Bleeding cathedral | Fairytale appearance, tragic core

Initially, I was attracted by his "clickbait" name, which naturally comes with a strong sense of story atmosphere.

The first time I saw him, he looked like a fairytale castle, studded with gems and sweets, all of which looked sweet. But I do not know that he was born in a tragedy, gorgeous and colorful body, carrying the reform will and tragic fate of a generation of czars, it is his own sense of contradiction, so that he has a strong story.

Many people wonder whose blood 🩸 is it?

The answer is that of Tsar Alexander II, who was murdered for his hard-line political reform. His successor, Alexander III, built a cathedral in his father's memory, and kept the road blocks stained with his father's blood inside the church (in the black pavilion inside the church).

The central dome of the church is 81 meters high, which is the year of Alexander II's death in 1881, and the other dome is 63 meters high, which is the age of the Tsar when he died. It is here that the heir wishes his father to rise from the dead and ascend to heaven.

Walking into the church, I started to see how good he was. It is obviously a cloudy snow day, but the church is full of smart light, as if the "divine light" shines through the window to the wall full of Bible stories, so that you can meditate to watch and read, and reach a certain resonance with him.

The most special thing is that the frescoes in this church are very old compared to the vicissitudes of history in the frescoes inside other churches. More closely, all the murals are Mosaic art made of fine pieces of colored marble and gemstones, which is super beautiful. Because of the physical properties of the raw materials, the church becomes more spiritual as it crosses time and space.

It's a church, but it's not like a regular church. His function and mission was never to open worship for the faithful, but to commemorate and pass on. It is more like a museum, with the largest and richest Mosaic art works, and also stores the "iron and blood" spirit of Alexander II.

Tickets: 450🦌 can be purchased onsite or at self-service machines

St. Isaac's Cathedral is the most "luxurious" church

St. Isaac's Cathedral, also known as "Isa Kiev Cathedral", is the largest church in St. Petersburg and one of the four famous domed churches in the world (the other three: St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and Florence's Cathedral). You can climb to the top of the church and overlook the whole city of St. Petersburg, but the wind is really strong up there...

🎫 : Admission 450🦌/ person + top 300🦌/ person
🕐 Opening hours: 10:00-18:00 Closed on Wednesday

Construction of the church began in 1818 and took about 440,000 workers 40 years to complete. The designer, Monfran, originally designed 24 schemes, and finally one was selected by Tsar Alexander I (as a designer, it is not easy, 24 schemes I still have to work on...). .

Church architecture and interior
The church is about 102 meters high, and the dome is 22.15 meters in diameter. The dome is gilded with amalgam fire, so that the huge dome is still golden after a century and a half without renovation. According to my friends, more than 60 craftsmen were killed in the process of using this method. The depth of the foundation is 10 meters; Huge oak doors, each with an area of about 42 square meters and weighing up to 20 tons.

Around the church are 16 thick granite pillars, each weighing 114 tons, transported from the Gulf of Finland 30 kilometers away, holding up the carved gables in double rows, using the "hanging method", by 128 strong men at the same time to push the winch, the stone pillars erected. (There is a model and video in the church that vividly reproduces the spectacular scene of the pillar at that time.)

The interior of the church is decorated with a lot of gold 💰 and precious stones 💎, as well as many exquisite sculptures and large frescoes 🖼️. It is said that both the dome and the golden sculptures inside are made of gold, and the plating of the exterior of the dome alone consumed 100 kilograms of gold.

Church history
The church was badly damaged during World War II. Bullet marks on the exterior marble columns can still be seen, and friends say that during the war, the golden dome 🟡 was painted black to prevent destruction and looting ⚫️...

Near the church
There are many sculptures and buildings near the church. We only saw the bronze knight statue of Peter the Great 🐎

The statue was built by order of Catherine II. It is said that Peter the Great pointed his finger in the direction of Finland, which is not clear... The horse represented Russia, his feet in the air, as if to break through all obstacles; The horse's hooves step on a big snake, implying the old school that hinders reform and reform. This sculpture is a symbol of Peter the Great who defied all odds to bring prosperity to Russia.以上翻译结果来自有道神经网络翻译（YNMT）· 通用场景