Cathedral of St. Sophia, Novgorod, Russia Veliky Novgorod, 1050 or 1052
Church, Ecclesiastical architectural
Architect: Bishop Joachim the Korsunian (the late tenth century)/ Vladimir (1045-1050)
Introduction:
The
Cathedral of St. Sophia (the Holy Wisdom of God) is the cathedral church of
the archbishop of Novgorod and the mother church of the Novgorodian
Eparchy. It is in the Veliky Novgorod.
They have been saying since the
Cathedral of St. Sophia the Holy Wisdom of God was constructed in the 11th
century in Russia for 1000 years. Yaroslav the Wise and his son Vladimir found
it. The cathedral was meant to be the main temple in the town. Even after many
centuries, divine services are still held in the Cathedral of St. Sophia, and
the ancient Orthodox sanctuary is public place. The cathedral is opened for
everyone every day from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m. Divine services are held at 10 a.m.
and 6 p.m. At the same time, the cathedral is the town necropolis. The most
famous citizens of the town, bishops, princes, posadniks, are buried in its
south gallery.
The door of the western portal what dates
from the twelfth century. It made of bronze and richly decorated with wonderful
relieves. Also, it is believed to bring from Sweden, however, it was made in
Magdeburg, Germany. It is a fine example of what we call the cultural ties
between nations.
Interior of Hagia Sophia in Novgorod
Hagia
Sophia in Novgorod (now in Russia)began to be built shortly after the
completion of the construction of Kyiv”s Hagia Sophia in 1045. There is a good
reason to suppose that some of the architects, artists and masons who had
worked in Kyiv and gained a considerable experience in building and decorating
a brick church of such a monumental size, travelled north to Novgorod.
Basically, Hagia Sophia there follows a plan which is very similar to that one
of Hagia Sophia in Kyiv – Cruciform with several aisles and domes. However, the
church in Novgorod looks lost a lot of details that are even some severity in
its appearance in Hagia Sophia in Kyiv. Otherwise, it also influenced by
northern clime and some local traditions. This Church has some frescoes that
used the interior decorations lack mosaics. One of the frescoes is a woman who
was not in Greek but she is in Slavonic, spelling it as Olena. However, in the
nineteenth century, the word was removed during restoration.
Plans its St. Sophia cathedrals in Kiev, Novgorod and Polotsk.
To crown the achievements of his father and assert himself as equal to the other princes, Usiaslau ordered the construction of St. Sophia's Cathedral (Safijski Sabor) in Polacak, which should match the cathedrals in Kiev and Novgorod built in 1037 and 1050 respectively.
Church of St Theodore Stratilates in Novgorod. Interior
Features:
Compared with the Kiev cathedral is a bride,
and the Novgorod cathedral is a warrior. Because decoration of the Novgorod
cathedral is minimal, the use of brick is limited and the masses are arranged
vertically rather than horizontally.
During the Second World War, the cathedral
was damaged – a shell hit the central dome, but the church itself survived.
Reference:
1. Wikipedia Cathedral of St. Sophia, Novgorod
2. Ancient churches of Holy Wisdom in the Slavic Lands.
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