Church On Spilled Blood

I fared slightly better with my photos today.

This is the Church on Spilled Blood aka the Resurrection Church of our saviour.

It's the one on all the postcards, the one with the painted cuppolas and the ornate outside. It's even more amazing inside, with fabulous mosaics.

It got it's name after it was built to mark the spot where a popular Tsar, Alexander ll was assassinated in 1881. He had been kind enough to abolish serfdom, (yay!) and give the peasants their freedom, (yay), which resulted, unfortunately, in them losing their land and the right to farm, (boo!). So someone threw a bomb at him, and killed him.

Post-revolution, the church was turned into a warehouse for theatrical scenery. Now it has been restored to it's former state.