7 Of The Most Spectacular Churches In Russia

Published August 17, 2015
Updated February 8, 2018

5. The Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Kremlin, Moscow

Amazing Churches In Russia

Source: Flickr

Despite its global reputation as a center of espionage and Soviet repression, the Kremlin has been a profoundly spiritual point on the Russian map for over 500 years. Yes, during that entire history the church was inextricably linked to the power of the often-thuggish state, but the sincerity of belief is palpable even today due to the impressive religious art and architecture of Cathedral Square, the centerpiece of Moscow’s Kremlin.

Putin Praying In Russian Church

The cathedral is only steps away from Vladmir Putin’s office, and the Russian leader attended an Orthodox prayer service there in 2012. Source: The Kremlin

Of the four churches there, arguably the most beautiful is the Cathedral of the Annunciation, consecrated in 1489. Behind its white-washed walls and beneath its nine golden domes, this cathedral – like all the Kremlin temples – holds an incredible array of holy iconography, with nearly every inch of wall and ceiling covered by the portrayals of Russian saints.

Russian Churches Cathedral Annunciation

It may not be the biggest cathedral in the Kremlin, but it is arguably the most beautiful. Source: Flickr

6. The Church on Spilt Blood in Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Source: Flickr

The Church on Spilt Blood takes the traditional practice of covering the walls and columns of Russian cathedrals with painted saints to a glorious extreme. The visual experience of stepping inside this strange, holy space is overwhelming, stupefying, rapturous. Over 7,000 square meters of murals stretch from floor to domed ceiling in this spectacular space.

Church Spilled Blood Saint Petersburg

The interior of the Church on Spilt Blood in St. Petersburg is breathtaking. Source: Flickr

Beyond its visual fireworks, the church also marks an historical event. Its gory name refers to the assassination of Tsar Alexander II, who died of gunshot wounds in 1881. Construction on the massive church began two years later as a memorial to the fallen royal.

River Church Saint Petersburg

Source: Flickr

7. St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow

Russian Churches Saint Basil

Source: Flickr

And finally there is St. Basil’s, the iconic, candy-colored cathedral whose cupolas rise like giant dollops of icing atop a cake-baker’s oversized opus. This 16th-century masterpiece stands ironically cattycornered to Lenin’s mausoleum in Moscow’s famous Red Square. The cathedral was built on order of Ivan the Terrible, and its central tent-like tower echoes the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye.

Russian Churches Interior Saint Basil

The interior of St. Basil’s is just as spectacular as the exterior. Source: Flickr

The rainbow of colors was added in the late 1600s onward, and the walls of the interior also bear a flowering of exquisite colors and murals. In many ways, St. Basil’s is the epitome of Russian religious verve – grandiose and linked to an all-powerful state, but also intricate, florid, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Russian Churches Kremlin Basil

Source: Flickr

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Want more Russian-related posts? See what Imperial Russia looked like in color, and brush up on your knowledge of the Romanovs and Joseph Stalin.

author
John
author
John has been writing for All That Is Interesting since 2014 and now lives in Madrid, Spain, where he writes and consults on international development projects in East Africa.
editor
Savannah Cox
editor
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.