[RUSSIA] Churches in Saint Petersburg

23:31 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

St Petersburg is known for its amazing array of churches, among which Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, Kazan Cathedral and St. Isaac’s Cathedral are most visited by tourists in St Petersburg.

It was already evening when I came back from Peterhof that day. My tour guide led us to a phone shop at Nevsky Prospekt to buy a new local sim card. Kazan Cathedral is just located on Nevsky Prospekt.

Nevsky Prospekt.

Strolling along Griboyedov channel embankment.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is at the end of Griboyedov channel embankment.

There are many souvenir stalls along the embankment. I bought a Matryoshka doll at one of the stalls witha really good bargain price.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

I didn’t enter Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood that day as the guide will bring us here again in the next morning.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood after dark.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood can be seen from Hotel 3 MostA’s roof.

A small pavilion by the Moyka River at Mikhailovsky Garden.

This is Mikhailovsky Castle. It is a former royal residence in St Petersburg. It was built for Emperor Paul I because he disliked the Winter Palace where he never felt safe.

Ironically, Emperor Paul I was assassinated only 40 nights after he moved into the newly built castle in his own bedroom.

Courtyard of the castle.

After Paul I’s death, the imperial family returned to the Winter Palace. It has now became a branch of Russian Museum.

Opening hours of the Mikhailovsky Castle. I didn’t go in to visit the museum though.

Back to the Mikhailovsky Garden.

It is nice and refreshing to stroll in the garden in the morning.

Russian Museum as seen from the Mikhailovsky Garden.

One entrance to the Mikhailovsky Garden is located opposite the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded in an assassination attempt on 1 March 1881. His heir, Alexander III immediately declared his intention to erect a church in his father’s memory.

Exterior of the church resembles the St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow and Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev.

The church is open daily except on Wednesdays from 10.30am to 6pm, last entry is 5.30pm. Entrance ticket is RUB 250 per adult, teenager under 18 will need to pay RUB 50, children under 7 enter for free. Audio guide can be rented at RUB 200. In the summer (1 May – 30 September), the church is also open in the evening from 6pm to 10.30pm and the fee is RUB 400.

You can also buy the ticket from ticketing machines. It can be operated in English. But most visitors prefer to buy it from the ticketing counter.

An extravagant shrine was built on the spot where Alexander II was fatally wounded. The simple cobblestone of the old road are exposed in the floor of the shrine.

Altar of the church.

The walls and ceilings inside the church are completely covered in intricately detailed mosaics.

Biblical scenes or figures on the walls.

We asked help from a tourist to take a group photo with our guide outside the church.

But out of 8 photo she took, only 1 turned out okay. The top of the church were cut off in all the photos. Haha.

Next, we head to the Kazan Cathedral on Nevsky Prospekt.

It is modelled after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Impressive stone colonade encircling a small garden and central fountain.

Fountain in front of Kazan Cathedral.

People lining up at the iconostasis.

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, authority closed the cathedral. In November 1932, it is reopened as Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. Service resumed in 1992 and though it still share the premises with the museum, the word “Atheism” has now been omitted.

Chocolate Museum.

On the way to St Isaac Cathedral, there are many interesting old buildings.

St Isaac’s Cathedral at St Isaac Square is the largest Orthodox cathedral in the city. It is dedicated to St Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great.

Monument to Nicholas I on St Isaac Square. It depicts the Russian ruler as a powerful military figure.

In the southern east side of the square, Hotel Astoria was rumoured to be where Adolf Hitler was planning his victory party, even going as far as to have invitations made, although he would not have the pleasure to do so.

St Isaac’s Cathedral took 40 years to construct, from 1818 to 1858. During World War II, the gold gilded dome was painted gray to avoid attracting attention from enemy aircraft.

Entrance to the cathedral and colonnade is at the southern facade. Both the cathedral and colonnade is open from 10.30am to 6pm, last entry is 5.30pm. The cathedral is closed on Wednesdays. During summer (1 May to 31 October), the cathedral is open in the evening from 6pm – 10pm with ticket price of RUB 400 and the colonnade is open in the evening from 6pm – 10pm with ticket price of RUB 300. Night colonnade is open in the White Nights (1 June – 31 August) from 10.30pm-4am with ticket price of RUB 400 (except Wednesday).