Temples of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region

The temples of St. Petersburg invariably attract tourists with their beauty. They are a real adornment of the city. Let's look at some of them.

Chapel of St. Xenia of St. Petersburg

For more than two centuries, Christians have been visiting a chapel built at the Smolensk cemetery, located at the burial site of St. Xenia of St. Petersburg.

When Blessed died, most likely, nobody knows. However, we know the age when she moved to another world - at that time she was 72 years old. Approximate time of death can be seen in books, but the information will be different. Somewhere you will find 1777, and in other sources - 1803. Xenia is buried in the Smolensk cemetery. And it's no accident. There she helped build a temple dedicated to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.

In the nineteenth century, a stone chapel was erected above the burial site. Inside was an iconostasis made of oak. And in 1902, built a large enough chapel, the author of which was A. A. Vseslavin. This time the iconostasis was made of marble, and in the center was a tombstone.

How to close and reopen the chapel

The chapel above the burial place of Xenia invariably attracted believers. However, in 1940, it stopped working, as did the Smolensk church. Many other Orthodox churches in St. Petersburg were also closed. During the blockade of the city, the church housed a warehouse of containers from flammable liquids. 1947-1962 years were favorable for believers: the chapel was reopened.

When Khrushchev was in power, everything was done to stop people from going to church. In the chapel was opened a shoe repair shop, and then - a sculpture workshop.

However, the temple stood, despite any difficulties. In 1986, repairs were carried out, followed by lighting. Many beautiful churches are famous for St. Petersburg. The Temple of Xenia of Petersburg occupies far from the last place among them.

Savior on Spilled Blood

In the heart of the city is another attraction - the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. Often it is also called the Savior-on-the-Blood. The church stands near Nevsky Prospekt, on the embankment. Why does it bear such a name? It was simply built on the site of Alexander II's death.

It seems strange to many that the church turned out to be incredibly smart and bright, like a gingerbread house from a children's book, although its construction was preceded by sad and tragic events.

The bell and part of the embankment

It took 25 years to build a church and bring it to the proper view. The most amazing detail of the temple is a huge bell weighing 18,018 kilograms, made in Finland. The domes of the church seem elegant and even weightless, but they easily survive such an impressive weight. The temples of St. Petersburg, as you can see, amaze tourists.

Spas-on-the-Blood is also remarkable for the fact that inside the cathedral there is a part of the embankment where the tragedy took place.

Iconostasis

Not only Russian architects have contributed to the decoration of the church.
Foreign experts also tried to glory, working on its decoration. The authors of the iconostasis, for example, are Italian masters. It's just gorgeous, but the three crystal crosses on top are especially impressive. The iconostasis is complemented by a multitude of various ornaments, some of the images are enclosed in beautiful silver frames.

Mosaic

Over the northern and southern doors you can see mosaic paintings on the topic of the Bible. These images and attract many tourists to the Temple on the Blood. St. Petersburg, whatever you say, would be less beautiful, if not for amazing churches.

Walls and domes

Outside, the temple looks even more interesting than inside. The walls are decorated with colored tiles, shaped bricks, as well as ceramic tiles. As for the domes, they are all painted with colored radiant enamel and complemented by unique patterns from the mosaic. They are very smart and colorful.

Kokoshnik and mosaic pictures

The most interesting and eye-catching detail on the northern facade of the church is the kokoshnik. This decoration is typical for Russia. Kokoshnik made the master M. Nesterov. He also laid out a picture of the mosaic depicting the Resurrection of Jesus. It is inside the kokoshnik. On the west side, the church is decorated with a picture, on which we see the Savior Not Made by Hands. Many churches in St. Petersburg are decorated with various images, this can be called a tradition.

The vaults of the church are almost completely finished with mosaic, created by famous artists.

The main nave, the inner part of the temple

The main nave is decorated with paintings, which depict stories from the life of Jesus. On the western side, one can see the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, and from the east everything that happened after these events. The interior of the temple is decorated with colored Italian marble and domestic semi-precious stones.

Datsan Gunzachoynay

Do you know where the most northerly Buddhist temple is on the planet ? Yes, it was in St. Petersburg. Everyone who wants to see it, must know the address, which is easy to remember: Primorsky Avenue, 91. Today it is called Datsan Gunzehoyney. The Buddhist temple in St. Petersburg is the most unusual and interesting sight of the city.

Construction and decoration of the temple

It was erected in 1915 by GV Baranovsky. The architect tried to follow the traditions and made the temple similar to the classical Tibetan buildings. The construction of Datsan was spent a record amount of funds, it really is an expensive temple. The magnificent structure is decorated with motley colors, gilding, facing, as well as paintings written by the famous artist N. Roerich. They can see eight Buddhist symbols.

The uneasy fate of the temple

In 1916, there were no more services in Datsan, all the monks left.
Only eight years later the temple began to work again. It was opened until 1935, after which it again ceased its work, and soon Buddhist monks began to be persecuted.

During the Great Patriotic War, a radio station was opened in the church, which functioned until the 1960s. Shortly thereafter, Datsan was given to the Zoological Institute, and laboratories were placed in it.

Assignment of the status of an architectural monument and the return of the church to believers

In the autumn of 1968 the church was recognized as an architectural monument. Sooner or later this was to happen. And in the summer of 1990 the executive committee of the Leningrad City Council decided that Datsan should be returned to the believers.

Every tourist who has come to the city even for a few days, should see with his own eyes the temples of St. Petersburg. They amaze with their splendor, they can not be forgotten.