While it's officially called the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, this 1907 memorial cathedral is better known by the moniker the Church of the Spilled Blood. Built on the spot where Alexander II was mortally wounded by a terrorist in 1881, it is also the exception to the rule in this classical and Baroque northern capital. With bright colors as well as copiously enameled and elaborately patterned cupolas, arcades, and arches, the church is a riot of medieval frippery. The interior is covered entirely in mosaics in a style that seamlessly blends Byzantine traditions with the Art Nouveau movement of the early 20th century. Although Soviet authorities deemed the cathedral "of no artistic merit" and used it as a warehouse, it miraculously survived and was finally reopened in 1997 after nearly 30 years of restoration. At 2A Naberezhnaya Kanal Griboyedova; 7-812/315-1636.
