The Church of Prince Dmitry on Blood is the main historical landmark of Uglich. It is located on the bank of the Volga River near the mouth of the Stone Stream. On May 15, 1591, Prince Dmitry, who had legal rights to the succession to the throne, was killed at this place.
At that time, Ivan the Terrible`s son, Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, was on the throne, but he had no children. Prince Dmitry was also the son of Tsar Ivan the Terrible and his seventh wife Maria Nagaya. Their marriage did not receive the blessing of the church, as the church approved only three consecutive marriages.
After the death of Ivan the Terrible and the accession to the throne of Fyodor Ivanovich, Prince Dmitry and his mother were sent to live in Uglich Kremlin. Some boyars questioned his rights to the succession to the throne. But considering that Fyodor Ivanovich had no heirs, Dmitry became the only legitimate heir.
During the reign of Fyodor Ivanovich, Boris Godunov became the real ruler in the state. He claimed the throne himself and his interest in the death of Prince Dmitry is understandable. After the murder of Prince Dmitry, Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich ruled for another 7 years, until 1598. After that, Boris Godunov took the throne, but then the Time of the Turmoil began, which put Russia on the verge of extinction.
The first wooden chapel on the site of the murder of Prince Dmitry was installed at the beginning of the 17th century. In 1606, the Orthodox Church canonized Dmitry to confirm his death. At this time, numerous False-Dmitry appeared who claimed the Russian throne. In 1630, a wooden church was built on the site of the chapel, and in 1692 the construction of the stone Church of Prince Dmitry on Blood was completed. It has survived to this day.
Near the entrance to the Church of Prince Dmitry on Blood, an Exiled Alarm Bell hangs. On May 15, 1591, the residents of Uglich heard the alarm bell ringing. The parents announced to the assembled people that Prince Dmitry had been killed. Maria Nagaya`s entourage blamed Boris Godunov`s people for this. They were immediately killed. However, the state commission, headed by Vasily Shuisky, decided that "the Prince stabbed himself, falling on a knife in a fit of epilepsy sickness."
After the investigation, 200 residents of Uglich were accused of rebellion and executed. About 60 families were exiled to the Pelym prison. The alarm bell, which, according to the commission, incited people to riot, was also punished. He was thrown from the bell tower; his tongue was torn out, whipped and sent to Siberia for exile. The Exiled Alarm Bell has been in Tobolsk for more than 300 years. In 1849, Uglich historians appealed to the Minister of Internal Affairs with a request for the return of the bell. As a result, the bell was returned from exile to the Church of Prince Dmitry on Blood only in 1892, by personal order of Emperor Alexander III.
Of great interest are the frescoes of the church, painted by the artel of the Moscow master Sapozhnikov in 1772. Some of the frescoes depict scenes of the biblical scenes of Adam and Eve: the Knowledge of Sin, Expulsion from Paradise, and others. However, the frescoes depicting the murder of Prince Dmitry are of the greatest value. The frescoes depict the version that the residents of Uglich adhered to, that Prince Dmitry was killed by Boris Godunov`s servants.
