Cathedral on Spilled Blood & Waterways (Pre-Book and Save $10*)

This tour offers you an exciting opportunity to view St. Petersburg from a completely different angle. You’ll see the city from the water surrounding its numerous squares, monuments and palaces. Your coach will bring you to the pier in the city center, where you’ll start your fascinating journey through the rivers and canals of the ‘Venice of the North.’ The exact route of your trip will depend on the boat size and traffic conditions of the waterways. You’ll then disembark near the Cathedral on Spilled Blood, where you’ll continue with a tour of this remarkable building. The cathedral was built in 1907 on the spot where the Russian Tsar Alexander II had been assassinated in 1881. In a strikingly original way, the architect Parland incorporated all the features of old Russian churches, embellishing it in exuberant style with ornate decorations loosely modeled on St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow; the result was startling and beautiful. The area covered by mosaics is about 23,000 square feet, believed to be the largest indoor mosaic work in the world. The best painters, masters of mosaic stone carving, ceramic and enamel of the 19th-20th centuries, took part in the decoration of the church.

An outstanding feature of the interior decor is a variety of Italian colored marbles and Russian semi-precious stones. When built, the temple belonged to the Ministry of the Court and was open only a few times a year to a narrow circle of high society. Even so, the mosaic floor was covered with thick carpets. After the revolution of 1917 the church was granted to believers and a parish church opened there. Then the parish was closed and since then, the church served as storage for theatrical sets and scenery props. Restoration of the church started in 1974. It was a very painstaking job; some windows were missing, the floor was covered with water, a shell had damaged the roof of the cathedral during the war, and six square meters of mosaic decoration were destroyed. The restorers employed only the same type of materials and technology used when the cathedral was built, including 30 kinds of rare marble and about 100 types of precious stones. In August of 1997 the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood was opened to the public in all its original extraordinary appearance.

*Price reflected on NCL.com is inclusive of the Pre-Book and Save offer.
Note: Venues and boats are not wheelchair accessible. The Russian government charges a nominal fee to use your camera and video inside various palaces and museums of St. Petersburg. Fees are payable to your guide and exact change is required. The route of your trip will depend on the boat size and traffic conditions of the waterways. Expect congestion and waiting lines at attractions. Boat portion is subject to weather conditions.Tour order may vary.