Listed among UNESCO world heritage sites, St. Petersburg has an extraordinary architectural, religious, cultural and literary heritage, which makes it one of the most attractive cities in the world. Its attractions can impress even the most discerning travelers.
The Cathedral of the Resurrection (St. Savior on the Spilled Blood) with its beautiful colorful domes is ranked number 1 on the list of St. Petersburg attractions. This magnificent church is clearly visible from the Nevsky prospect. It was built by Tsar Alexander III beside the Griboedov Channel on the spot of the assassination of his father, Tsar Alexander II the Liberator. The Tsar’s carriage was blown up on March 1, 1881 by a bomb thrown at by members of a revolutionary group calling themselves “People’s will”. The evil irony consists in the fact that this terrorist group assassinated the very Tsar who 20 years earlier had issued the famous Emancipation Manifesto liberating Russian serfs, as a result of which Russian peasants became free of serfdom. It is built in the Old Russian style and strongly reminds of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. The church is richly decorated with beautiful mosaics both inside and outside. Services resumed here after the fall of the Soviet regime and are now held on a regular basis.
The Alexander Nevsky Lavra is a monastery located in the very center of the city. In 2013 it celebrated the 300th anniversary since its foundation. The monastery, surrounded by stone walls and moats, is dominated by the Holy Trinity cathedral housing the holy relics of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky. The monastery is believed to have been built on the very spot where St. Alexander defeated Swedes in 1240 in the famous Neva battle. Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky is the Patron saint of St. Petersburg.