The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood has the most incredible church interior that I’ve ever seen, which means that it’s even more stunning than the inside of St. Basil’s in Moscow…wow!
It’s called the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood because it was built where Tsar Alexander II was wounded in March 1881. When his carriage passed along the river, an anarchist threw a grenade at him. Because he wasn’t hurt, he approached the presumed culprit, but another conspirator threw a bomb that severely injured him. Alexander II was taken back to the nearby Winter Palace, also known now as the Hermitage, where he died within a few hours.
A temporary shrine was built where the attack took place while the royal family and private donors finalized their plans for a permanent memorial, but to have a permanent shrine on the exact spot, builders narrowed the canal so that the road where Alexander’s carriage was could be inside the church.
Construction began in 1883 but unfortunately, Alexander III, the late tsar’s son, didn’t live to see it all finished in 1907. I have no doubt that he would have been impressed with it, especially the elaborate shrine in his father’s memory on the exact spot of the attack. You can see the original cobblestones on the floor of the shrine.
The shrine was hard to photograph because of the lighting, but I hope what I managed to capture gives it some justice. You can’t miss it right after you walk in. ↓
The view of the shrine when you walk into the church.
The walls and ceiling above the shrine.
The original cobble stones are hard to see since you can only go so far.
As fascinating as this is, it’s easy to forget about since you’ll be pulled away by the absolutely incredible art covering every inch of the walls and the ceiling.
According to church staff, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood has more than 7,500 square meters of mosaics, which is more than any other church in the world. I couldn’t get enough of it, and just staring up felt great! 
Let’s start with the altar that is opposite the shrine and go up from there. ↓
Here is a better view of the incredible ceiling above the altar. ↓
I don’t know about you, but I love the arches just as much as the ceiling and wall art.↓
Here are a couple of shots of the top half of walls with a ceiling and two arches. ↓
Here are the 5 incredible mosaics in domes surrounded by vibrant colours and art. ↓
Finally, the best for last. ↓
Everything looks so amazing that it’s hard to imagine the interior being damaged because of the looting and ransacking after the Russian Revolution. It was closed in 1932 by the Soviets, but the church was used as a morgue for those who died of starvation and illness or in combat during the Second World War. After the war, the church was used for vegetable storage, and it became known as the Church of the Savior on Potatoes.
After 27 years of restoration, it was opened to the public in August 1997, but it doesn’t hold any services. Even before the Russian Revolution, it wasn’t used for worship. It’s ultimately a mosaic museum with a shrine in memory of the late Tsar Alexander II, although as I said before, it’s easy to forget the late tsar because of all the incredible art.
Is this the most beautiful, colourful
church you’ve ever seen?
Do you find the art inspiring and therapeutic?
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