In Veliky Novgorod, next to the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, there is an old Russian temple, an architectural monument of the 17th century - the Znamensky Cathedral. Its construction was completed in 1688. Previously, this place was the ancient, declining Church of the Sign (XIV century).
The legend of the cathedral
In 1170, the troops of Suzdal, consisting of thousands of soldiers, attacked Novgorod, and only thanks to the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the defenders defended the city. According to legend, during his siege for several days, Archbishop Elijah prayed for the salvation of Novgorod. Then he took the icon in the Church of the Savior and set it to face the attackers on the fortress wall. The arrow of the attackers fell into the holy face, but the icon turned its face away and a tear rolled down it. And at that moment the invaders lost their sight, and their large army was defeated.
Whether this is true or just fiction is unknown, but even today, on the icon, you can see the trace, as the locals say, from that same arrow. Victory became a true miracle, since the forces of the enemy were many times greater than the forces of the besieged. In honor of the icon that saved the city, local residents built the Church of the Sign. But by 1682 it was dilapidated, and it was decided to build a stone cathedral in its place.
Znamensky Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod: the history of construction
He initiated and organized the construction of the temple, which was supposed to store the city shrine - the icon of the Mother of God (it became known as the “Sign”), Metropolitan Cornelius. The construction of the cathedral was funded by the Hagia Sophia. Moscow archers participated in laying and building walls. Carpentry work involved two groups of Novgorod craftsmen.
In the second half of November 1687, the temple was consecrated by Metropolitan Kornilii of Novgorod and Velikiy Lutsk. In 1696, the cathedral burned, but was restored and repaired. Three years later (1699), iconostases were installed in the aisles and the main altar. Their exquisite carved frames were made in a rather rare through threading technique. History has preserved the names of two carvers who took part in this delicate work: Vasily Kobylinsky and Ivan Timofeev. In 1702, under Metropolitan Job, the walls of the temple were painted. For this, an artel of icon painters from Kostroma, headed by I.Ya., was hired. Bakhmatov.
During the Second World War the Znamensky Cathedral was badly damaged. In Veliky Novgorod, many structures were completely destroyed, but the temple stood. The German command used it under the barracks. For heating, the German soldiers broke the floors, the carved frames of the iconostases were also burned. Smoke and soot greatly damaged wall paintings and murals. Most of the icons were taken out and today their fate remains unknown.
Temple restoration
Huge and painstaking work on the restoration and restoration of the cathedral was done by employees of the Novgorod scientific restoration workshop. In the mid-fifties, they carried out restoration and repair work in the building. In 60-70 years. large-scale restoration work was carried out in the temple, led by G.M. Stender.
After the war, Moscow artists V. G. Bryusova and G. S. Bathel began the restoration of wall painting. Their work was continued by Novgorod artists in 1974.
Cathedral Description
The Znamensky Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod is a typical structure for 17th-century churches, although its architectural forms are more reminiscent of Yaroslavl. The cathedral is located near the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior. Such a neighborhood allows you to see the difference in the architectural styles of the two buildings.
The Znamensky Church in Veliky Novgorod is a five-domed, four-pillar structure consisting of a basement, a two-story bypass gallery and three apses.
Facades
The facades separated by shoulder blades and crowned with false zakomaras are decorated with paintings. A frieze runs along the perimeter, with a characteristic pattern for Kostroma and Moscow buildings. The Znamensky Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod (we placed the photo in this article) is decorated with internal and external murals. Painted even the arches of the porch at the holy gate. The painting was carried out by the icon painter I. Bakhmatov and his thirty assistants - artists from Kostroma.
Unlike the Novgorod school, the painting of the Znamensky Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod turned out to be more realistic, according to experts, even rude. Each picture is different from the rest of the images. But despite this, looking at the temple, there is a harmony of color and style.
Interior decoration
The painting inside the temple is the same peculiar, characterized by a pronounced secular character. On the western wall of the Znamensky Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod, you can see the paintings of The Last Judgment. Interestingly, one of the figures in this painting is very reminiscent of Peter I.
In addition to wall paintings, the temple previously housed a large collection of unique icons. The most famous of them and the most revered was the image of the Mother of God “The Sign” and “Savior Emmanuel”, in which Jesus Christ is depicted in adolescence. Today, the Znamenskaya icon is kept in the St. Sophia Cathedral of the Novgorod Kremlin. Miraculously, two more icons that were in the iconostasis of the cathedral survived. Today they are transferred to Novgorod museums.
Cathedral today
The Znamensky Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod (address: Ilyich St., 26) is not a functioning church. There are no divine services and no church rites. But everyone can see this architectural monument with amazing monumental painting. The Znamensky Cathedral of Veliky Novgorod has amazing acoustics, which is why classical and sacred music often sounds here. This is one of the best acoustic halls in Europe. More recently, chamber choirs from European countries performed here, concerts of church chants were held.
Znamensky Cathedral (Veliky Novgorod): how to get there?
By car, go to Veliky Novgorod on the M10 highway, then along ul. Moscow to the intersection with the street. Big Moscow. Then turn left and follow to the intersection with ul. Ilyina. Turn left again and after about two hundred meters you will find yourself at the temple.
From the Novgorod Kremlin, you can go through the pedestrian bridge to the opposite side of the Volkhov River. Further we pass to Ilyin street and we follow along it directly to the temple. The journey will take you about fifteen minutes.