Church of the Spilled Blood in POD by Skrocki's Pieces

The official title for the church is "The Church of the Resurrection of Christ on the Site of the Mortal Wounding of Emperor Alexander II" (phew!), but it commonly goes by "Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood" or "The Church on the Spilled Blood."

The book we bought onsite states that the creation of churches and chapels in honor of memorable events is a long standing tradition that dates back to the early days of Russian architecture. It was Alexander III who wanted the church to be built in the purely Russian style of the 17th century. One of the most impressive things about this beautiful church is that all the images appear to be mosaics. What I loved most about this church was the amazing number of seraphim. There could easily have been around 400 paintings or mosaics on the inside and outside of the church. They buzzed around our heads like bees. 

The relative simplicity and understated elegance of the design, which inspired our necklace above, is what made it stand out amidst the exceedingly ornate surroundings.