Church of the Savior on Blood, Eastern Orthodox church building near Griboyedov Canal, Saint Petersburg, Russia
The Church of the Savior on Blood is a Russian Revival brick house of prayer on the Griboyedov Canal in Saint Petersburg. Five gilded onion domes rise above a facade covered with colored tiles and ceramic panels arranged in geometric patterns.
Alexander III commissioned the building as a memorial after his father was killed in 1881. Construction took 26 years and ended in 1907, with the site deliberately positioned at the location of the attack.
The name refers to the salvation of the imperial family and the attack site, now a consecrated memorial space. Visitors today see a fully restored interior with icon screens and liturgical elements visible again after decades of closure.
The museum opens daily and offers audio guides in several languages. Accessibility support is available at entrances, and visits usually last one to two hours.
The floor and walls incorporate semiprecious stones such as jasper and rock crystal, built directly into the structure. Outside, granite tablets describe not military campaigns but social reforms of Alexander II's reign, including the abolition of serfdom.
Location: Saint Petersburg
Location: Tsentralny District
Inception: 1907
Architects: Alfred Parland
Architectural style: Russian Revival architecture
Height: 81 m
Fee: Yes
Made from material: brick
Operator: Государственный музей-памятник "Исаакиевский собор"
Address: набережная канала Грибоедова
Opening Hours: October 01-April 30: Thursday-Tuesday 10:00-18:00; May 01-September 30: Thursday-Tuesday 10:00-22:30; Wednesday off
Website: http://cathedral.ru/spasa_na_krovi
GPS coordinates: 59.94000,30.32861
Latest update: December 4, 2025 14:21
This collection brings together notable domes and cupolas from all continents, signs of diverse architectural traditions extending from the Vatican to Australia, Russia to the United Arab Emirates. From the famous dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome to the colorful domes of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in Saint Petersburg, the Renaissance dome of Florence Cathedral, to the cast-iron dome of the US Capitol in Washington, each structure tells a particular story and reflects the ambitions of its era. These buildings span several centuries of architectural innovation and serve various functions: religious structures like the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque or the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Côte d'Ivoire, civil buildings such as Oxford's Radcliffe Camera or the Australian Exhibition Palace, and even thermal spas like Budapest’s Széchenyi Baths. Each dome illustrates construction techniques and aesthetic decisions specific to its culture, offering insight into skills that enabled the creation of these monumental coverings.
These orthodox churches and monasteries represent Russian religious architecture. The buildings display various architectural styles from medieval to modern times, with characteristic onion domes, mosaics and frescoes. The cathedrals in Moscow and Saint Petersburg are centers of orthodox faith.
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