, and it's always crowded whenever I pass by. With so much to see and in such a perfect location for taking photos (if only there were no power lines), it's very hard to guess from the outside that this church was born out of a tragic history unless you read up on it.

Interior of the cathedral with chandeliers and mosaic murals depicting saints
The interior walls are completely covered with icons.
Cathedral interior ceiling decorated with ornate mosaic murals
Mosaic of the Virgin Mary in the center of the ceiling dome
The inside of the bizarre-looking domes you see from the outside are painted with the faces of Jesus, Mary, and various saints like this.
Detailed model of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood displayed in a glass showcase
Mosaic of Jesus Christ in the center of the ceiling dome
Ornate cathedral altar decorated with golden mosaics and holy paintings
Intricately carved black canopy erected inside the cathedral
This is where Alexander II was shot.
Cross-shaped floral tribute decorated with red and white flowers
Now, instead of blood, you can see a cross of red roses. I don't know if it was just my imagination, but a part of the ground looked faintly like a red bloodstain, which gave me a slight chill.
Interior ceiling and walls of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood decorated with ornate mosaic murals and holy paintings
Part of a mosaic mural made of small tile pieces
Most of the murals in St. Petersburg were either entirely replaced with mosaics or made as mosaics from the beginning. The reason is that it rains so much in the winter that it's hard to preserve paper. Because of this, the process of finding and carving stones to match the colors took an incredibly long time, supposedly spanning decades or nearly a century.
Ornate mosaic painting of Jesus Christ and angels on the temple ceiling
Mosaic mural depicting Jesus Christ helping a fallen person
Triptych mosaic mural depicting the life of Jesus Christ on the wall below a window
Mosaic mural depicting Jesus Christ and his disciples walking on water
They said some professors poured their souls into making this, but I completely forgot all their names.
Red marble altar inside the temple and holy paintings decorating it
Holy painting depicting a saint standing and praying in front of candles
Cathedral interior doors decorated with ornate gold ornaments and holy paintings
Ornate doors inside the cathedral featuring intricate metalwork and holy paintings
Mosaic painting of Jesus' face and angels on the ceiling
Close-up of Jesus' face from the ceiling mosaic painting
Buildings lined up along the canal and people walking on a bridge
Whether you're going in or coming out, a stream branching off from the Neva River greets you.
Various crests and symbolic mosaic tiles decorating the exterior wall of a building
People walking on the promenade next to the canal and a small boat passing on the water
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood with its ornate onion-shaped domes visible at the end of the canal
The spot next to this and the framing here are the most famous. There were too many people, so I took the picture from here, but I really love it because the sky and the church came out nicely.

Expenses

Total Expenses 1660RUB

Total Trip Expenses 525,936 KRW + 42,253RUB + $152.26