The Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church, St. Petersburg. Guidebook 9785990797819

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IT HAS LONG SINCE BEEN A TRADITION IN RUSSIAN ARCHITECTURE TO ERECT RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS IN HONOUR OF HISTORIC EVENTS. THE CHURCH IN THE NAME OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST ON THE SITE OF THE MORTAL WOUNDING OF EMPEROR ALEXANDER II, SO THE CHURCH'S CANONICAL TITLE READS, STANDS ON THE EXACT SPOT WHERE THE EMPEROR WAS FATALLY INJURED BY A BOMB ON 1 MARCH 1881.

1. Cupola 2. Drum 3. Central tower

4. South-east cupola

5. Central apse 6. Bell tower (inside is the canopy marking the site of Alexander ll's mortal wounding) 7. North aisle

8. Nave 9. North-west porch 10. South porch 11. South-west porch

12. The Crucifixion 13. South aisle 14. Solea 15. lconostasis

16. Big kokoshnik of the south fac;:ade

17. North-east pillar by the sanctuary 18. North-west pillar, upper part

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PLAN OF THE RESURRECTION CHURCH

S A I N T

PETER SBU R G

CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTI ON OF CHRI ST

THE SAVIOUR ON THE SPILLED BLOOD CHURCH

c.

D D

1881

Announcement of the competition for the best design of the church

1883

Ceremonial laying of the foundation stone

1887

Approval of the project by Alexander Ill

1907

Ceremonial consecration of the church which was given the status of a memorial monument

1930

Closing of the church

1968

Taking of the church under state protection

1996

Completion of the first stage of restoration, opening of the museum

2004

First Liturgy served in the church after its restoration

2010

Regular Liturgies started to be held every Sunday

CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRI~ I

CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

A notable landmark in the centre of St Petersburg is the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, more commonly known as the Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church. It enjoys general love of the city's inhabitants and never fails to attract attention of tourists. It seemed that this ornate, many-domed church, which came to us, as it were, from early Russian epic tales, would clash with the "austere slender look" of St Petersburg. Indeed, the church, faced with ceramic tiles, decorated with mosaic scenes and crowned with multicoloured iridescent cupolas, seems to disagree by its appearance with the city's austere classical ensemble. Nevertheless the elaborately embellished church has become one of its most remarkable highlights and, moreover, despite its utmost originality, many people regard the Church of the Resurrection as a symbol of the northern capital. A superfluous look at the Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church suggests its similarity to Moscow's Cathedral of St Basil the Blessed - both of them are lavish ly adorned and majestic. However, the Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church is not modelled on the Moscow edifice. Its main volume is a single whole, unlike the nine separate parts of St Basil's Cathedral. A certain affinity that can be traced in the design of the two gorgeous structures is primarily because the designers of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church followed the Orthodox traditions of ecclesiastical architecture: working on its project, they drew inspiration from the Moscow and Yaroslavl churches of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. On 1 March 1881, Emperor Alexander II, who had liberated Russian peasants from serfdom, was mortally wounded on the bank of the Catherine Canal near the Mikhailovsky Garden. The tsar was hit with fragments of one of two bombs thrown by terrorists. It was the emperor's tragic death that led to the erection of this church, a memorial to "the assassinated Tsar'; whose name is recorded in history as"the Tsar-Liberator''. Inside the church one can see a separate large architectural element-the canopy erected over the section of the paved road where the emperor's blood was spilled. Hence, the second, popular name of the memorial building - the Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church. The evil assassination shocked people and caused a desire to perpetuate the memory of Alexander II. On 2 March 1881 the deputies of the St Petersburg Municipal Duma petitioned to the new emperor Alexander Ill for the erection of a chapel or a church in honour of his father. Thus a decision to build this memorial church was taken. The tsar approved the project worked out by the architect Alfred Parland in collaboration with Archimandrite lgnaty (Ivan Malyshev), the hegumen of the Trinity-St Sergius Monastery in the environs of St Petersburg. Archimandrite lgnaty, who had earlier studied in the Imperial Academy of Arts, contributed to the design of the church, but he did not participate in its construction - he was busy in his monastery, where more than fifty structures were built under his supervision. On 6 October 1883 the foundations of the church were laid. Its construction lasted for 24 years with the use of up-to-date achievements in engineering design and construction practices.

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At first glance, the variety of means employed by Alfred Parland during the erection of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church appears to be excessive. However, on looking at the church attentively you can see the clear-cut and logical design and rhythmical unity expressed in the upward thrust of the building. The nine cupolas of the church are both varied and harmonious in their solutions. Raised to different heights, they nevertheless preserve their polyphonic coherence excluding any hint at uncontrolled spontaneity. Five of the cupolas are coated with enamels, covering an overall area of 1000 square metres, while the four others are gilded. The majestic and bright festive appearance of the exterior is further enhanced by decorative crosses of gilded bronze. The cross of the bell-tower is embellished with an eagle under the imperial crown, which emphasized the particular importance of the memorial building for the Russian Empire and the Orthodox Church. A notable feature of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church is a wide use of mosaics in its decoration. Only San Marco in Venice can rival the St Petersburg church in the area given to mosaic pictures, which occupy 7,065 square metres here. The decoration with mosaics, that lasted for twelve years, from 1896 to 1907, was carried out by the workshop of A. and V. Frolov. Preliminary sketches for them were created by outstanding masters of Russian painting, such as A. Afanasyev, V. Beliayev, N. Bodarevsky, N. Bruni, V. Vasnetsov, F. Zhuravliov, N. Koshelev, M. Nesterov, A. Novoskoltsev, V. Pavlov, A. Ria bush kin, N. Kharlamov and N. Shakhovskoy. An impeccable transfer of the painted designs into the mosaic medium was executed by skillful and experienced artists, members of the Frolov Workshop - N. Baranov, P. Glebov, V. Kuznetsov, A. Kuzmin, M. Petrov and others. Mosaics are equally impressive and varied both outside and inside of the church. The interior affords one more exciting possibility - to enjoy a wealth and variety of coloured semiprecious stones: Sidelnikovo rhodonite, various kinds of jasper, aventurine, agate, aquamarine, amethyst, turquoise, garnet, emerald, quartz, topaz, Bokhara lapis-lazuli, Altay porphyry and Italian marbles. The construction and decoration of the Church of the Resurrection was completed in 1907. It was consecrated in the same year. Nowadays the church, the history of which had difficult periods, is a branch of the "St Isaac's Cathedral" State Museum Complex. The building has opened its doors to visitors again twenty years ago, in 1997. Today the Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church is one of the most popular sights of St Petersburg; regular religious services are also held there. The unique historical monument, a masterpiece of architecture, painting and decorative art, functions actively as a museum and a church. Yury Mudrov, Director of the "St Isaac's Cathedral" State Museum Complex, Honourary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts

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CHURCH OF THE RESURRECT ION OF CHRIST

TSAR-REFORMER

TSAR-REFORMER The Church of the Resurrection of Christ (Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church) is one of the most remarkable examples of ecclesiastical architecture and monumental decor from the late 19th - early 20th century, yet. first of all, it is a memorial to Emperor Alexander II. Erected on the site of his mortal wounding the structure reveals to the full extent the significance for the Russian Empire of

teacher who considered it his primary task to bring up the boy to be honest and to foster all sorts of good qualities in him, in which he succeeded. Later Vasily Zhukovsky, an outstanding Russian poet and translator, had a great impact on the character and worldview of the heir to the throne. He worked out a specia l curriculum and personal ly se lected al l the teachers. The boy's development

His Majesty Congratulated by Members of the Royal Family after the Coronation Ceremony. Chromolithograph by Mihaly Zichy From the "Coronation Album" (Paris, 1856)

Portrait of Emperor Alexander II. 1875. By Egar Batman

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this tsar-reformer whose life was dedicat-

was entrusted to li beral professors, most

ed and sacrificed to his country. Grand Duke Alexander Nikolayevich, the eldest son of Emperor Nicholas I, was born in Moscow on 17 April 1818. His first tutor was Carl Mercier, a talented

progress ive intel lectua ls of t he period. Among them were the historian and geographer Konstantin Arsenyev, an ardent supporter of the emancipation of peasants, Peter Pletnev, a friend of Alexander

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CHURC H OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

TSAR-REFORM CR

Pushkin w ho headed the famous Sovremennik (The Co ntemporary) journal afte r

the Decembrists, members of the Petrashevsky group and Polish in su rgent s. Con-

him, and Count Mikhail Spera nsky, a lib-

scription for compul sory lifetim e se rvice in the army halted for three yea rs. Peasants we re forgiven their debts.

era l Russian statesman active in the reign of Alexa nd er I w ho compi led The Com-

plete Collection of the Lows of the Russian Empire.

Tsesarevich Alexander Nikolayevich with his Tutor Zhukovsky. Lithograph

Tsesarevich Alexander Nikolayevich in a Skirmish with the Caucasians on 26 October 1850 Xylograph by Nikolay Karazin

19 February 1861. Alexander II Reading aloud his Emancipation Manifesto that Freed the Serfs of Russia on Palace Square in St Peters burg 1860s. By Dietenberger

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From th e 1840s Nichola s I started encouraging hi s son to take part in ruling t he country, and not once the grand duke performed diplomatic duti es for hi s fa ther abroad. In the sp ring of 1850 Nicholas I and his son in spected troops in the Western gubern iya (province) and Poland. Later the heir apparent alone examined fortresses in the North Ca ucasus, participated in a skirmi sh w ith th e Ca ucas ians and was awarded the Order of St George (4th rank). It was probably his military va lour that helped him later, in 186 1, to confront the majority of the State Counc il and, by hi s autocratic w ill, issue th e Em anci pation Man ifesto that freed the serfs of the Russian Empire. Alexande r II ascended the throne in 1855, w hich was a very difficult time. The defeat in the Crimean war se ri ous ly shattered both the prestige of the country and its economy. The treaty of Paris was a humiliation for Russia and made it dependant on other European powers fo r dozens of yea rs. Nevertheless, the tsar embarked upon a seri es of liberal reforms. Th e Ch ief Ce nsorsh ip Committee was closed, universities given back some of their rights, restrictions on foreign tra ve l lifted. One of the first acts of Alexander II as Emperor was an amnesty granted to

The reforms affected alm ost all aspects of the Ru ss ian st ate. Loca l administration was remodelled by setting up

Emperor Alexander II in his study

Emperor Alexander II with his fami ly

elective local bodies - zemstvo. Russia was given a new judicial system as juri es were introduced. The emperor put an end to t he wa r in the Ca ucasus. Russia contributed a lot to the independence of the Balkan Slavs from the Ottoman Empire and they honoured it by erecting a statue of Alexander II, tsar-liberator, in the ce ntre

Alexander II Personally Assigning Recruits to Various Guards Regiments in the Winter Palace. 1881 Chameaux's xylograph of Alexander Schlieper's drawing

of Sofia in Bulgaria. Squadron s of Russian wa rships defended the young Ameri can state from the eco nomica l blockade of Britain and France. Havin g inherited a weak backward co untry w hich had neither an efficient army nor navy, Alexande r II turned it into an adva nced modernized state wit h a w id e network of railways in operation, economical stab ility, rapidl y develop ing

Alexander II in Bulgaria near the Village of Gorny Studen on 11 October 1877

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CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

TSAR-REFORM ER

trading and banking institutions, a strong army and one of the most efficient navies in the world. Yet the democratic process was slow, often hindered by local bureaucracy. The disappointment grew stronger, which was taken advantage of by the Narodnaya Volya (People's Will) terror-

Attempt on the Emperor's Life on 1 March 1881. Alexander If Getting off the Carriage after the First Attack of the Terrorists. 1881. Coloured lithograph

Alexander If on his Deathbed in the Winter Palace on 1 March 1881. 1881. Lithograph

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ist organization. They started planning a coup d'etat and declared Alexander II a wanted man. In spite of numerous attempts on his life the emperor continued his progressive activities. In January 1881, shortly before his death, he signed a proposal to admit elected delegates from towns and provinces to the State Council. That last important document in his life became a prototype of the first Russian Constitution. However, the tsar was not destined to comp lete his great reforms. On 1 March 1881, another assassination attempt on his life was made on the Catherine (now

Chapel Designed by Leonty Benois on the Site of the Attempt on the Emperor's Life. 1881 Chromolithograph of Stadler and Patchon

Griboyedov) Canal embankment. The fatally wounded emperor was taken to the Winter Palace where he died an hour later. Russia was shocked by the tragedy. All strata of society, even the poorest of them, were willing to commemorate the martyr tsar. Statues of the emperor were unveiled in all major cities of Russian provinces. The most imposing monument to Alexander II was built in Moscow with the money collected all over the country. After the October revolution of 1917 most of the monuments to tsars were dismantled in Russia. As a matter of fact, the only memorial to Alexander II that has survived is the Resurrection Church (Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church) in St Petersburg. It was created in keeping with an old Russian tradition of putting up churches or chapels in honour of important historic events. The grandiose Resurrection Church gracefully commemorates the tsar-reformer who was known as a noble and merciful man, a person of great valour and courage.

Litany on the site of the mortal wounding of Emperor Alexander II on the day when the Resurrection Church's foundation was laid. October 1883

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CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH It was St Petersburg's City Duma veloped by the outstanding architect (Council) that initiated the commemoKonstantin Thon. Nevertheless, the emration of the lamentable death of Emperor approved none of these as they did peror Alexander II. Its not answer his main deputies proposed to wish to incorporate put up a chapel on the spot of his fathe spot where the ther's fatal injury into Russian autocrat had the premises of the been fatally injured. church and build "the Emperor Alexander 111, church itself in the who had ascended purely Russian style the throne after his of the 17th century". father's death, supThe latter condition ported their initiaillustrates the defintive and expressed his ing characteristics of idea of creating a meAlexander lll's home morial church, instead and foreign policy of a chapel, on the which interpreted site, which would reRussia in the terms of mind "the hearts of its historic tradition. those who look at it of The idea of the neo the martyrdom of the Russian style was in deceased Emperor tune with the views Portrait of Emperor Alexander Ill Alexander II and evoke of most of the nation and Empress Maria Feodorovna. 1890 loyal sentiments of who saw such a style By Ivan Kramskoy devotion and deep as embodiment of grief in the people of national ideals. Russia'.' The second round was held a year

Construction of the church. 1900

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The competition for the best design of the Resurrection Church consisted of two tours. The first one was announced in March 1881, and all its participants chose for their projects the Russo-Byzantine style in its academic version de-

later. All the twenty-eight projects submitted to it imitated in this or that way pre-Petrine church architecture. Several sketches of the future church Vvere executed by the young architect Alfred Parland. His project "Old Times" which had 11

HISTORY 01 1111 U ILJIU 11

CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

approved on 1 May 1887. In its final version the project had lost its grandeur yet attained integrity and unity and perfectly answered the purpose of a memorial church. Only the left bank of the canal was to be used for the construction. The foundation of the Resurrection Church was laid in October 1883. The ceremony was attended by Emperor Alexander Ill and Empress Maria Feodorovna, grand dukes and duchesses, Senators and members of the State Council, diplomats and St Petersburg nobility. To mark the event a medal was cast which,

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together with some gold and silver coins and a memorial plaque, was placed into a cavity in the foundation pillar drawn into the ground under the future altar table. Part of the cast-iron railing of the canal against which the mortally wounded Emperor Alexander II had

l .........l_.l

Alfred Parland's project of the church named "Old Times" 1883

many features modelled on the 16th-century Church of St John the Baptist in the village of Diakovo near Moscow proved to be the best. The second project was prepared by Parland in cooperation with archimandrite Ignatius (Malyshev) who made the general plan of the church in the form of the five open petals of an immortelle and also proposed the name the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. Both the plan and name stressed the idea of Christ's victory over death and drew a

structure was suggested to be located on both banks of the Catherine Canal. Though requesting a number of adjustments, Alexander Ill preferred Parland's project to others, since it implemented the emperor's idea of highlighting the

sort of parallel between Christ's death for the redemption of man and the martyr death of Alexander II who had done much for his country. That sophisticated

plying and interpreting the forms and techniques of 17th-century Moscow and Yaroslavl church architecture. The project had been revised five times before it was

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leaned, slabs of the pavement and cobbles of the carriage-way with his blood were removed, packed into boxes and transferred to a nearby chapel in Koniushennaya Square

to be kept there while the church was under construction. As soon as the estimates of the expenditures (amounted to 3,600, OOO silver roubles) were authorized, the construction started and went on for twenty-four years. In the course of works carried out in the underground part of the building, some difficulties arose, caused mainly by the oversaturated sandy soils and the proximity of the Catherine Canal. The construction halted until the entire perimeter of the church was surrounded with watertight wooden bulkheads installed 6.5 meters away from it. The bulkheads consisted of two and three (on the canal side) rows of watertight piles, each 30 centimeters in diameter and 1O meters high. The rows were located at a distance of 2 meters from one another. The space between the rows was filled in with waterproof Cambrian clay. This prevented the ground waters from the Mikhailovsky Garden and the waters

very spot of the assass ination. Alfred Parland became chief architect and supervised all the construction works. He was assisted by a team of other talented architects who improved and elaborated his project, ma inly ap-

Project of the Resurrection Church done jointly by Parland and Fr Ignatius Malyshev. 1883

CHURCH OF THE RES URRE CT ION OF CH RIST

HI STORY OF TH E CHURCH

from the nearby Cath erin e Canal from pen etrating the pit and later the underground part of the church. Alfred Parl and wa s the first architect in St Petersburg to rej ect pile foundation s. The ea rth-moving works went on from 188 3 till 188 6. Th e church wa s to be put up on a solid concrete foundation, 1.2 meters thi ck, with it s bottom 2.5 meters higher Archimandrite Ignatius (Ivan Vasilyevich Malyshev)

Alfred Alexandrovich Par/and

Born in the village of Shishkino, Danilov district, Yaros/avl province, on 24 March 1811. Since his early years he was fond of solitude and church services and, in 1834, entered the Trinity- St Sergius Monastery near St Petersburg. In 1844, he was ordained a hieromonk (priest). In 1857, he was made the abbot of the monastery to carry out the duties till the end of his life. When Ivan had been still a beginner, his abbot had noticed his artistic talent and sent him to the Academy of Arts. On graduating from the Academy the young novice began to work for his monastery and painted almost all the icons for the iconostasis of the main Holy Trinity Cathedral. In the years of his abbacy over 50 structures were put up in the monastery including the imposing Resurrection Church (exploded in 1968). Its construction was guided by Malyshev himself who also executed for it 70 icons. In the year of the assassination ofEmperor Alexander II Fr Ignatius was elected an honourable member of the Arts Academy. When the competition for the best project of the memorial church was announced Malyshev joined in, asking Par/and to help him with technical aspects. Upon the signing of the structure's original plans Par/and continued working on the design alone and almost completely changed it. Fr Ignatius died on 16 May 1897 and was buried in the Resurrection Church of the Trinity-St Sergius Monastery. Nowadays his remains are to be found in St Sergius' Church of the same monastery where they were taken to in the year of the 100th anniversary of his death.

Born in St Petersburg on 12 December 1842. His father, an official of the 4th rank, was the son of a British citizen who had immigrated to Russia, his mother was from Stuttgart. In 1863, Par/and entered the department of architecture at the Imperial Academy of Arts. In 1872, his diploma work received a big gold medal, which allowed him to become a pensioner of the Academy of Arts and spend five years abroad. On his return to Russia he was soon elected Academician and granted the right to teach at the Academy ofArts. He was also a member of the committee supervising the construction of ecclesiastical and civil buildings in Russia, taught at the watercolour department of the Stieglitz School of Technical Drawing and designed churches for aristocratic estates. His most noteworthy project at that time was the Resurrection Church in the Trinity-St Sergius Monastery near St Petersburg. Upon winning the competition for the memorial church design Alfred Par/and led its construction between 1883 and 1907. In 1892, he was awarded the title of Professor of Architecture and, in 1905, elected an honourable member of the Academy of Arts. In 1907, after the Resurrection Church had been completed he was taken on the staff of the Court Ministry. In 1910-1911, Par/and was made member of the committee on the restora tion of the Kazan Cathedral, and, in 1915, elected an honourable member of the Archaeological Society. He died in 1919 and was buried in the Smolenskoye Lutheran Cemetery.

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than th e norm al water level in the canal. Placed above this wa s a rubbl e layer bound in concrete, 2.5 meters thick. The ba se ment was made of the socall ed Putilovsky limeston e. That stage took about a year - from 1886 till 1887. The wall s were built of brick and fa ced w ith d ec orativ e red - br o wn Sieg ersd o rf bri ck im ported from Germa ny b etween 1895 and 1897. In hi s d es ign of the m emorial church Alfred Parland made use of

Project of the Resurrection Ch urch done jointly by Pa rland and Fr Ignatius Malyshev. 1883

Nave. 1907

Interior of the church. 1907

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CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH

the Pantocrator on the ceiling of the central cupola had a special "crown" consisting of 288 lamps. Smaller cupolas were furnished with minor "crowns" of 32 bulbs each. The feast lighting included illumination of the altar apses. The architect had thought in advance how to dust the mosaics, clean the windows and replace bulbs in the chande liers. Set up in the attics of the central roof were winches; attached to their ropes which were let down through apertures in the cupolas were special containers (cages) for raising people. Parland introduced an innovative method of

expelling the condensate formed during the religious functions. It was collected in special sliding chutes under the windows and discharged by piping into the drainage system. Rain water and melting snow were removed from the roofs by sliding grooves into "bowls" located at their corners. The water was discharged from them by drainage pipes into a reservoir. The whole drainage system was made of brass. The Church of the Resurrection of Christ was ceremoniously consecrated in the presence of Emperor Nicholas II and the royal family on 19 August 1907.

Sa nctuary of the church. 1907

lconostasis. 1907

all the modern advances in construction techniques and technology. Between 1899 and 1907, a unique warm-air system was installed in the church . It consisted of two steam boilers and eight radiators set in separate sections in the basement. Warm air being lighter than cool one was carried by gravity in ducts installed inside the walls up to the church hal l where it emitted through registers disguised by decorative grilles. The central cupola was heated by cast-iron radiators, the steam was transmitted there by copper pipes laid in the attic of the large apse. Ventilating openings were located in the lower part of the walls, under marble benches. Smoke from the boilers was removed by the underground 16

ducts into a one-storey building in the Mikhailovsky Garden which housed an oil reservoir connected to the church basement with a system of pipes. From the very beginning the church was lighted with electricity (alternating three-phase current, 120 volts). The length of electrical wires within the building was 1, 2SO meters and that of distribution wires about 3, OOO meters. All in all, the system had 1, 689 light bulbs. There were three types of illumination: night, everyday and feast day. The everyday lighting comprised six chandeliers, four seances and four lanterns. On feast days it was important not simply to illuminate the church hall but highlight most venerated icons in it. Thus, the mosaic of Christ 17

CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

South icon screen. 1907-1913

Th e ceremony wa s led by Metropolitan Anthony of St Petersburg and Ladoga. Since its consecration the church held the status of a memorial. Unlike parish churches, it offered no baptisms, wedding s or requiem s as they were not in keep ing w ith its status. On ly Matins, Vespers and Liturgies were read here as well as daily commemoration services for Alexander II and the royal family members.The church was subjected to the Department of Orthodoxy, and a body responsible for maintaining the church and manag ing its fin ances was instituted. It compri sed the chief priest, key-holder (administrator), churchwarden and architect. Th e maintenance of the church was fu lly covered by the State Treasury. The revo luti on changed the situ ation. In January 1920, it became a common parish chu rch and, from August 1923 to 18

HISTORY OF THE CHURCI I

Don icon of the Mother of God which used to be in the north icon screen Donation of the Don Cossacks Location is unknown

December 1927, even fun ctioned as th e major cathedra l of the city. In the 193 0s it lost many venerated objects and church vessels, either donated to it or produced particularly for th is church on spec ial commission s from private individual s and state in stitutions. Among the losses were icon s of the north and south icon screens, spotli ghts of the interior decor. They can on ly be seen in the photographs taken in 1907 durin g the con secration ceremony (their negatives are kept in the Centra l State Archive of Film s and Photographs, St Petersburg). The fate of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood Church was finally decided by the decree No 67 of the Presid ium of the All -Ru ss ia Central Executive Committee issued on 30 October 1930, which read: ".. .The Resurrection Church mu st be closed down and handed over to the

North icon screen. 1907-1913

Church banner: The Theophany Donation of the Singer sewing-machine company Location is unknown

Society of Political Prisoners and Ex il es fo r organ izing a museum of the Peop le's Wi ll organ ization". In Novembe r 193 1, the Reg ional Committee on Religiou s Cu lt s made a decision to dismantle the Resurrection Church. Three years later the Com mittee for Protection of Revolutionary, Cu ltural and Artistic Monuments issued its written permission to the Leningrad Co uncil of People's Deputies to demolish the building, wh ich was planned to do in 1941 ... But the Great Patriotic War (that is what World War II is ca ll ed in Russia) began in June 1941 and all members of demolition teams were sent to the frontlines. In the years of the war the church was used as mortuary. Later it held the Maly Opera Theatre props. In 1968, the chu rch was announced to be under state

West fa(ade of the Resurrection Ch urch. 1900s

CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

protection and soon turned into a branch of the "St Isaac's Cathedral " Museum. At that moment it was in a d eterio rated state and badly needed restorat ion. The five main cupola s of the church lacked mu ch of its enamel1i ng Three-q uarter s of the enamels covering th e north-ea st cupola we re lost. The co loured glazed tiles on th e roofs of the bell towe r and larger (central) apse were destroyed. The metal w indow sas hes we re corroded and d eformed. The heating

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH

atop the bell tower cupo la the joints of the enamelled blocks were widened and filled with water, which caused part of the covering to fall down. The gilded cupolas of the two smaller apses were very dirty and the system of protection from lightning out of order. In 1966, a lightning struck the cros s of the north west cu pola. Mosa ics in the lower part and tiles on the north and so uth fa