Yaroslavl is one of the most popular places included in the Golden Ring. Moreover, it is considered one of the oldest Russian cities. The inclusion of this historical center in the UNESCO World Heritage is not surprising. More than one hundred and forty attractions are concentrated in the city center. This place was historically called the Earth City. However, its residential part, located at the Kremlin fortress, unfortunately, has not been preserved to our days. Nevertheless, the number of tourists is increasing every year. Many people come to see the churches and temples that Yaroslavl is famous for.
sights
What to see in this amazing city? The list will be long enough. Each historical and cultural monument of this popular direction of the Golden Ring is beautiful and interesting in its own way. The Transfiguration Cathedral, built at the beginning of the sixteenth century on the foundation of the destroyed original building, which dates from 1216-1224, is considered one of the oldest buildings in Yaroslavl. In 1787, the monastery became the residence of the archbishops of Rostov and Yaroslavl. In the ensemble of the cathedral, experts separately distinguish the fence and towers, the refectory and the abbot's chambers, as well as the belfry.
What else can I see in this city? It is worth to see the pearl of ancient Russian architecture - the Church of Elijah the Prophet. This unusually beautiful and light in form, but at the same time a solemn temple has five widely set peaks. The composition is complemented by two snow-white tents mounted on the aisle of the Deposition of the Robe and on the bell tower. The Church of Elijah the Prophet amazes with its interior decoration. All the free space in it - vaults, walls and slopes of windows is filled with murals that were made in the 1680-1681 by sixteen craftsmen under the guidance of the famous painters Sila Savina and Guri Nikitin.
Another unique ensemble in the list of attractions of Yaroslavl is the Tolgsky monastery, dating from the seventeenth century. It is located on the left bank of the Volga River within the city. This man’s monastery, considered one of the oldest in Russia, was founded by the Rostov bishop Prokhor, who received the appearance of the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Another attraction is the Chapel of Our Lady of Kazan.
This building is both a chapel, since it contains images of saints, and a monument to the past. An inscription is carved on the stove inside the chapel that it was built in gratitude to the People’s Militia from 1612.
What else can you see in Yaroslavl?
The sights of this ancient city are not only its magnificent churches and temples, but also museums and architectural monuments. In 1975, the Cosmos Museum was built in the homeland of V. Tereshkova in Yaroslavl. Its exposition is compiled by specialists on the basis of an extensive collection that includes many unique monographic materials related to the life of this famous woman. The museum also has numerous items that reflect the history of space exploration. Among them - the descent vehicle, which has already become a relic, as well as the lodgement and spacesuits of the Tereshkova period.
Music lovers will enjoy a visit to the Memorial House Museum, named after L. V. Sobinov. It is located in a cozy eighteenth-century mansion in which this great singer was born. The house contains relics of three generations of the Sobinov family.
Among other attractions of Yaroslavl, tourists are offered to visit the Museum of Entertaining Sciences. Here you can find yourself in a soap bubble, meet cryogenic Christmas and be surprised at many other things. This city, located on the banks of Mother Volga, occupies a special place in the history of Russia. That is why tourists are so interested in Yaroslavl, attractions.
What to see in one of the brightest pearls of the Golden Ring of Russia? This is the question that interests tourists who are coming here for the first time. The whole appearance of Yaroslavl seems to be permeated by the unique charm of antiquity inherent in many of Russia's oldest cities in Russia. There are more than eight hundred cultural and historical monuments, among which one of the main places is the Church of St. John the Baptist in Tolchkov.
History of creation
Another name for this temple is the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist. It represents the top of the school of architecture of Yaroslavl of the seventeenth century.
Legend has it that at the site where the Church of St. John the Baptist is located today, a convent was once located in Tolchkov. In 1609, he was devastated by the Poles.
The earliest testimonies of the church are contained in a letter written by the Rostov Metropolitan for the construction and consecration of the church. It was originally a wooden structure. However, the settlement needed a warm temple, and therefore in 1658 the parish received permission to build a warm church.
However, misfortune happened, and the building was destroyed by a fire. And then the parishioners build a new church, just as small. But the inhabitants of the settlement wanted their parish to have a more grandiose structure. And they decided to build such a temple, which had not yet been in the city. They became the Church of St. John the Baptist (Yaroslavl).
Description
The architectural ensemble of the temple consists of several main buildings. This is the Church of St. John the Baptist in Tolchkov, the Holy Gates and the bell tower. It is the main temple of the settlement. Grandiose in size, fantastic in silhouette, this ensemble looks very unusual. And this gave rise to many legends, for example, that the temple was built by masters from Bukhara or Holland. But the Church of St. John the Baptist (Yaroslavl) does not have a single detail that would not be characteristic of Russian architecture.
It was built in the likeness of the church of John Chrysostom (Cowsheds). Nevertheless, the builders managed to surpass the analogue, both in terms of layout and compositional solutions.
Interior
For interior decoration, the inhabitants of the settlement invited the best masters of “wall writing”. The Church of St. John the Baptist in Tolchkov is painted with the art team of Yaroslavl artists. It is considered a real encyclopedia of biblical and gospel stories. The mural paintings of the temple are considered the highest point in the development of the decorative style of the school of Yaroslavl painting of the 17th-18th centuries. The temple iconography of John the Forerunner of ancient Greek writing is especially revered. They resort to it to heal a headache. The icons of the Passion of the Lord and Our Lady of Fedor contain particles of holy relics. But the rarest shrine is a satin white antimins, consecrated in 1704 by Saint Demetrius.
Holy gate
Exceptional picturesque silhouette of the temple gives its graceful entrance. The holy gate was built at the same time as the temple. They are located along the central axis of the ensemble, making up a single composition with it.
An octagon is installed on the quadruple, which has a wide arched passage, designed for solemn processions of believers. Cut through by high openings, it ends with yet another, but smaller one. The holy gates are crowned with a glaucus and a cross.
Bell tower
Churches of St. John the Baptist attribute the title of the highest church in Yaroslavl. At the end of the seventeenth century, a six-tier pillar-shaped bell tower was built next to it. It belongs to the style of “Moscow Baroque”. Its four upper tiers of the bell tower cut through the arches of ringing. The height of the building is forty-five meters. In the outlines of the bell tower and in the choice of its decorative elements, experts note Western European influence.
Traditions
From the first day of its existence, the Church of St. John the Baptist, whose address is 2nd Zakotorosolnaya Embankment, building 69, has provided shelter for many poor people. There was an almshouse with her. In 1892, a special house with a tea room and a library was built under her, where the sobriety society was located. Since 1898, rector Theodore Uspensky began publishing a unique magazine called Parish Life, the only one of its kind in the province. The Church of St. John the Baptist (Yaroslavl) is under the auspices of UNESCO.