Colorful domes resembling St. Basil's Cathedral — the Church on Spilled Blood is instantly recognizable. Built on the site where Alexander II was mortally wounded, covered in mosaics: 7,000 square meters, the world's largest mosaic collection.

History

On March 1, 1881, a revolutionary threw a bomb at Alexander II's carriage. The church took 24 years to build (1883-1907). Used as warehouse in Soviet times. Restoration took 27 years. Opened as museum in 1997.

Mosaics

7,000 square meters of mosaics — walls, ceilings, iconostasis. Not a centimeter of empty surface. Designed by Vasnetsov, Nesterov, Vrubel.

Architecture

17th-century Russian style — deliberate contrast with St. Petersburg's classicism. Onion domes, kokoshniks, tiles.

Practical

450 rubles. 10:30-18:00, closed Wednesday. Summer until 21:30. Metro Nevsky Prospekt. Museum, not active church.