In the small town of Tutaev, Yaroslavl region, which is part of the so-called Golden Ring of Russia, many ancient monuments are preserved. Of particular value are the ancient temples of the city. The Resurrection Cathedral of Tutaev is a unique architectural monument of the 17th century. It will be discussed in this article.
Tutaev City: Resurrection Cathedral and its features
Between Rybinsk and Yaroslavl, just in the middle, is this ancient settlement. 30 kilometers from the regional center, upstream of the Volga River, is the city of Tutaev. The Resurrection Cathedral is one of its most famous monuments.
This tourist attraction has three features:
- the famous icon of the Savior of the 15th century is stored in the temple (it is older than the cathedral itself!) - the largest image of Christ the Savior in Russia (its parameters: 3.2 by 2.8 meters);
- the interior of the summer temple of the cathedral is decorated with a unique carved 8-tier iconostasis;
- in the Resurrection Cathedral of Tutaev, XVII century murals are perfectly preserved.
Of course, it’s better to see all this once with your own eyes, than to view dozens of photos on the Internet.
Resurrection Cathedral of Tutaev: general description of the monument
The Resurrection Cathedral can be found in the western half of Tutaev, which was formerly known as the Borisoglebskaya Sloboda. The cathedral majestically rises above the city, which is especially noticeable either from the left bank of the city, or from the river itself. It is on the Volga river that the altar part of the cathedral looks; north of the building is a ravine. Around the church there is a fence made of bricks with gates, as well as a bell tower, which is located separately and was installed at the same time as the cathedral itself.
The cathedral has two chapels: the south, which was consecrated in honor of Boris and Gleb, and the north, consecrated in honor of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. Around the temple there is a gallery resting on arches in which the windows of the lower temple are visible: the lower arcade used to be open, but now it is glazed. Both aisles are located in the gallery, and their small drums have small chapters.
Light enters the central part of the cathedral through the windows above the gallery, as well as through light drums. Another light source for the building is the small windows between the gallery and the central part.
Two porches lead to the gallery: north and south, which faces the central part of the city; each of them is not centered, but slightly shifted to the left. Buttresses support the walls of the northern aisle. In the altar there are triple semicircular absides in two tiers.
Shrine History
The Resurrection Cathedral of Tutaev was built by unknown masters from the city of Yaroslavl in 1652-1678, that is, almost thirty years. Initially, it was planned to carry out the reconstruction of the temple of Boris and Gleb, but during the course of the work the plan changed, and a cathedral was erected in Sloboda. It is interesting that now you can find in it some objects that are older than the building itself, since after its construction small and old churches were destroyed, and all their decoration ended up in the cathedral.
In the XVIII century, the cathedral underwent some restructuring - for example, the upper part of the bell tower was slightly modified, due to which it became somewhat lower. During the Soviet Union, the temple was not closed, which allowed to keep it intact. That is why art historians did not investigate its decoration to the end.
Architectural Features and Decor
The people who were responsible for the creation of the temple were able to correctly calculate the proportions and proportionality of its main components. The impressive arches that carry the gallery presented their silhouette in the beautiful gallery windows with ornaments. Also, this silhouette can be found in semicircles of false zakomar, which are brightly and beautifully painted.
The cathedral is given even greater beauty by its rich decoration in the form of murals, a tile, and curly masonry. In addition to the gallery, the upper part of the main structure also boasts the beauty of decor, which was an innovation for that time.
The building of the cathedral houses a huge number of ancient icons and wooden sculptures.
The interior of the cathedral: icons and murals
The iconostasis at the cathedral is gilded and made in the XVIII century, but it is not very similar to most of the iconostases of that time - it does not have the excessive splendor that is characteristic of Baroque creations.
Two icons can be especially noted in the cathedral. The first is a gigantic, three meter, image of the Savior the All-Merciful. Another significant icon that can be found on the south wall of the cathedral is Oranta.
The artel of artists from Yaroslavl painted the cathedral in 1860, their work can be noted for a large number of different biblical subjects, among which the Old Testament stories dominate. For example, the south wall of the gallery depicts the life of the first people, Adam and Eve in paradise. On the western wall is presented one of the most famous biblical stories - Noah and his salvation from the Flood. The north wall retells the story of Jonah. In this painting, it is especially curious how one of the Yaroslavl artists portrayed a whale - here it looks more like just a huge fish.
The western wall of the main temple is painted with a picture that depicts the Last Judgment. The murals are provided with commentaries, among which are both biblical quotes and poetry by Simeon of Polotsk.
Another hallmark of the cathedral is the painting on the exterior walls. The walls of the center are decorated with false curtains, on the surface of which were murals; In addition, on the walls you can also find several icon-painting murals. The frescoes that are on the outside of the temple have been remade more than once through oil painting.
Finally...
The Resurrection Cathedral of Tutaev is a most valuable monument of architecture and art, built in the second half of the 17th century. This shrine, as well as other attractions of the city annually attract a huge number of tourists and pilgrims.