At the end of the 19th century, one of the most famous landmarks of St. Petersburg, the multi-domed Church of the Resurrection of Christ. The church was built on the site where Alexander II was murdered by a terrorist group and thus, is also known as the Church of the Savior of the Spilled Blood (or Church of the Spilled Blood, or Church of the Bleeding Savior... the great number of different names can be very confusing.) The church was essentially modelled after St. Basil's cathedral in Moscow in the old Russian style with onion domes, in conscious negation of the former ban by Peter the Great. It is the only architectural testimonial of this style in St. Petersburg. During the Soviet times the building that was erected on the blood of the Tsar served as a potato storage and today houses a museum. The oldest church of the city and the core of the Peter & Paul Fortress on the island is the Peter & Paul Cathedral. The needle-thin golden spire of the building that was designed in the Dutch early baroque style is the most prominent landmark of the city. With the exception of Peter II and Ivan VI, all of the Russian Tsars, starting with Peter the Great, were entombed here. The last Tsar, Nikolas II and his family that were shot in 1918 in Ekaterinburg, were buried here only in 1998, In the middle of the 18th century the baroque St. Nicolas Cathedral was built for the employees for the Admiralty in the mariner district and dedicated to their patron saint. This church is one of the few that was not closed in Soviet times. Its white and blue exterior harmoniously blends into its surroundings, which are dominated by houses and bridges from the 18th century and seems to be worlds away from the hectic city life. The most magnificent church of the city is the truly enormous St. Issacs Cathedral, which with a circumference and height of approximately hundred meters is considered to be one of the largest sacral cupola in the world. Alexander I commissioned Auguste Ricard de Montferrand for its construction following the victory over Napoleon. This construction was supposed to demonstrate Russia's position as a great European power and still today, this impressive dome still dominates the silhouette of the city. With your English-speaking guide you will visit some of the most beautiful and impressive cathedrals of the city, introducing you to the moving past and contemporary history of these cathedrals.