St. Sophia Cathedral was founded on the site. St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod - a thousand-year-old masterpiece
Sights to match the city: a red-brick tower Kremlin, walls with loopholes twice as old as the Moscow Kremlin. The open-air Vitoslavlitsa Museum, where wooden huts and houses from past centuries are collected, Yaroslav's Courtyard on the other bank of the Volkhva River, the Church of the Transfiguration with immortal frescoes by the icon painter Theophan the Greek - the art of Veliky Novgorod is concentrated in these attractions.
The main attraction is in Novgorod, a white stone masterpiece of church architecture. The temple has stood in the middle of the Novgorod Kremlin since 1050, almost a thousand years, since it was built by Kyiv craftsmen on the orders of the Novgorod prince Vladimir, son. The history of the creation of the St. Sophia Cathedral is connected with a wooden temple with 13 domes, built of oak in 989. Vladimir called his father and Princess Irina immediately after the fire, waited for their arrival and, with his parents’ blessing, laid the foundation for the future temple, St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod.
They built the cathedral for five long years and consecrated the temple immediately, without delay, even though there was no interior decoration - no icons, no iconostasis. The paintings were done in 1109, and the icons were collected in different times. These were mainly icons of the XIV-XVI centuries. Currently, there are three full-fledged iconostases in the St. Sophia Cathedral, the main icon is “The Sign” Mother of God" Then three icons of the festive row: the Great Anthony, the Consecrated Savva and the Great Euthymius. A special place is occupied by Sophia - Divine Wisdom, dating back to the 15th century, and Ti
Khvinskaya XVI century.
St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod is five-domed with one staircase tower, which also carries a dome. The central dome is gilded, the rest are leaded. Their shape is traditional for Russian churches: it exactly follows the contour of the hero’s helmet. The cathedral is surrounded by galleries on all sides except the eastern, altar side. On the eastern side there are three apses: a pentagonal one in the center and two side semicircular ones. The galleries contain chapels: the southern one - the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, the northern one - St. John the Evangelist. In the western wing of the northern gallery there is another chapel - the Beheading of John the Baptist.
The upper part of the cathedral is combined, the roof is divided into semicircular toppings - zakomara and gable, the so-called “tongs”. As for the church interior, due to the massive pillars it is quite cramped inside, although crampedness in a church is a relative concept. The cathedral gives the impression of a monolithic structure, and this is quite understandable, since all the walls of Sofia are 1.3 meters thick, which cannot be found in any Russian temple. 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 there is a dove cast from lead. He “sits” on the top of the central cross, at a height of 38 meters, and symbolizes the guardian of the St. Sophia Cathedral. According to legend, the dove should not leave the cross, because then the well-being of the city will end. St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod is the tallest of all such temples.
There is no belfry in the cathedral. All the bells are located in the bell tower, which stands a little further away. The main bell weighs two hundred pounds, and the alarm bell weighs half as much, one hundred pounds. In addition to the large bells, the belfry contains several small bells, whose task is to ring on holidays.
History of St. Sophia Cathedral
St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod, an outstanding monument of ancient Russian architecture and the oldest surviving Orthodox church in Russia, was erected by the Novgorod prince Vladimir Yaroslavovich at the behest of his father, the Kyiv prince Yaroslav the Wise. The construction of the temple took five years: work was carried out from 1045 to 1050. It was consecrated by Bishop Luke (Luka Zhidyata), a Russian priest, whom Prince Yaroslav the Wise, despite the objections of the Constantinople clergy, chose as the successor of the Novgorod bishop, the Greek Joachim.
Luke, who became the first bishop of Russian origin, is revered as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church. He is also known for being the author of the first proper Russian work of spiritual literature, “Instruction to the Brethren,” which is of significant historical and cultural interest.
For centuries, the St. Sophia Cathedral was the spiritual center of the Novgorod Republic - Russian medieval state, which existed from 1136 to 1478.
In 1478, the Novgorod Republic became part of the Moscow state. Under the reigning Moscow Prince Ivan III at that time, St. Sophia Cathedral established itself as one of the main churches of the united state. Since then, all Russian tsars considered it their duty to bow to the shrines of the temple, to leave here the memory of themselves and their deeds.
Surviving icons, precious utensils, embroidered covers, shrouds, handwritten and early printed books carry to this day the names of famous donors - kings and boyars, clergy and secular patrons of the arts. All the great battles of the Russian army were accompanied by donations and contributions to the St. Sophia Cathedral. But precious relics were often destroyed over the centuries. Damage to the authenticity of the temple was caused during the period of Peter the Great, when the ancient artistic heritage was vigorously supplanted by secular culture, and in the 19th century during synodal renovations.
The St. Sophia Cathedral suffered most of all in the 20th century. In 1922, during the campaign carried out by the Soviet authorities to confiscate religious property, the church property was mostly requisitioned, and in 1929 the authorities completely closed the temple for worship. Its premises housed an anti-religious museum, where the treasures that the cathedral sacristy hid were displayed - this was supposed to expose the church, demonstrating its “unrighteous” wealth.
It should be said that St. Sophia Cathedral was not only a religious building. Its huge dungeons housed the city treasury and numerous treasures not only of religious origin. Actually, the decision to create a museum, made thanks to the efforts of the Society of Antiquity Lovers, whose members were part of the commission for the confiscation of valuables, made it possible to preserve and leave historical relics in the cathedral.
During the Great Patriotic War The temple was looted by the invaders, the building was damaged by shelling and bombing. After the war, the building was restored and included in the Novgorod Museum-Reserve.
In 1991, St. Sophia Cathedral was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarch of All Rus' Alexy II consecrated the temple on August 16 of the same year. Today it has the status of a cathedral of the Novgorod Metropolis.
Architecture
The first stone in the foundation of the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral was laid on May 21 (June 3), 1045, on the Day of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen. According to legend, on this day the wooden “thirteen-headed” Church of Sofia, the first temple of the Wisdom of God in the Slavic lands, burned down (“ascended”). Other sources claim that the church burned down in the year the construction of the new temple was completed, but there is no exact confirmation for both versions.
By this time, St. Sophia Cathedral, built in the Byzantine style, had already risen in Kyiv. It may seem that the temple in Novgorod largely repeats the Kiev model. This is partly true: after all, in the first half of the 11th century, the tradition of erecting structures made of stone had not yet developed. Probably, Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich invited master stonemasons from Kyiv or even from Constantinople itself.
The building materials and technique of mixed masonry made of stone and plinth are almost similar to the Kyiv buildings. The masonry is sealed with cement - pink lime mortar mixed with crushed brick.
Both churches are five-aisled, with galleries and staircase towers, and extensive choirs. However, the traditional cross-domed system in the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral was supplemented by chapels, the basis of which were three pre-existing small chapels. The architects combined them into a single temple complex, connecting them with additional galleries.
These architectural volumes have become distinctive feature the appearance of Sofia of Novgorod. They determined the height of the vaults of the temple core and the method of covering the roof. The need to link the levels of all buildings combined into one building led to the addition of walls and the construction of supporting arches (akbutans). The forced increase in the height of the choirs, domed spaces and other volumes of the cathedral were non-canonical for Byzantine and Kyiv church architecture. These elongated proportions later became a distinctive feature of Novgorod temple architecture itself.
The interior walls of the St. Sophia Cathedral are filled with golosniks - specially made ceramic vessels. Their location is carefully thought out. The openings of most voice vessels are directed towards the outer space, but some vessels have their necks facing inwards. Thanks to this alternation, excellent acoustics are ensured in a large volume of the temple, while echo is eliminated. The golosniks have another purpose: the spherical shape gives the vessels special strength, and since they are hollow, the weight of the dome is significantly reduced. Accordingly, the load of the massive structure on the support drum, load-bearing arches and brick vaults is reduced.
The temple has five domes, the sixth crowning the staircase tower, which is located in the western gallery south of the entrance. They are made in a shape reminiscent of ancient Russian helmets. From the cross of the middle dome, first gilded back in the 15th century, a lead dove has been looking at the city for almost a millennium. According to legend, having sat down to rest on a towering cross, the bird saw the torment of the Novgorodians, to which Ivan the Terrible doomed them by sending his guardsmen here. The dove was petrified with horror. According to legend, Novgorod will exist until its winged symbol flies away.
The belfry of St. Sophia Cathedral was built in the 17th century. You can climb it and view the picturesque surroundings from above. Exhibitions of bells are periodically held here.
Murals of St. Sophia Cathedral
Probably, the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod began to be painted immediately after construction was completed. But all that remains of the original painting are fragments of the frescoes of the central dome, which depict figures of prophets and archangels. The image of Christ Pantocrator, which was located in the center of the painting, was destroyed as a result of a direct hit on the temple by a shell during the Great Patriotic War.
In addition, in the Martiryevskaya porch, under later paintings, restorers managed to discover an ancient wall image of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen. There is an opinion that this fresco was supposed to become the basis for a mosaic, since it was made in rough form with fairly diluted paints.
The painting of the St. Sophia Cathedral now presented mainly refers to end of the 19th century century.
Relics
The temple is famous for its iconostasis. The main one is decorated with icons of the 15th-16th centuries, among them Sophia, the Wisdom of God (15th century). It stands out for its mystical symbolism: the image is dominated by scarlet tones - Wisdom in the Novgorod version is red, meaning the sacrifice of Christ.
On the Nativity iconostasis there is the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God (XVI century). She consecrated the conclusion of the Stolbovsky Peace, which put an end to the Russian-Swedish war of 1614-1617. She is dressed in a chasuble made to order from Princess Sophia. On the same iconostasis is the image of “The Savior on the Throne” from the 14th century, as well as images from the 16th-19th centuries.
The primary shrine of St. Sophia Cathedral is the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign,” especially revered in the Orthodox world. The Mother of God is depicted on it with her arms outstretched to the sides, palms open, that is, in a traditional gesture indicating intercessory prayer. This iconographic type of image of the Mother of God is called Oranta. According to legend, the icon saved the inhabitants of Novgorod from the siege Suzdal prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in 1170
The western façade of St. Sophia Cathedral is decorated with the Magdeburg Gates, which are also called the Korsun Gates, Plot Gates, and Sigtuna Gates. They are made of bronze, in the Romanesque style and covered with numerous high reliefs and sculptures depicting Gospel scenes. The gates served as the main entrance to the temple for many centuries. Today they are open only on holidays, during the hours of service conducted by the Archbishop of Novgorod and Staraya Russa.
According to one of the versions, which most appealed to the residents of Novgorod, the gate was made in 1153 in Magdeburg, and is a trophy of the Novgorodians who went on a military campaign against the Swedish capital of Sigtuna in 1187. People wrote about the beauty of the gate, skillfully created by Western European craftsmen legends. According to one legend, in the 17th century, when Novgorod was occupied by the troops of the Swedish king, the monarch ordered the relic, lost five centuries ago, to be delivered to his homeland. Fortunately, the Swedes were not able to remove the massive gates from the main Novgorod temple.
The main cross of St. Sophia Cathedral also became a legend. On July 5, 1942, Soviet troops fired at the German commandant’s office located on the territory of the Novgorod Kremlin. Five of the 80 shells fired caused significant damage to the temple. The dome was significantly damaged by the explosions. The Germans used its gold lining for souvenirs, which they sent home in the form of plates, snuff boxes and other soldier’s handicrafts. The cross hanging on chains along with the guardian dove went to the German allies - the Spaniards: the personnel of the engineering corps of their Blue Division were based in the city. The temple relic was taken to Spain as a trophy, and until the beginning of this century it was in Madrid. Her temporary shelter was the chapel of the Museum of the Military Engineering Academy.
Since the beginning of the 2000s, negotiations have been going on between Russia and Spain regarding the return of the cross to their homeland. Based on the results of the conversation Russian President With the king of Spain, the Spaniards agreed to return the relic. An exact copy of it remains in Madrid.
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From the very moment of its foundation, and this happened at the dawn of the 11th century, the Novgorod Hagia Sophia Cathedral was and remains to this day one of the symbols of this ancient Russian city. Built “in the image and likeness” of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, it still has its own characteristics and itself becomes a model for the Novgorod style of churches. The majestic, powerful building made of durable stone is crowned with five domes in the shape of helmets of ancient Russian warriors, four of which are lead-colored, and the fifth sparkles in the sun with golden reflections.
In fairness, it must be said that the St. Sophia Cathedral that has reached its contemporaries is its second incarnation. For the first time, the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod was created from wood by skilled Novgorod carpenters. However, the building stood for about half a century and burned to the ground in another fire. After this, Prince Vladimir (son of Yaroslav the Wise) decided to build a stone church, similar to the Kiev St. Sophia Cathedral, so beloved by his father. Actually, the craftsmen for construction were called from Kyiv - in Novgorod at that time the construction of wooden buildings was practiced.
The walls of the cathedral hid (and perhaps truly guard some treasures to this day) many treasures and hiding places, where the wealth of wealthy Novgorodians and Prince Vladimir himself were kept. According to legend, it was his “burial place” that was found by Ivan the Terrible, who learned about the hiding place from nowhere. However, the tsar precisely indicated the place where the treasures were embedded in the wall of the church, and transported them to Moscow. In addition to personal treasures, the treasury of the Novgorod Republic was also kept in the caches of the cathedral.
St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod
Interiors and architecture of the cathedral
The Korsun or Sigtuna Gate is a military trophy that the Novgorodians brought from the conquered Swedish city of Sigtuna. The gate is a rare example of artistic casting Western Europe, which dates back to the 12th century. They were made by craftsmen from Magdeburg, Germany, depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments on bronze plates. Above the plots there are explanatory inscriptions in Latin, and just below there is a translation into Russian. At the very bottom there are 3 figures of foundry workers: two German authors and a Novgorod master who assembled and completed the gate before installation in the church.
Another relic of the cathedral, which in the 70s of the 16th century Ivan the Terrible took to Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, is the Vasilievsky Gate.
Another relic of the cathedral, which in the 70s of the 16th century Ivan the Terrible took to Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, is the Vasilievsky Gate. They are also a striking example of the filigree craftsmanship of the Middle Ages. The gate received its name from the name of the customer - Archbishop Vasily Kalika, whose portrait the master immortalized on the gate. The Vasilyevsky Gates, made of copper and decorated with gold, depict gospel scenes. Not without Kitovras (a centaur from legends), whom the masters of ancient Novgorod loved to portray. The same character is immortalized on the Sigtuna Gate.
History of the construction of the cathedral
Built from slabs of limestone and shell rock, at first the cathedral was lighter and more welcoming both outside and inside. The initially untreated stone was plastered in the mid-12th century, softening the rough appearance, and interior decoration The cathedral shone with richly decorated icon frames and precious utensils. During its history, St. Sophia Cathedral has undergone many changes and reconstructions (they were laid open galleries, which “did not take root” in the cold climate, and the cathedral acquired a more austere “gloomy” appearance, later the “Golden” porch was added), “grew” into the ground almost 1.5 meters and was even plundered by the guardsmen of Ivan the Terrible, who were taken out of sacristy icons, bells and precious utensils, and even broke down the famous Korsun Gate.
After reconstructions in the Middle Ages and destruction caused during the Great Patriotic War (at that time the carved wooden vestibule and iconostasis were taken from the cathedral to Nazi Germany, however, they were later found and returned to their homeland), this temple of God acquired a gloomy, austere, even a stern look. The interior space is not very well divided by the iconostasis with icons dating from the 14th to 16th centuries, the frescoes of the 11th century have faded greatly, and most of them have not survived to this day. The reason for this is the unsuccessful restoration work that was carried out in the Hagia Sophia at the beginning of the 20th century, and the military actions of the First World War.
Fortunately, on the ancient plaster, which has survived to this day, scientists were able to find inscriptions of parishioners who lived in the 11th-13th centuries - about various events in the city, texts of prayers and... autographs, and during excavations, samples of mosaics were discovered, which decorated the pillars in front of the altar and fragments of the floor. Also, some volumes from the once rich library that was collected in the St. Sophia Cathedral have survived to this day - historical chronicles, collections of recipes and descriptions of herbs, mathematical treatises.
As a tomb, the Novgorod Cathedral of Sophia serves the saints Princess Anna (the wife of Yaroslav the Wise), Prince Vladimir (the founder of the cathedral and the son of Yaroslav the Wise) and his wife Alexandra, Princes Fyodor and Mstislav (brother and grandfather of Alexander Nevsky), Archbishops Nikita and John. Also in this temple, other noble princes, the first archbishops and canonized saints were buried.
With the Bolsheviks coming to power in the late 1920s, services in the temple were stopped and an anti-religious museum was opened within its walls, putting on public display the “countless riches” of the church from among the jewelry that was kept in the sacristy. After the war, the destruction caused to the St. Sophia Cathedral was eliminated, and until the early 90s of the last century it was a department of the Novgorod Museum-Reserve. And on August 16, 1991, in a solemn ceremony, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II consecrated the St. Sophia Cathedral of Veliky Novgorod, which was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Address: Kremlin Territory, 11
Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral- one of the most outstanding monuments of ancient Russian architecture. This is the oldest surviving ancient Russian temple in Russia. Built by Prince Vladimir, the son of Yaroslav the Wise, in 1045 - 1050, St. Sophia Cathedral already in the 30s of the 12th century ceased to be a princely temple, turning into the main temple of the Novgorod Republic. Until today, Novgorod Sophia is a symbol of the city, and the words spoken by Mstislav the Great in the distant 12th century: “Where St. Sophia is, there is Novgorod” still excite the hearts of the townspeople.
St. Sophia Cathedral is a five-nave, three-apse, ten-pillar temple. Wide two-story galleries adjoin it on three sides (except the eastern one). The cathedral has five chapters, the sixth crowns the staircase tower, located in the western gallery south of the entrance. The heads of the chapters are made in the shape of ancient Russian helmets.
St. Sophia Cathedral. 2011
The main volume of the cathedral (without galleries) is 27 m long and 24.8 m wide; together with the galleries, the length is 34.5 m, width 39.3 m. The height from the level of the ancient floor, located 2 meters below the modern one, to the top of the cross of the central chapter is 38 m. The walls of the temple, having a thickness of 1.2 m, are made of limestone of different shades. The stones are not finished (only the side facing the surface of the walls is hewn) and are fastened with lime mortar with admixtures of crushed brick (cement). The arches, arched lintels and vaults are made of brick. The interior is close to the Kyiv temple, although the proportions of the vertically elongated arches and narrow vertical compartments between the pillars are noticeably different. Thanks to this, the interior has a different character. Some details were simplified: the triple arcades were replaced by two-bay ones (later their lower tiers were replaced by wide arches). The cathedral itself has not been rebuilt throughout its ten-century history. It was being repaired after fires and wars, which did not affect it much. The walls of Sofia were covered with plaster, and the domes with lead; the main dome was gilded in the 15th century under Archbishop Ivan Kalik.
The first churches apparently appeared in Novgorod immediately after the adoption of Christianity at the turn of the 10th - 11th centuries. One of the first churches in the city was the Church of Hagia Sophia, which is often called the predecessor of the stone St. Sophia Cathedral. Historians will argue about whether this wooden church actually existed until researchers manage to find its remains during archaeological excavations. In the oldest chronicle that has survived to this day, the Novgorod First Chronicle, it is only reported that in 1049 the church burned down. “At the 4th month of March, on the Sabbath day, Saint Sophia was burned; Beasha is honestly built and decorated, 13 the top of the property, and there stood St. Sophia at the end of Piskuple Street, where Sotka has now built the church of the stone of St. Boris and Gleb above Volkhov.” Some researchers consider this entry to be a fiction of the chronicler, since there is no other information about the wooden Sophia. However, the old church is described in too much detail and its location is precisely indicated.
Photo from 1900. Author: AeJse Trasarebre Construction of the first stone cathedral of Veliky Novgorod began in 1045 and continued either until 1050 or until 1052 (according to various sources). Initially, the walls of the temple were not whitewashed, with the exception of the curved apses and drums, covered with a layer of cement. The inner sides of the walls were also exposed, while the vaults were originally plastered with cement and covered with frescoes. This design was chosen under the influence of the architecture of Constantinople, in which marble wall cladding was combined with mosaics on the vaults; however, marble was replaced by limestone and mosaics by frescoes.
The Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral was built by masters from Kyiv and Byzantium. One can imagine how the almost 40-meter stone temple, erected in just a few years, influenced the Novgorodians of the mid-11th century: surrounded by the very first oak walls of the Kremlin, among the wooden houses and courtyards of a very young city, on the banks of the Volkhov River, which was then part of a busy commercial route.
St. Sophia Cathedral on a cupura 5 rubles. Sample from 1997. The dedication of the Cathedral of Sophia is actually a dedication to God, which refers to Sophia of Constantinople, and even more anciently to the Temple of Wisdom built by Solomon.
As a result of research led by Gregory Shtender, it was established that initially the galleries of St. Sophia Cathedral were built open in the image of the Kyiv and Constantinople churches. Having already begun construction work, the architects decided to change the project and close the galleries due to the colder Novgorod climate.
The first painting of the temple began immediately after its construction in the middle of the 11th century. The few frescoes from that period that have survived to this day include “ Konstantin and Elena”, obviously written by Byzantine masters. The main work on painting the St. Sophia Cathedral was carried out in the 12th century, in 1108-1109 and 1144. Thanks to the slight weakness of the masters, who left several of their autographs as souvenirs, and also thanks to a happy accident that allowed the ancient frescoes to survive all the vicissitudes of the history of Novgorod over nine centuries, we know that one of the masters who painted the St. Sophia Cathedral in the 12th century was named Stefan. He was apparently the master monk who led the work. In one of the graffiti, Stefan even depicted himself with a pectoral cross in a monk’s hood. There are also other names of painters on the walls of the cathedral - Mikula and Radko.
St. Sophia Cathedral at night. 2003 One of the true treasures of the St. Sophia Cathedral is the oldest handwritten book preserved in Rus' - Ostromir Gospel. The book was made in 1056-1057 and was used for conducting services in Sofia. Currently, the Gospel is stored in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg.
The main Orthodox shrine of St. Sophia Cathedral - icon Sign Holy Mother of God (Our Lady of the Sign) - one of the most revered Orthodox icons. According to legend, she saved Novgorod from the siege of the Suzdal prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in 1170. The forces of the Novgorodians and Suzdalians were unequal, and the defenders of the city began to pray for a miracle. On the third night of the siege, Novgorod Archbishop John heard a voice from above, commanding him to take the icon of the Mother of God and go with it around Detinets procession of the cross. When the Suzdal residents began to fire at the procession, one of the arrows hit the Virgin Mary in the eye. According to legend, tears flowed from her eyes, and darkness covered the people of Suzdal. In inexplicable horror, they began to retreat from the city, beating each other. In honor of the icon that gave peace to the people of Novgorod, Archbishop Ilya established the Feast of the Sign of the Mother of God, which is celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church on December 10 (November 27).
St. Sophia Cathedral. Autumn 2016. Another pearl of Novgorod Sofia deserves special attention - Magdeburg Gate, which are also called Korsunsky, Plotsky or Sigtunsky. They are located on the western portal of the temple, completely covered with relief images of scenes from the Gospel, unusually skillfully made by Western European craftsmen. For several centuries, the Magdeburg Gate served as the ceremonial entrance to the cathedral. According to one version, they were made in 1153 in the city of Magdeburg. Most likely, they became a military trophy of the Novgorodians, who went to the Swedish capital of Sigtuna in 1187. These gates were made so skillfully that in the 17th century the Swedish king did not forget about the trophy lost five centuries ago, and during the occupation of Novgorod he ordered the commander-in-chief of the Swedish troops to return the gate to their historical homeland. Fortunately, the commander-in-chief did not consider it possible to remove the front gates from the main temple of the Novgorod region.
St. Sophia Cathedral. 2008 One of the most famous Novgorod legends is associated with the figure of a dove sitting on the highest central cross of the St. Sophia Cathedral. During the defeat of Novgorod by Ivan the Terrible in 1570, a dove, according to legend, sat down to rest and was petrified by the horror it saw. If the stone bird flies away, then the last day of Veliky Novgorod will come.
During the Great Patriotic War, on August 15, 1941, fascist troops occupied Novgorod. During one of the air raids or artillery shelling of the city, the cross with a dove was knocked down and hung on the fastening cables, and the city commandant ordered it to be removed. In Novgorod during the occupation, the engineering corps of the Spanish “Blue Division” was located, fighting on the side fascist Germany, and as one of the trophies, the cross of the main dome was taken to Spain. At the request of the governor of the Novgorod region to the Spanish Embassy in Russia in 2002, it was found that the cross was in the chapel of the museum of the Spanish Military Engineering Academy in Madrid. The rector of the St. Sophia Cathedral, Archbishop Leo of Novgorod and Staraya Rus, having received information about the location of the domed St. Sophia cross, when meeting with the President of Russia, inquired about the possibility of returning the cross to Novgorod. As a result of negotiations between the Russian President and the King of Spain, the Spanish side decided to transfer the cross of the St. Sophia Cathedral to Russia.
On November 16, 2004, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, it was returned to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II by the Minister of Defense of Spain and is now placed inside the St. Sophia Cathedral. By order of the Novgorod administration, an exact copy of the cross found in Spain was made. It was transferred to the Spanish side to replace the original one. The cross, now located on the central dome, was made in 2006 and installed on January 24, 2007.
Built in 1050 after its Kyiv namesake, St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod is the oldest stone church in Russian territory. Absolutely unique icons, preserved fragments of ancient frescoes, and miraculous relics complement the architectural beauty of the building, with which multifaceted historical events are inextricably linked. According to legend, the foundation of the cathedral took place in the presence of Yaroslav the Wise by his son Vladimir, who died shortly after the consecration of the temple in 1052.
Located in the northern part of the city Kremlin, St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod was both a religious shrine and a repository of treasury valuables. The appearance of the cathedral is quite well known and popular. To emphasize the antiquity of the temple, let us recall that it was built even before the final split of Christianity.
By a great miracle, or rather by the providence of God, it has survived to this day, having survived a number of critical events. The temple remains the cathedral of the Novgorod diocese, providing everyone with access to the stored priceless historical relics. Maintained in perfect condition, St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod remains an architectural gem.
St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod - from a distance and in detail
The location of the temple fully complies with the canons of Christianity - altar apses in the east, the main entrance from the west. The quadrangle of the main volume, topped with five domes, has galleries of 2 floors on the west, north and south. The entrance tower south of the main entrance has its own sixth dome, which distinguishes the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod from other churches.
Another distinctive feature Novgorod Sofia, which presumably arose during construction, is a vertically elongated volume. This upward thrust, visible from the outside and especially inside, became a signature feature of local temple construction. St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod is externally distinguished by its domes in the shape of Russian military helmets, gray in color, except for the gilded central one. There are other differences, more on them later.
Holy heroic prince
A memorial plaque on the wall of the cathedral reminds that the troops of Prince Alexander Nevsky left for fateful battles. The famous commander and his warriors defeated the Swedes on the Neva, from where the descendant of Monomakh and Rurik received his nickname, which became his surname. His merits include the liberation of a number of cities from the Teutonic invaders - the Germans, including the legendary victory on Lake Peipus (Battle of the Ice).
Alexander Nevsky was the Prince of Novgorod until 1251, when he became the Grand Duke of Vladimir. It is known that he rejected the Pope’s proposal to convert to Catholicism, and in relations with the Golden Horde he proved himself to be a subtle diplomat. He was canonized as an Orthodox saint, and Stalin declared him a national hero; one of the most honorable orders was named after him.
Fresco and gate
The western facade with which the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod faces into the space of the Vladychny Courtyard is very remarkable. A fragment of an 11th century fresco has been preserved here and provided with a special shelter, allowing one to imagine at least the tonality of the ancient design. Some images are visible along the periphery of the selected area, the content of the main image can only be guessed, or learned from the articles of scientists.
Another remarkable exhibit of the western facade is the Magdeburg Gate, which has several other names, as well as versions of its acquisition. It was suggested that this was a military trophy of the Novgorod warriors of the 12th century, taken from the ancient Swedish capital (hence the name Sigtuna). Other sources speak of a gift from German craftsmen or purchase by local merchants.
Only the German origin of the product does not cause discrepancies, and even the names of the foundry workers from Magdeburg and their figures with tools in their hands are displayed on the metal. The depictions of scenes from the Bible, including people, animals and architectural elements, are quite clear, with captions in Latin. There is also an addition in Russian about the master Abraham who assembled the gates with his figure.
For many centuries, the Magdeburg Gate in the western facade was the daily entrance to the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod. Nowadays they are used only on holidays, when the archbishop participates in the service. Everyday passage of both parishioners to church services and inquisitive admirers of antiquity is carried out through the southern entrance; the gate there is also not new, but not like the front gate.
Here, a bronze cast plaque is mounted on one of the ordinary wooden doors. It indicates in modern Russian the high status of the Cathedral, visiting hours as a museum and the time of services. The only elements of decoration include door handles made of bronze using the casting method. Carrying out a visit during public hours, we were convinced of the piety of a significant part of museum visitors.
Interiors and relics of the Novgorod temple
The first impression of those entering the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod in most cases is a feeling of some cramped space. It seems so not so much from the considerable number of visitors, but from the disproportion of the area and volume inside the building. The high height of the ceilings in the passage contrasts with its small width, which is further reduced due to the candlesticks placed under the images.
The church bench located on the path of visitors does not add space either; although it is located in a niche, it limits the passage with a counter. But the range of goods here is quite diverse, from religious literature and symbols to holy images of a wide variety of sizes and quality of work. The only free space left is the space under the ceiling, illuminated by the light of the chandeliers.
Visitors experience different sensations near the altar iconostasis, where it is much freer. The first and main impression for most is the obvious, even excessive modesty of the design. I wouldn’t dare call it scarcity, but the muted colors, the lack of significant decor, gilding, and bright details are noticeable. However, modesty is not a vice; perhaps this was the case in the old days.
The altar iconostasis of the temple contains a number of rare and especially revered icons, about which prudent visitors found information in advance. It is near these images that visitors who want to get help or solve problems concentrate. First of all, these are the icons of Sophia the Wisdom of God, the Tikhvin Mother of God and the icon of the Mother of God of the Sign placed in a cabinet in front of the iconostasis.
Features of Sofia Novgorod
The St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod looks very attractive if you look towards the main dome. The dizzying height is mesmerizing, the feeling is enhanced by the vertical projections of the walls. It seems that the upper part of the structures preserved fragments of ancient paintings, but the central image of Christ was knocked out by a fascist shell and was never restored.
What distinguishes the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod from other Orthodox churches is something else that is almost elusive, at the level of a subconscious guess. The iconostasis, separating the altar space from the public space, seems alien in this setting. And this is true, it was erected later than the consecration of the cathedral, after the final demarcation of Catholics and Orthodox Christians to the level of mutual curses.
The contradictions between the branches of one religion stemmed from the desire for dominance, common among politicians, but unsuitable for the servants of God. The division of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern, which later became Byzantium, gave rise to contradictions not only between states. In the foreseeable future, this conflict will be a thousand years old; will Christians never unite?
Holy relics and customs
In addition to the already mentioned miraculous icons, the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod preserves a number of relics of Orthodox saints. The first to rest here was the wife of Yaroslav the Wise Anna, the mother of the builder of the temple. The death of Vladimir Yaroslavich immediately after the consecration has already been mentioned, but he was only 32 years old. Using the example of this person, we show how and in what way the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod stores the relics.
The canonization of Russian princes and then monarchs in Orthodoxy was common; for them there was a special face (type) of holiness, designated as the Blessed. The criteria for sainthood did not include military exploits and conquests. Godly life and works in the name of the church were celebrated. Since the construction and maintenance of temples clearly relates to such, the canonization of the one who built the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod is understandable.
The reason for canonization, also in the person of Alexander Nevsky’s faithful older brother, Fyodor Yaroslavovich, is not entirely clear. He was listed as the Prince of Novgorod for only a year and died before his 15th birthday, on the eve of his marriage. Our photo shows a parishioner worshiping his relics; apparently, choosing an idol for veneration is a delicate matter or unknown to us.
However, church rituals are in many ways mysterious to the laity, who do not delve too deeply into these subtleties. Not everyone can even correctly light a candle for health or repose now; there are people who do not see the difference in these categories. It is good that in any temple there is a benevolent adviser, be it a visitor or a priest. Therefore, it is rare for visitors to leave the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod without placing one or another candle in one of the temple’s candlesticks.
For those who visited the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod, the Kremlin territory offers a number of educational objects. These are the fortress walls with preserved watchtowers, and the Sofia Belfry, which once collapsed along with the wall washed away by the flood. Between it and the temple in the photo you can see a building music college(former religious school), where there is a folk museum of Arensky, Lyadov and Rachmaninoff. Don’t forget about the one seen in one of the first photographs.
