Mosaic Interiors

Truly awe-inspiring and breathtaking, the many mosaics inside the Church on Spilled Blood would provide beautiful wall hangings or holiday cards which could be seen in every direction. I knew, of course, that the officially-atheist Soviet Union did allow some cathedrals and churches to stand during their seven decades of power, but I hardly expected the powerful beauty that I saw in this edifice.

A lengthy visit to St. Petersburg was ending with a bus ride back to the cruise ship. But for the first time in our ten cruises, we were not weighing anchor to move on. We had an overnight at the dock and another tour the next day, which meant we were going out for the evening, with tickets for a folk dance exhibition. Pictures in the next post.

Church on Spilled Blood

In looking over the plans for our tour, the highlight of the afternoon was a famous Church which I thought was the "Church OF Spilled Blood," as I knew it was a memorial built on the site of the assassination of a Czar. But I realized later that the name was the "Church ON Spilled Blood," making that memorial all the more powerful. The exact spot of the bloodshed is marked inside the ornately beautiful cathedral.

While the colorful exterior is a dream for a photographer, the interiors are also available, in this case for the smaller $3 fee. Here we see the main dome from the inside as well as the outside view. More interior views in the next post.