Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir: description and photo

The city of Vladimir is a place where a Russian person embraces pride for his ancestors, who created many centuries ago magnificent architectural monuments, and today amaze with the perfection of their forms and the beauty of interior decoration. Many of them are recognized as World Heritage sites. Among them, the magnificent court Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir, the facade of which is adorned with elaborate carvings. This building is also famous for its frescoes, and it is often called a white-stone poem.

Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir: history

As is known, in the 13th century the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality reached its peak, and its ruler Vsevolod decided to build a "personal" temple for his numerous family and associates. It must be said that in those distant times there was a custom by which the princes, other than the Christian name, were appropriated and another, which they signed their decrees. Since Vsevolod, nicknamed the large Nest for many children, was baptized in honor of St. Dmitry of Solun, he decided to dedicate this new temple to his heavenly patron. There are different opinions regarding the time of the construction of this structure. In particular, for many years it was believed that the construction of the Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir continued presumably from 1194 to 1197, but in the late 90s of the last century chronicles were found that it was begun in 1191.

Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir: photo and description

Architecturally, the temple is single-headed, four-pillar and three-pedestal. Initially, it was surrounded by fairly long galleries with stair towers, through which it connected with the prince's palace. Thus, the prince's family and courtiers could get on the services directly from their quarters. Unfortunately, during the restoration work carried out in 1837 by the order of Nikolay Pervoy, these auxiliary facilities were dismantled, so today they can not be seen. In general, it must be said that these so-called restoration works almost became the cause of its complete destruction. Therefore, the fact that the Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir has survived to this day is the merit of the restorers who worked here half a century later. They had to work hard to correct the mistakes of their predecessors.

Decor of facades

As already mentioned, the Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir is decorated with rich carvings. It is present on 600 bas-reliefs, which depict the biblical saints, as well as mythical and real animals. Most of these wonderful examples of ancient Russian art remained intact, and some were replaced by new ones during the restoration work.

Of particular mention deserves the design of the northern facade, on which medieval woodcarvers depicted the prince Vsevolod with his sons. No less interesting are the images of Alexander the Great, and also the biblical king David and Samson. This choice of subjects is prompted by the desire to flatter the customer, who is compared with these most famous characters of antiquity.

Interior decoration

Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir, photo of which is often decorated with tourist avenues offering a trip along the route "Golden Ring", does not differ with chic interiors. The reason is again the unscrupulous work of restorers. However, several frescoes dating back to the 13th century still survive to this day. In particular, in the church you can see fragments of the great composition "The Last Judgment", the author of which is supposedly an artist, invited by Vsevolod from Greece.

Relics

Saint Dmitri was revered as a patron of warriors by Christians. In his life it is stated that he held the post of proconsul in the city of Thessaloniki, which the inhabitants of ancient Rus called Solun. Learning that Dmitry is a Christian, the emperor Galerius throws him into prison, and then orders him to be stabbed with spears. The body of a martyr is given to be eaten by wild beasts, but they do not touch him. Later Christians of the city betray the remains of the holy land. Years later, the emperor Constantine came to Thessaloniki and on the spot of execution Dmitry founded a church in which the relics of a saint are now preserved.

So, having consecrated his Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir (the description is presented above), Prince Vsevolod set out on the trail of Constantine and brought for this church some relics from the Thessaloniki Church. They were an icon depicting the Great-martyr of Thessalonica, written on his coffin-board, and a piece of clothing, on which were the drops of the blood of a saint.

Assumption Cathedral

Speaking about the Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir, we can not say a few words about another masterpiece of ancient Russian architecture, located just a few meters away. It is about the Assumption Cathedral, which is more than 850 years old. It is considered the standard of church architecture, and features of its appearance are seen in hundreds of temples built in Russia for centuries. This building is also included in the number of UNESCO World Heritage sites and is considered one of the main tourist attractions of Vladimir. Although the most beautiful, in terms of external decor, is Dmitrovsky. The Cathedral of the Assumption, of course, is in the lead if interiors are considered. The main pride of the temple is the magnificent frescoes of the great icon painter Andrei Rublev.

In addition, it has several niche arcosols, where the most prominent representatives of the Vladimir nobility and church hierarchs were buried.

The modern appearance of the Assumption Cathedral, which is familiar to all from photographs, is quite different from the original one, because in 1186-1189 it was radically reconstructed, since it could not accommodate all comers. In particular, galleries were attached to it from two sides, and four new chapters were erected at the corners.

Now you know when and by whom the cathedrals of Vladimir - Uspensky and Dmitrovsky - were built, which are rightfully considered to be the best examples of Russian architecture.