Iverskaya Chapel and Sacristy, Religious chapel at Griboedov Canal Embankment, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The Iverskaya Chapel is a separate religious structure located beside the Church of the Saviour on the Blood in Saint Petersburg. It features decorative stone work and intricate details that match the elaborate style of the adjacent main church.
The chapel was completed in 1907 and consecrated on 10 May 1908 by Metropolitan Anthony of Saint Petersburg and Ladoga in honour of the Iverskaya Icon of the Mother of God. It served as a sacristy for icons and gifts given in memory of Alexander II, including a Crucifixion attributed to Borovikovsky, and for archive material on the cathedral's construction. Under Soviet rule it was used for storage, and it was first restored in 1996.
The chapel served as a sacristy, holding icons and gifts given in memory of Alexander II, among them a "Crucifixion" attributed to Borovikovsky, plus archive material on the cathedral's construction. Its name comes from the Iverskaya icon of the Mother of God, to which it was consecrated in 1908. Today it is used for exhibitions.
The chapel stands on the Griboyedov Canal embankment, a short walk from the Church of the Saviour on the Blood, whose fence it echoes. It is a single-storey building with a large octagonal dome, now used for exhibitions rather than worship, so check the display before entering.
The chapel is crowned not by a cross but by a khrisima: the Greek letters chi, rho, alpha and omega set in a circle. The original was lost in the Soviet years and recreated in 2005 from archival photographs. A mosaic of the Saviour Not Made by Hands, restored in 1996, sits above the entrance.
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