As we drove to our next site, Natasha told us we would be visiting the Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, or as it is more commonly known, Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. She must have read the quizzical looks on everyone’s faces and went on to explain how the church got its name.
An assassination attempt was made on the life of Tsar Alexander II. Though he didn’t die at that spot, he was mortally wounded. He was taken back to the Winter Palace and perished a few hours later. His son, Alexander III, ordered a Russian Orthodox church to be constructed on the site to honor his father’s memory.
For some reason, when I heard this account, my mind flashed ahead and imagined if it took place in modern times: A bomb is thrown at Alexander II’s blacked-out, bulletproof SUV as it is returning to the Winter Palace. The tsar is unhurt, but his SUV is damaged and no longer drivable. Alexander jumps out of his vehicle and inspects the damage. (History records him jumping out of his carriage in real life, too, and proceeding to confront the would-be assassin). I imagine a string of expletives proceeding from the mouth of the tsar, directed at the bomber. (I’ll keep this story clean and say “What is your problem, ty nekul’turnyy durak?” would probably be the most innocuous thing he yells.) The emperor is now outside and exposed. Of course, a second bomber takes advantage of the situation and tosses another grenade. But he is too close to his target when the explosive detonates and is mortally injured in the blast, along with the emperor and several other innocent people in the growing crowd. (This is also what actually happened.) Alexander is placed in another SUV and rushed to the hospital. All of the surgical skill, medical technology, transfusions, and prayer cannot save him. Alexander dies from his injuries later that afternoon.
The part of the street where the assassination attempt took place is within the church’s walls. From the outside you can see where the Griboyedov Canal, on whose banks the church sits, was narrowed to accommodate the expanded church. A chapel stands on the exact spot where the tsar was wounded.
Church of the Resurrection takes design cues from St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. In a turn away from the growing Western influence on the designs and architecture of Russian buildings at the time, Alexander III insisted this church be designed and built in a traditional Russian style. To me, this is a style of building that, with its distinctive onion domes, is one of the things that symbolized the Russia I’ve seen in movies and books; it represents an aspect of Russia that I wanted to see during my time here.
Just before entering Church of the Resurrection, we noticed quite a few young couples out on their way to or from their weddings. Natasha explained that when couples apply for a marriage certificate, there is a short period of time they have in which to set a wedding date. You must get married during that time period to get the certificate. Many couples were out taking advantage of the perfect weather conditions. It was actually uplifting to see so many smiling young lovers starting their new lives together.
The interior of the church is characterized by mosaics, inside and out, representing biblical scenes and figures. It seems that the theme of this church is murals. Above the 6-foot marble ‘baseboard’, virtually every inch of wall, column, and entire ceiling is covered by murals. The only exception I saw was the shrine marking the spot where the attempt on Tsar Alexander II’s life was made.
Like many churches, the Revolution led to the Church of the Resurrection’s demise. It was looted and finally closed down during the time of Soviet rule. Restoration began in 1970 and was finished in 1997. It now serves as a museum; it never functioned as a church again.
I thought there were a lot of people at Catherine Palace. This place was packed! It was often difficult to move around due to the number of people inside. Having the earphones was a lifesaver. We could hear Natasha’s explanation of what we were seeing, and hear when she said it was time to move along.
After walking through the church, we were given a few minutes of free time to explore the church and surrounding area.
It was not urgent, but I thought now would be a good time to locate a restroom. We had been advised earlier by Natasha that in St. Petersburg, and in fact in most older cities in Europe, public restrooms are few and far between.
I ended up walking along the Griboyedov Canal, across a bridge, and back to the church. Never did find a restroom, but I did get a few good shots of the other side of the church. I also did not see anyone else from our tour group outside the gates of the church.
Once the group rejoined outside the church, we were given the opportunity to go across the street to the marketplace. The marketplace felt squeezed in between the canal and the building on its bank. Still, it was pretty popular. I didn’t find anything I wanted buy, though. As a result. I was one of the first ones back to the bus.
I didn’t know it, but this would turn out to be the last place we’d visit today. The bus took us back to the port. Once we arrived there, Natasha told us where to meet her tomorrow. Though it would have been fun to go back into the city after dinner and see the famous white nights (it was the right time of year to do so), my wife and I decided against any nighttime excursions. And with that, all too soon, the first day of our stay in St. Petersburg came to an end.
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