The temples of St. Petersburg invariably attract tourists with their beauty. They are a real decoration of the city. Let's look at some of them.
Chapel of Xenia of Petersburg
For more than two centuries, Christians have been visiting the chapel built in the Smolensk cemetery, located at the burial place of St. Xenia of Petersburg.
When the blessed one died, most likely, no one knows. However, we know the age when she moved to another world - at that time she was 72 years old. The approximate time of death can be seen in the books, but the information will be different. Somewhere you will find the year 1777, and in other sources - 1803. Ksenia is buried in the Smolensk cemetery. And this is no accident. There, during her lifetime, she helped build a temple dedicated to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.
In the XIX century, a stone chapel was erected above the burial place. Inside was an oak iconostasis. And in 1902 a rather large chapel was erected, 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 over the burial place of Xenia invariably attracted believers. However, in 1940, she stopped working, just like the Smolensk Church. Many other Orthodox churches in St. Petersburg also closed. During the blockade of the city, the church housed a warehouse of containers of flammable liquids. The years 1947-1962 were favorable for believers: the chapel was reopened.
When Khrushchev was in power, everything possible was done so that people stopped going to the temple. A shoe repair center was opened in the chapel, and then a sculpture workshop.
However, the temple survived, in spite of any difficulties. In 1986, repairs were made, and then lighting. Many beautiful churches are famous for St. Petersburg. The temple of Ksenia of Petersburg is not the last among them.
Savior on Spilled Blood
In the very center of the city is another attraction - the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. Often she is also called the Savior on Blood. The church stands near Nevsky Prospekt, on the embankment. Why does she have such a name? It was simply built on the site of the death of Alexander II.
It seems strange to many that the church turned out to be incredibly elegant and bright, like a gingerbread house from a children's book, although its construction was preceded by sad and tragic events.
Bell and part of the promenade
It took 25 years to build a church and put it in proper shape. 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 can easily withstand such an impressive weight. The temples of St. Petersburg, as you see, surprise tourists.
Savior on Blood is also notable for the fact that inside the cathedral there is a part of the embankment where the tragedy occurred.
Iconostasis
Not only Russian architects contributed to the decoration of the church.
Foreign experts also tried their best, working on its decoration. The authors of the iconostasis, for example, are Italian masters. It is simply magnificent, but three crystal crosses located above are especially impressive. The iconostasis is complemented by many various ornaments, some of the images are enclosed in beautiful silver frames.
Mosaic
Above the north and south doors you can see mosaic paintings on Bible themes. These images attract many tourists to the Temple on the Blood. St. Petersburg, whatever you say, would have been less beautiful if not for the 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 mosaic patterns. They are very smart and colorful.
Kokoshnik and mosaic paintings
The most interesting and eye-catching detail located on the northern facade of the church is the kokoshnik. Such a decoration is typical for Russia. Kokoshnik made master M. Nesterov. He also laid out a mosaic painting depicting the Resurrection of Jesus. It is located inside the kokoshnik. On the west side, the church is decorated with a picture in which we see the Savior Not Made by Hands. Many temples of St. Petersburg are decorated with various images, this can be called a tradition.
The vaults of the church are almost completely decorated with mosaics, the creation of which was done by famous artists.
The main nave, the inside of the temple
The main nave is decorated with paintings depicting scenes from the life of Jesus. On the western side you can see the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, and on the eastern side - everything that happened after these events. The interior of the temple is decorated with colored Italian marble and domestic semiprecious stones.
Datsan Gunsechoynei
Do you know where the northernmost Buddhist temple on the planet is located? Yes, it is in St. Petersburg. Anyone who wants to see it should know an address that is easy to remember: Primorsky Prospekt, 91. Today it is called Datsan Gunsechoynei. 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 G.V. Baranovsky. The architect tried to follow the traditions and made the temple look like classical Tibetan buildings. A record amount of funds was spent on the construction of Datsan, this is a really expensive temple. The magnificent building is decorated with colorful paints, gilding, cladding, as well as paintings written by the famous artist N. Roerich. You can see eight Buddhist symbols on them.
The difficult fate of the temple
In 1916, services were no longer held 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 stopped 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. Soon after, Datsan was given to the Zoological Institute, and laboratories were located in it.
Assignment of the status of an architectural monument and the return of the temple to believers
In the fall of 1968, the temple 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 must be returned to believers.
Every tourist who came to the city even for a few days should see the temples of St. Petersburg with his own eyes. They amaze with their magnificence, they cannot be forgotten.