Veliky Novgorod is an ancient city; for 12 centuries it has stood on the shores of Lake Ilmen. Sights to match the city: the Kremlin is a red-brick tower, the walls with loopholes are twice as old as the Moscow Kremlin. The Open-air Museum of Vitoslavlitsy, which houses wooden huts and houses from past centuries, the Yaroslavl courtyard on the other side of the Volkhva River, the Church of the Transfiguration with the immortal frescoes of the icon painter Theophan the Greek - the art of Veliky Novgorod is concentrated in these sights.
The main attraction is the
St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod, a white stone masterpiece of church architecture. A temple has been standing in the middle of the Novgorod Kremlin since 1050, for nearly a thousand years, since it was built by Kiev craftsmen on the orders of Prince Vladimir of Novgorod, son of
Yaroslav the Wise. The history of the creation of St. Sophia Cathedral is connected with a burnt wooden church of 13 domes built of oak in 989. Vladimir called his father and Princess Irina immediately after the fire, waited for their arrival and, with parental blessing, laid the future church, St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod.
They built the cathedral for five long years and consecrated the temple immediately, without delaying, although there was no interior decoration - no icons, no iconostasis. The murals were made in 1109, and the icons were collected at different times. These were mainly icons of the 14th – 16th centuries. Currently, there are three full-fledged iconostases in St. Sophia Cathedral, the main icon is the “Sign of the Mother of God”. Then there are three icons of the festive row: Great Anthony, Sanctified Sava and Great Euthymius. A special place is occupied by Sofia - God's Wisdom dating from the 15th century, and Ti
Hvinsky
icon of the Virgin of the 16th century.
St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod - five-domed with one staircase tower, which also carries a dome. The central dome is gilded, the rest are leaded. Their form is traditional for Russian churches: it precisely repeats the outline of the heroic helmet. The cathedral is surrounded by galleries on all sides except the east, altar side. On the eastern side are three apses: five-sided in the center and two side semicircular. Galleries carry aisles: the south - the Nativity of the Virgin, the north - John the Theologian. In the western wing of the northern gallery is another aisle - the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist.
The upper part of the cathedral is combined, the roof is divided into semicircular tops - zakomaras and gable roofs, the so-called "tongs". As for the church interior, because of the massive pillars inside it is quite crowded, although the crampedness in the temple is a relative concept. The cathedral gives the impression of a monolithic structure, and this is understandable, since all the walls of Sofia have a thickness of 1.3 meters, which is not found in any Russian church. St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod is unique in many respects, but most importantly - it is the oldest surviving church built by the Slavs.
At the highest point of the temple is a dove cast from lead. He "sits" at the top of the central cross, at a height of 38 meters, and symbolizes the keeper of St. Sophia Cathedral. According to legend, the dove should not leave the cross, because then the prosperity of the city will end. St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod is the highest of all such temples.
There is no belfry in the cathedral. All bells are located in the bell tower, which stands a little further. The main bell weighs two hundred pounds, and the alarm bell is half as much, one hundred pounds. In addition to large bells, there are several small bells in the belfry, whose task is to ring on holidays.