Interesting information about the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood. Eight amazing facts about the Savior on Spilled Blood. Spas escaped demolition and bombs

The majestic, nine-domed temple, built in the very heart of St. Petersburg, is rightfully considered one of the main attractions of our city. However, the townspeople do not know that under its picturesque arches the Savior on Spilled Blood keeps many mystical secrets and mysteries.

1. The largest collection of mosaics in Europe

Mosaics are the main decor of the temple. Even the iconostasis of the Savior on Spilled Blood is mosaic. Under the roof of the temple is the largest collection of mosaics, on which famous domestic masters worked - Vasnetsov, Nesterov, Kharlamov, Zhuravlev, Ryabushkin and others. An interesting fact: due to the fact that the works of art took so long to complete, the opening of the temple was delayed for more than ten years.

2. Underwater crosses of the Savior on Spilled Blood

According to legend, during the revolution, city residents removed the crosses from the Savior and lowered them to the bottom of the Griboyedov Canal. This was done in order to save the decoration of the temple from the Bolsheviks. When the danger had passed, and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood began to be restored, the crosses could not be found. A random passer-by approached the restoration team and advised them to look for crosses in the canal. The workers decided to follow the advice. To everyone’s surprise, the crosses were found there.

The Savior on Spilled Blood stood in scaffolding for decades. At the very beginning of the 90s, there was a belief among the townspeople: as soon as the forests were removed from the Savior, the entire Soviet Union would collapse. Some may consider this an accident, but in 1991 the temple was “liberated” from scaffolding, and in August of that year the end of Soviet power came.

4. Siege morgue and “Spas-on-potatoes”

In war times and under Soviet rule, churches and temples often housed enterprises, cowsheds or warehouses. During the siege, Spas-on-Blood turned into a real morgue. The bodies of dead Leningraders were brought here from all over the city, confirming the historical name of the temple. In addition, during those difficult times, vegetables were stored in the temple. Townspeople with a sense of humor even nicknamed him “Savior-on-potatoes.”

5. The magic of numbers

When talking about the temple, guides often tell an entertaining mystical story. The height of the central structure is 81 meters, which corresponds to the year in which Alexander II died. Another number 63 is not only the height to which one of the domes rises, but also the age of the emperor at the time of the attempt on his life.

6. Mysterious icon

They say that under the roof of the Savior on Spilled Blood there is an icon on which the fatal years for Russian history appeared. The years 1917, 1941 and more are listed there. It is believed that the icon has power and is able to predict turning dates for the country.

7. Bloody pavement

It is a well-known fact that the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was built on the site where the last attempt on the life of Emperor Alexander II took place on March 1, 1881. Immediately after the tragic events, the City Duma proposed building a small chapel here. However, the new Emperor Alexander III ordered the construction of a magnificent temple on this site. In addition, the sovereign ordered to leave inside the future cathedral an untouched section of the pavement where the blood of his father was shed.

October 30 - 150 years ago, the ceremonial laying of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood took place in St. Petersburg

The Church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ in St. Petersburg was built with funds raised throughout Russia. The height of the temple is 81 m, the number symbolizes the year of the king’s death - 1881. The cathedral’s capacity is 1600 people. This temple attracts the eyes of passers-by with its bright domes and elegant mosaics. The cross of the church bell tower is crowned with a gilded royal crown.

The Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood, as it is popularly called, was built on the site of the death of Emperor Alexander II. It literally hangs over the canal, tearing apart the embankment.

On the morning of March 1, 1881, Russian Emperor Alexander II, as usual, attended the withdrawal of troops at the Mikhailovsky Manege, and after it went home to the Winter Palace. His path passed next to the Catherine Canal (now it is the Griboyedov Canal). Suddenly a man ran up to his carriage and threw a package into it.

There was an explosion, but no one was hurt. The unharmed king was able to get out of the carriage and approach the wounded young man, who was already tied up and lying in the snow. He turned out to be a Narodnaya Volya member Rysakov. But at that moment Grinevitsky, the second killer who threw the bomb, ran up to the emperor. The terrorists hedged their bets just in case. There was another explosion, which turned out to be more powerful than the previous one. Alexander and the killer were thrown towards the canal bars. This turned out to be the end.

In the past, Alexander II was predicted that the eighth attempt on his life would be fatal. Before this, attempts had been made on the king’s life six times already. He was able to survive the seventh, but the eighth was fatal.

The death of the emperor was a shock for all of Russia. The very next day, the heir to the throne, Alexander III, received an order to begin construction of a temple at the site of his father’s death.

Construction of the cathedral took 24 years. It was completed only in 1907. More than 7000 sq. m of temple space were decorated with mosaic frescoes created by famous artists Nesterov and Vasnetsov. Inside the cathedral, at the site of the mortal wound of Alexander II, there is a tent-roofed canopy with four jasper columns, a cross and an openwork forged lattice. Above the base of the temple there are 20 memorial granite plaques that tell about the most important moments of the reign of Alexander II.

Immediately after the consecration of the Church of the Savior on Blood, mystical legends began to appear. Many said that sometimes you can hear the groans of the murdered emperor. And ordinary people believed that the new temple could protect them from troubles. There was even a kind of prayer-conspiracy: Savior, Savior on Spilled Blood! Save us, save us! From rain, from a knife, from a wolf, from a fool, from the darkness of the night, from a crooked road...

There was also a belief that this cathedral could not be destroyed. It was soon confirmed. In 1941, the authorities decided to blow up the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, calling it “an object that has no artistic or architectural value.” Holes were drilled in the walls and explosives had already been placed there. But the Great Patriotic War began, so all the explosives were urgently sent to the front.

During the siege, the church housed a morgue, which contained the frozen bodies of Leningraders who died from hunger or from shelling. But shells and bombs miraculously flew past the cathedral, as if it really was under a spell. Later, the temple began to be used as a vegetable storehouse, and even later - as a warehouse for theatrical scenery. At that time, most of the interior was destroyed.

In the 60s, while examining the domes of the temple, they discovered the only bomb that still hit the temple. It hit, but didn't explode. The five hundred kilogram bomb seemed to be lying in the hands of the Savior.

During the Khrushchev era, they again wanted to destroy the Savior on Spilled Blood. This time under the pretext of starting construction of a transport highway. And although about a hundred churches were blown up in Leningrad at that time, the “charmed” temple remained unharmed. There were rumors that this was helped by the blood of the dead Leningraders, which soaked all the walls of the building. And some are sure that the cathedral is protected from destruction by the symbols of equilateral crosses in a circle that decorate the kokoshniks of the windows. Supposedly this is a protective sign that has come to us from ancient times.

In 1970, restoration of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood began and scaffolding was installed. But the restoration dragged on for a long time, everyone got used to the sight of the temple surrounded by forests. And in the mid-80s, there was talk of a prophecy: supposedly Soviet power would last as long as the forests around the Savior on Spilled Blood remained. They were removed just before the coup in August 1991.

In 1997, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood opened to the public, and in 2004 a liturgy was served there, restoring its Orthodox essence.

There is a legend that there is an icon in the temple, on which, if you look closely, dates fatal for the history of Russia appear: 1917, 1941, 1953, as well as some others that are still unclear. It is possible that they refer to future events, but so far no one has been able to decipher them.

Based on materials from Internet sites

The forests around the Savior on Spilled Blood stood for so long that they became a legend of St. Petersburg, if not its landmark. And they even entered the culture: for example, Rosenbaum in his song “Show me Moscow, Muscovites...” sings about his dream of removing the forests from the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. People said, half jokingly, half seriously, that as soon as these forests were removed, the entire Soviet Union would collapse. Surprisingly, the scaffolding was dismantled in 1991, although it had not been touched for decades. And in August 1991, famous events took place that put an end to Soviet power in Russia.

Underwater crosses

Spas-on-Blood stands right on the Griboyedov Canal. In order for the temple to stand and the waters of the canal not to penetrate under the building, they abandoned the use of piles when strengthening the soil. For the first time in urban planning, a concrete foundation was constructed under the entire area of ​​the building. To build the bell tower, a protrusion of 8 meters was made on the embankment.
This canal, according to legend, played a significant role in the restoration of the cathedral. There is a story about how the crosses of the Savior on Spilled Blood were “baptized” with the water of the canal. They say that in order to save them from the Bolsheviks, in Soviet times, the residents of St. Petersburg hid them... at the bottom of the city. And when the temple finally began to be restored, one St. Petersburg resident, a “random passer-by,” told the team of restorers about where the crosses might be and pointed out the location. The divers actually found the hidden shrines, and they returned to their domes.

Morgue and scenery storage

The Soviet government, as is known, did not spare monuments of church architecture and mosaics. The Savior on Spilled Blood was not demolished, although the decision to dismantle it was made: it was listed as an object “of no artistic or architectural value.” They say that holes have already been drilled in the walls and explosive charges have been prepared. But war broke out, and the bombers were sent to the front.
During the war and the Leningrad siege, the temple housed - not much less - the regional Dzerzhinsky morgue, and the temple seemed to live up to its name for the second time - “On the Blood”.
A little later, the building was rented by the Maly Opera Theater to store its scenery there.

Blessed paving stones

The Cathedral of the Savior on Blood, or the Resurrection of Christ on Blood, was built, as you know, in memory of the tragic death of the Russian Emperor Alexander II. At this place, on March 1, 1881, terrorist Ignatius Grinevitsky threw a bomb at Emperor Alexander II. Evidence of these events is still kept in the cathedral: inside there are cobblestones on which the mortally wounded Alexander II fell, sidewalk slabs nearby and part of the Catherine Canal grate

Not only gospel symbols

Surprisingly, even the proportions of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ are symbolic: the height of its central structure is 81 meters, and this number was chosen as a reminder of the year of the death of Emperor Alexander II - 1881. The second highest dome is 63 meters, a symbol of the age of the murdered emperor. The symbolism of numbers is generally characteristic of Orthodoxy, and it can also be found in the number of domes and other details chosen by the architects.
Twenty red granite memorial tablets are installed in the basement of the temple. They indicate the actions of Emperor Alexander II: the main events from February 19, 1855 to March 1, 1881. Also on the temple you can find a double-headed eagle, and on the bell tower - the coats of arms of Russian cities, provinces and districts. The cross of the bell tower of the Savior on Spilled Blood is crowned with a gilded royal crown.

Masterpieces

The collection of mosaics of the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg is one of the largest in Europe. More than 7 thousand square meters of the temple building are covered with mosaics, and the production of these masterpieces delayed the completion of work on the temple and its consecration for ten years! Among the producers of sketches for mosaics are the most famous Russian masters - Vasnetsov, Nesterov, Belyaev, Kharlamov, Zhuravlev, Ryabushkin. Even the iconostasis in the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is mosaic.
The temple was originally built as an electrified one, and it was illuminated by 1689 electric lamps. The mosaics should have looked special in such lighting. In addition to this technical innovation - electricity, there were others in the temple, for example, a lightning rod system was skillfully built into its multi-colored domes.

Mysterious icon

Whether this is true or not, no one knows, but in connection with the Savior on Spilled Blood they constantly talk about a mysterious icon located in this cathedral, on which turning dates for the history of Russia are supposedly encrypted: 1917 is the year of the October Revolution, 1941 is the year the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 1953 - the year of the death of Joseph Stalin. In addition to these dates, some other dates appear on the amazing icon, which are still unclear and, perhaps, related to the future. We don’t know whether this icon actually exists or is an invention of mystically minded citizens, but the temple guides love to tell this story to its visitors.

The St. Petersburg Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, or the Resurrection of Christ, is considered one of the main attractions of the city on the Neva. The temple, built in memory of the death of Alexander II according to the design of the architect Alfred Parland, was founded on October 18, 1883 at the site of the assassination of the emperor.
However, not all townspeople know what secrets and mysteries the Savior on Blood keeps. In this article you will learn how the temple turned into a morgue and influenced the collapse of the USSR, why the crosses were under water, and also how many years an unexploded landmine lay under the dome.

1. Fragment of a pavement.
The Cathedral of the Savior on Blood, or the Resurrection of Christ on Blood, was built, as you know, in memory of the tragic death of the Russian Emperor Alexander II. At this place, on March 1, 1881, the People's Volunteer terrorist Ignatius Grinevitsky threw a bomb at the emperor. Evidence of these events is still kept in the cathedral: inside there are cobblestones on which the mortally wounded Alexander II fell, sidewalk slabs nearby and part of the grating of the Catherine Canal (now the Griboyedov Canal).

2. Divers and crosses.
At one time, the location of the temple played an important role in its history: they say that in order to save the decoration of the temple from the Bolsheviks, the townspeople removed the crosses from it and lowered them to the very bottom of the Griboyedov Canal. Subsequently, when the danger had passed, and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood began to be restored, but they could not find the crosses that crowned the temple, a curious incident occurred: a “random passerby” who knew the legend approached the team of restorers and advised them to look for decoration in the water. The workers decided to listen to the advice and sent a team of divers to examine the bottom - to everyone's surprise, the latter actually found the hidden shrines, and they returned to their domes.

3. Gospel symbolism gets along with numerology.
Surprisingly, even the proportions of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ are symbolic: the height of its central structure is 81 meters, and this number was chosen as a reminder of the year of the death of Emperor Alexander II - 1881. The second highest dome is 63 meters, a symbol of the age of the murdered emperor. The symbolism of numbers is generally characteristic of Orthodoxy, and it can also be found in the number of domes and other details chosen by the architects.
Twenty red granite memorial tablets are installed in the basement of the temple. They indicate the actions of Emperor Alexander II: the main events from February 19, 1855 to March 1, 1881. Also on the temple you can find a double-headed eagle, and on the bell tower - the coats of arms of Russian cities, provinces and districts. The cross of the bell tower of the Savior on Spilled Blood is crowned with a gilded royal crown.

4. Masterpieces.
Many people know that one of the main churches of the Northern capital is a real museum of mosaics, because under its roof is the richest and largest collection of mosaics, on which the most famous domestic masters worked - Vasnetsov, Nesterov, Belyaev, Kharlamov, Zhuravlev, Ryabushkin and others. It is worth noting that mosaics are the main decor of the temple, because even the iconostasis of the Savior on Spilled Blood is mosaic. It may also seem curious that precisely because the works of art took a very long time to make, the opening of the temple and its consecration were delayed for a good ten years.

5. Mysterious icon.
In connection with the Savior on Blood, they constantly talk about the mysterious icon located in this cathedral, on which turning dates for the history of Russia are supposedly encrypted: 1917 is the year of the October Revolution, 1941 is the year of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 1953 is the year death of Joseph Stalin. In addition to these dates, some other dates appear on the amazing icon, which are still unclear and, perhaps, related to the future. Whether this icon actually exists or is an invention of mystically minded citizens is not known for certain, but the temple guides love to tell its visitors this story.

6. Siege morgue and “Spas-on-potatoes”.
It is a well-known fact that in wartime (and under Soviet rule) the churches and temples of the city worked in an unusual mode for them - cowsheds were equipped somewhere or enterprises were located. So, during the siege, Spas-on-Blood turned into a real morgue. The bodies of dead Leningraders were brought from all over the city to the district Dzerzhinsky morgue, which the temple temporarily became, confirming its historical name. In addition, one of the functions of the attraction in those difficult times was the storage of vegetables - some townspeople with a sense of humor even nicknamed it “Savior on Potatoes”. At the end of the war, the Savior on Spilled Blood was again not returned to its religious function; on the contrary, it began to be used as a storage facility for the scenery of the Maly Opera House, which is now known as the Mikhailovsky Theater.

7. The legend of the collapse of the USSR.
The forests around the Savior on Spilled Blood stood for so long that they became a legend of St. Petersburg, if not its landmark. And they even entered the culture: for example, Rosenbaum in his song “Show me Moscow, Muscovites...” sings that he dreams of removing the forests from the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. People said, half jokingly, half seriously, that as soon as these forests were removed, the entire Soviet Union would collapse. Surprisingly, the scaffolding was dismantled in 1991, although it had not been touched for decades. And in August 1991, famous events took place that put an end to Soviet power in Russia.

8. Unexploded shell. During one of the enemy shellings, a German high-explosive shell weighing about 150 kg hit the tent of the central tower. He probably pierced the dome and got stuck in the ceiling of its vault. Thank God, the shell did not explode, but the damage was serious. Unnoticed by anyone, the landmine lay in the rafters for almost twenty years and was accidentally discovered by steeplejacks. Sappers led by Viktor Demidov risked their lives to neutralize him on October 28, 1961. The shell was recovered, taken out of the city and destroyed.

Based on materials from the Russian Seven website

Blogger Vyacheslav Alkopona writes:

Friends! It's time to open a new section in my magazine - Urban Legends. There are no limits to the imagination of our people, some tales and inventions go deep into the people, and legends begin to form around the popular place. In this section I will talk about the most interesting of them, question legends, and refute something. Let's bring some mysticism into the gray everyday life. Today we’ll talk about the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

In 1970, the director of St. Isaac's Cathedral was able to convince the country's leadership that the Savior on Spilled Blood was an architectural and historical value. Personally, I am generally embarrassed by the fact that this had to be proven! Then a twenty-year restoration began. As a result, rumors and legends were born among the people. One of which said that as soon as the forests were removed and restoration was completed, the Soviet Union would collapse.

The forests around the Savior on Spilled Blood became such a strong part of the people that even Rosenbaum sang:

I want to preserve the history of my country,
I want to open St. Michael's Castle for people.
I want to give houses a look familiar from childhood,
I dream of removing the forests from the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.
For twenty years I have been dreaming of removing the forests from the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

The restoration has been completed. The scaffolding was not removed for another couple of years. As a result, it was dismantled only at the end of 1990. And in August 1991, a well-known event occurred. So how can you not believe urban legends after this?

The Legend of the Mysterious Icon

If you have been on an excursion to the Savior on Spilled Blood, then I think you have heard this legend. Rumor has it that one icon is kept in the temple; if you look closely, you can see on it significant dates for the history of Russia: 1917 - the year of the October Revolution, 1941 - the year of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 1953 - the year of the death of Joseph Stalin. But what is considered even more mystical is that there are unclear dates among them, perhaps they refer to the future.

Personally, I don’t believe in this legend. No one has ever seen the icon. Most likely, it was invented to make the temple more mystical.

The Legend of Digital Symbolism

Surprisingly, even the proportions of the temple contain symbolism. The first is the height of its central structure, which is 81 meters. The number was chosen as a reminder of the year of death of Alexander II - 1881. The second highest dome is 63 meters, as a symbol of the age of the murdered emperor.

The symbolism of numbers is generally characteristic of Orthodoxy, so I believe in the architect’s plan and the number symbolism.

Legend of the Crosses

Spas-on-Blood stands right on the Griboyedov Canal. In order for the temple to stand and the waters of the canal not to penetrate under the building, they abandoned the use of piles when strengthening the soil. For the first time in urban planning, a concrete foundation was constructed under the entire area of ​​the building. To build the bell tower, a protrusion of 8 meters was made on the embankment. They say that in order to save the crosses of the temple from the Bolsheviks, in Soviet times the residents of St. Petersburg hid them at the bottom of the canal. And when the temple finally began to be restored, one “random passerby” told the team of restorers about where the crosses might be and pointed out the location. The divers actually found the hidden shrines, and they returned to their domes.

Knowing the dislike of the Soviet government for religious monuments and temples, one could believe the legend, but I still consider it very fabulous.

Legend of the Bomb

In the sixties, when examining the domes of the temple, they discovered a single bomb that hit the temple. It hit, but didn't explode. The bomb seemed to be lying in the hands of the Savior, as if on the evangelical text “Peace be with you...”.

The very fact of the presence of a bomb is stupid to deny. The location of the impact is questionable. Maybe she really was lying in the indicated place. We can't check for sure right now.

The legend of the indestructibility of the temple

The legend appeared as rumors that the cathedral was protected from destruction by the symbols of equilateral crosses in a circle that decorate the kokoshniks of the windows. Supposedly this is a protective sign that has come to us from ancient times. But in many ways this is tied to historical facts that have preserved the cathedral for us.

In November 1931, the regional commission on religious issues decided to dismantle the beautiful work of art. Fortunately, the implementation of this decision was postponed indefinitely. The issue of demolishing the temple surfaced for the second time in 1938, and the final decision was made to demolish the temple. In 1941, it was decided to blow up the temple as “an object that has no artistic or architectural value.” Arriving sappers drilled holes in the walls into which explosives were placed. But they did not have time to complete the laying work - the war began and the sappers were urgently sent to the front. And in 1956, the temple again began to interfere with the city authorities. The pretext for demolition is the construction of a new highway. They thought that demolishing a beautiful temple was much easier than making a bypass road. And again, no luck. They didn't demolish it. Why? Let's go back to the beginning of the story. In 1970, the director of St. Isaac's Cathedral was able to convince the country's leadership that the Savior on Spilled Blood was an architectural and historical value. Glory and praise to him!

Photo of the construction of the temple in 1904.