Velikiy Novgorod

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Anyone who visits the Novgorod Antoniev Monastery will not be left indifferent by the main church - Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin.

This is one of the oldest stone churches that have survived within Novgorod. At the same time, it was the first temple built not by a prince or a bishop, but "only" by a local abbot. This man was the famous Anthony the Roman... His later life, written in Xvi century, tells that he was a foreigner by origin and came to Novgorod from Rome itself, by water on a stone. The stone buried itself on the right bank of the river, below the then city, where later the monastery arose. But earlier sources do not contain such information. It is possible that these are all late legends.

At the same time, as the Novgorod I Chronicle informs, “ At the same time hegumen Anton - and lay the church on the stone Holy Mother of God Monastery". This news is placed between the news of the March imprisonment of Vsevolod Mstislavich by the prince in Novgorod and the news of the death of the mayor in December. At the same time, the wording of the chronicle allows us to assume that the monastery was also founded at the same time, simultaneously with the construction of its first and main temple.

V 1119 year the temple was finished. It was a large stone structure for Russia at that time, although it was somewhat inferior in volume to other stone temples of the city and the outskirts of those years - Nikolo-Dvorishchenskaya churches, Geogrievsky Cathedral Yuriev Monastery and Annunciation churches. Between 1119 and 1122 d, as art historians suggest, - there was the second stage of the construction of the cathedral - an extension of the limit of the western side and a staircase tower from the north-western corner. This explains the presence of three asymmetrically located chapters in the cathedral - the central one and two corner ones at the corners of the main facade facing the river. On one of the landings of the staircase tower there is a small niche - a cell in which the monks, inspired by the harsh ideas of the pillar movement that came from the Byzantine Empire, sat for hours hunched over, disdaining comfort and praying to God. The path to God, according to the stopers, lay through deprivation and detachment from ordinary life.

V 1125 year the cathedral was painted. Some fragments of murals dedicated to the Birth of Christ and depicting Sts. healers Flora and Laurus have survived to this day.

V 1136 d. one of the monastic monks - Kirik-Novgorod- compiled his famous scientific work on numbers and indicated in it that he “ Antonov Kikik Deacon, Demestnik of the Church of St. Btsa"- that is, the deacon and choir director of the main monastery church of the Nativity of the Virgin.

V 1147 The city of Anthony the Roman died after handing over the abbess to Andrew. The grave of Anthony is in the temple. In the same church, you can also see the stone on which, according to legend, the saint sailed. The stone was found only in the middle of the 16th century by the then abbot Benjamin and solemnly inserted into the outer wall of the cathedral. At the same time, a word of praise was written to Anthony, who by the end of the century was officially recognized as a saint in Moscow. This raises the question of the authenticity of the relic - whether it had anything to do with the founder of the monastery and was it not “found” only 400 years later to glorify the monastery and its founder.

In Russia there have been more than strange "miracles", perhaps inferior to the Turin Shroud, but also pursuing certain goals. In the 15th century, when the Yaroslavl principality was rigidly annexed to Moscow, miracles of the relics of local holy princes began to take place there, which even then caused controversy among the Russian high clergy. And in the same Novgorod, practically in the same years when the Novgorod shilniki bandits attacked the people of the Grand Duke Vasily the Dark who was staying in the city, a miracle of the relics of the Novgorod saint Varlaam of Khutynsky, allegedly healed the deceased prince's servant, took place. Only after the Novgorodians presented rich gifts to the prince and his people, the prince "was sober" in faith and agreed to acknowledge this miracle. Was not Anthony's stone also a deliberate forgery?

Nevertheless, Anthony, whoever he was by origin, and wherever he came from and on what, was undoubtedly a bright personality. The stone Nativity Church built by Anthony - the first Novgorod church, founded not by a prince or a bishop, in my opinion, is the most important monument to its founder.

Antoniev Monastery (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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The Antoniev Monastery was considered one of the key centers of the religious life of ancient Novgorod. The monastery, founded in the 12th century on the northern side of the city, in addition to spiritual assistance, also performed educational functions. By the way, the educational status has been preserved in Antonovo to this day. In contrast to the religious one: like many places of worship, the monastery near the Volkhov River ceased to exist in 1920. Fortunately, there was no ruin and destruction of the complex of historical buildings.

According to legend, the Antoniev Monastery was founded in 1106 by the missionary Anthony the Roman, who arrived in Novgorod from Italy. Dedicated to service Orthodox faith, he quickly made the new monastery an important center of spiritual culture. In the 16th century, the monastery began to grow: the temple of Anthony the Great and the Sretenskaya church were erected. In 1740 the Novgorod Theological Seminary was opened, which operated until 1918.The monastery itself was closed in 1920.

What to see

The oldest building of the monastery complex is the stone cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in 1119. At present, there is a museum here, and concerts of church music are also held.

The main treasures of the temple are considered to be the amazing beauty of the frescoes. By the style of writing and the arrangement of the figures, they are very different from the canons adopted at that time. The saints and their faces are made as realistic as possible: most likely, the artists drew inspiration from the city life around them.

Even more frescoes, although not as old as in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, can be seen in many other buildings of the former monastery, which are now occupied by the educational buildings of the Novgorod state university.

Practical information

Address: Veliky Novgorod, st. Antonovo, 3. Website.

How to get there: bus numbers 2 and 5, stop "Studencheskaya Street, 1". Fare: 27 RUB. Prices on the page are for November 2018.

Working hours: Wednesday-Sunday: 10: 00-17: 00. Monday, Tuesday - days off. Entrance: 100 RUB, for students and pupils: 50 RUB, children under 16 years old - free.

History of the monastery

The founder and first abbot of the monastery was the Monk Anthony the Roman. The circumstances of his appearance in Novgorod are described in the life compiled in the 16th century and have a legendary character. According to his life, Anthony came from Rome and got to Novgorod in a miraculous way. During a solitary prayer, the rock on which he stood broke away from the coast and sailed to the banks of the Volkhov in the vicinity of Novgorod. According to the life, this happened in 1106 on the feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God (September 8). Here Anthony founded his monastery.

Although the origin of the Monk Anthony remains unclear, quite a lot has been preserved about him and his monastery. documentary information... Chronicles recorded his deeds with extraordinary attention for a private person. Anthony was a stranger in Novgorod. Nevertheless, Bishop Nikita blessed him to create a monastery, which is mentioned in particular in the Spiritual Letter of St. Anthony preserved in the list of the 16th century (the text exactly repeats the original, dated 1100-1130). However, after the death of Bishop Nikita, the Monk Anthony found himself in conflict for many years with Prince Vsevolod and the new Vladyka John Popian. Only in 1131, Archbishop Niphont, who ascended the cathedra, appointed Anthony as hegumen of his monastery.

There is a very plausible version of Anthony's appearance in Novgorod, explaining, in particular, the reasons for the tough conflict between him and Bishop John. The Monk Anthony could have come from the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, which carried out extensive missionary activity. Perhaps this was part of the planned monastery development of the Novgorod land. It is characteristic that Bishops Nikita and Niphont, who supported Anthony, were from Kiev-Pechersky Monastery... On the contrary, Bishop John was hostile to Kiev and probably even claimed the autocephaly of his see from Metropolitan of Kiev... Here, the already existing difficulties in relations between Kiev and Novgorod, which more and more showed a desire for independence, manifested themselves.

Despite all the difficulties, the Monk Anthony was able to build a stone cathedral in his monastery and paint it with frescoes. To do this, he undoubtedly needed strong support from Kiev. The first Novgorod Chronicle marks the foundation of the cathedral in 1117, and in 1119 speaks of the completion of construction. The painting of the cathedral was completed in 1125, and in 1127 a refectory church was built.

The Monk Anthony died in 1147, having bequeathed the abbot to his disciple Andrew, who later wrote the first extant text of the life of Saint Anthony.

In 1528, the Novgorod Archbishop Macarius introduced a cenobitic charter in the monastery. Soon new ones began construction works... Under Archimandrite Gerontius in 1533-1536. Sretenskaya church and a church "like the bells" were built in honor of Anthony the Great. In the middle of the 16th century, the abbot of the monastery Benjamin found the stone of St. Anthony, lying on the banks of the Volkhov, and "hoisted" it into the outer wall of the cathedral. Now the stone of Anthony the Roman lies in the vestibule to the right of front door to the cathedral under the image of Bishop Nikita of Novgorod. In 1558, the Word of Praise was written to the Monk Anthony. At the same time, his all-Russian veneration began to take shape, although the Monk Anthony the Roman was officially included in the list of all-Russian saints only in 1597. This delay was associated with the oprichnina defeat of Novgorod in 1570, when all the brethren and the abbot of the Gelasius monastery were executed.

Temples of the monastery

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. 1117-1125

The interior of the Nativity Cathedral. Painting of the 19th century.

12th century frescoes on the eastern pillars of the cathedral. View from the choir.

The oldest and main temple of the monastery is the Cathedral of the Nativity. Holy Mother of God... It was built shortly after the founding of the monastery and was one of the few stone churches in Novgorod at the beginning of the 12th century. The construction of a stone cathedral by a private person, such as the Monk Anthony, was a rare occurrence for those years. Other stone cathedrals of Novgorod were built exclusively on the prince's initiative. The Nativity Cathedral is more modest in comparison with them and has a number of differences.

The construction of the temple took place in two stages. In 1117-1119. its central volume, almost square in plan, was built with three high apses and one dome. The interior appears to have been well lit thanks to the abundance of windows. Its not very large space was distinguished by a rare integrity. The side aisles merged with the dome space thanks to the pillars close to the walls, the western pair of which has a streamlined octahedral shape. The altar apses, on the other hand, were more detached from the naos of the temple, since the eastern pair of pillars turned into the naos with wide flat edges, to which the altar barrier adjoined.

Almost immediately after the end of construction for unknown reasons in 1119-1122. from the west a narthex is attached to the cathedral with choirs above it. At the same time, the western wall of the first building in the central nave is completely dismantled, its ends turn into another pair of bearing pillars. The side parts of the choir remain cut off from the interior of the temple by piers with window openings. From the northwest, a round staircase adjoins the narthex, along which the ascent to the choir is carried out. The tower is crowned with a dome, which since ancient times housed the side-chapel of Onuphrius the Great and Peter the Athonite. To balance the composition from the south-western corner of the cathedral, a third dome was erected above the choirs. It also serves as additional lighting for the choir space. This restructuring brought the Cathedral of the Anthony Monastery closer to other Novgorod stone churches of that time. The closest analogy is the St. George Cathedral of the Yuryev Monastery, which also has an external staircase tower (though rectangular in shape) and topped with three domes.

Over time, the Nativity Cathedral was overgrown with outbuildings. Already in the 16th century, a small porch appeared from the west. In 1671, from the south, a chapel was added in honor of Anthony the Roman. Then it was scheduled. In 1680, a side-chapel of the Apostle John the Theologian appeared from the north, and in 1699 a new porch was erected across the entire width of the cathedral. Probably at the same time, the new annexes were connected to the interior of the cathedral by wide arches hewn into the side walls. At the same time, the floor of the cathedral, which had gone into the ground over the centuries of its existence, was leveled with the floor level of the outbuildings and raised by 1 meter.

In this form, the temple has survived to this day. Its original appearance is also distorted by widened windows and a roof with a straight cornice. Initially, it had a small-sized coating.

Temple painting

Introduction of the Virgin into the temple. Frescoes from 1125.

Deacon's frescoes. Frescoes from 1125.

Magi from the Nativity of Christ. Frescoes from 1125.

The smallest fragments on the south and north walls give some insight into the painting of the naos. As usual, the vaults and the tops of the walls were covered with gospel stories. Characteristic feature, found in other ancient Russian churches, was a special comparison of two scenes highlighted by a large size - the Nativity of Christ on the southern and the Assumption of the Mother of God on the northern walls. The bodily birth and the incarnation of the Son of God is here opposed to the birth after death in a new eternal life... Even a small surviving fragment allows us to understand that here the Assumption was presented in a special expanded version depicting the transfer of the apostles on the clouds to Jerusalem to the bed of the Mother of God.

Annunciation. Archangel Gabriel. Frescoes from 1125.

Annunciation. Mother of God. Frescoes from 1125.

The healers Flor and Laurus.

The best preserved painting of the eastern pillars on the western faces facing the praying ones. Above here is the Annunciation. According to the established tradition, the figures of the Archangel Gabriel and the Mother of God are depicted separately so that the scene takes place, as it were, in the space of the temple itself. Under the Annunciation there are four figures of holy healers - Cyrus and John, Florus and Laurus. If two of them are holding vessels with medicines, very reminiscent of monstrance, then the other two (one in each pair) have scrolls in their hands. Here, along with the healing of the body, the healing of the soul by Christian teaching is evidently emphasized. Moreover, images of healers flank the altar of the temple, showing that it is here that healing is given to a person.

Under these frescoes, a templon of the altar barrier was attached, in which initially there were probably no other icons, except for the images of the Savior and the Mother of God. The altar was covered with a curtain attached to the templon. It is hinted at by the towels depicted at the bottom of the posts.

For a long time, the artistic features of the frescoes remained without proper assessment by researchers. Incomplete disclosure of ancient painting made it difficult for scientists to adequately perceive their style. In this regard, the opinion was expressed that this painting was alien to all ancient Russian art and its connection with Romanesque art. It has now become clear that the painting of the Antoniev Monastery is still included in the context of other Novgorod monuments, although it has its own striking differences. It is likely that artists from Kiev were still executors of it. The frescoes retain many of the features of the early 12th century murals, such as the frescoes of St. Sophia of Novgorod and St. Nicholas Cathedral of Dvorishchensky. The figures are large and heavy, static prevails in them. The plastic modeling of the faces is also similar, which stands out in comparison with practically flat clothes. However, in a personal letter, a more intense graphic depiction of features appears, giving the images much more activity. The images of Antonievsky frescoes are characterized by great emotional openness, bordering on exaltation. These new trends spreading in different parts of the Byzantine world, will find a great response in Novgorod. The contrast, so sharp in the ratio of static figures to the internal mobility of images, is also manifested in the sonorous coloring of the paintings: here dark blue backgrounds are combined with bright yellow halos, and dark monastic clothes with robes of pink, blue and light green tones.

Stair tower of the cathedral

The staircase tower adjacent to the cathedral had many different functions in ancient times. She not only led to the choir of the temple, but also had in its dome a separate chapel of Onuphrius the Great and Peter the Athonite, illuminated in 1122. In the thickness of the walls of the tower, tiny cells have been preserved, in which the monks of the monastery retired for prayer. I spent my last years and the Monk Anthony, who thus became likened to the pillars. The latest architectural restoration also revealed that the original tower had three openings at the base of the dome for attaching bells. However, the most interesting are the surviving interior walls drawings, which are not a complete set, made by professional artists, but were apparently created by the monks themselves. They are executed in simple lines of red ocher and are poorly preserved to this day. There are mainly symbolic-allegorical and didactic images. Among them is the figure of a lion with a sad human face and a tied tail, which indicates the main monastic virtues - repentance and humility. There is also an image of a fantastic creature on four legs with a human head - probably the image of Kitovras, a character in the apocryphal legend about King Solomon. Kitovras, resembling an ancient centaur, was endowed with extraordinary strength and unearthly wisdom. According to the legend, Solomon forcibly drew Kitovras to the construction of the Jerusalem temple, but he was able to free himself and escape back into the desert, preferring freedom to worldly glory.

Bell tower

A three-tiered bell tower towered over the southern entrance to the monastery. In the 1930s, the two upper tiers were demolished and dismantled into bricks.

Sretenskaya refectory church

State of the art

Antoniev Monastery on a 25-ruble silver coin from the series "Russia in the UNESCO World, Cultural and Natural Heritage"

Today the monastery buildings are part of the Novgorod Museum-Reserve. On the territory of the monastery there are a number of faculties of the Novgorod State University named after Yaroslav the Wise (former Pedagogical Institute, which became part of the university).

Abbots

• Cyril (Zavidov) (1580-1594) abbot
• Paul (August 1613-1623) archimandrite
• Damascene (Askaronsky) (1744 - January 11, 1748) archim.
• Joasaph (Mitkevich) (1750-1756) archim.
• Partheny (Sopkovsky) (February 18, 1756 - April 23, 1758) archim.
• Simon (Lagov) (January 1759 - August 1761) archim.
• Theophilus (Raev) (July 13, 1774 - July 1782) archim.
• Ambrose (Serebrennikov) (1782 - December 26, 1783) archim.
• Ambrose (Kelembet) (December 29, 1796 - September 17, 1797) archim.
• Theophilact (Rusanov) (November 8, 1798-1799) archim.
• Ignatius (Semyonov) (1823-1827)
• Iliodor (Chistyakov) (1828-1832)
• Evfimy (Belikov) (1852-1856)
• Vladimir (Epiphany) (1886-1888)
• Tikhon (Nikanorov) (January 21, 1891-1892)
• Arkady (Karpinsky) (1895-1896)
• Dimitri (Sperovsky) (1897-1903)
• Alexy (Simansky) (1911-1913)
• Tikhon (Tikhomirov) (1913-1919)
• Ioanniky (Speransky) (1919-1923)

Notes (edit)

Literature

• Robert Michell and Neville Forbes, ed., The Chronicle of Novgorod, 1016-1471- New York: American Medieval Society Press, 1970 .-- 9-10, 12.
• V.D.Sarabyanov. Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Anthony Monastery in Novgorod. - M .: "Northern Pilgrim", 2002.
• Maria Orlova. On some decorative techniques in the murals of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady of the Antoniev Monastery in Novgorod (1125). - Problems in art, 2010, No. 1.
• Soikin P. P.// Orthodox Russian monasteries =: Full illustrated description of Orthodox Russian monasteries in Russian Empire and on Mount Athos., P. P. Soikin's Book Publishing House, 1910. - St. Petersburg. : Resurrection, 1994 .-- P. 114 .-- 712 p. - 20,000 copies. - ISBN 5-88335-001-1
• E. A. Gordienko, V. D. Sarabyanov, L. A. Secretary Anthony the Roman in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary male monastery // Orthodox encyclopedia. Volume II. - M. : Church Scientific Center " Orthodox encyclopedia", 2000. - S. 691-695. - 752 p. - 40,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-007-2

see also

• Kirik Novgorodets - Deacon and Domestic of the Anthony Monastery

Links

Attractions of Veliky Novgorod

Monuments of history and culture included in the UNESCO World Heritage List Novgorod Detinets Saint Sophia Cathedral Belfry of Saint Sophia Cathedral Gate Church of Sergius of Radonezh Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos Church of Andrew Stratilates Faceted (Vladychnaya) Chamber Monument to the Millennium of Russia Yaroslav's Court St. Nicholas Cathedral Bell tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral Church of Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa at the Auction Church of John on Opoki Church of the Assumption at the Auction Church of the Myrrh-bearers Church of St. Procopius Church of St. George at the Auction Gate tower of Gostiny Dvor Arcade of Gostiny Dvor Zverin monastery Church of Simeon the God-Receiver Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Zverin Monastery Perynsky skete Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Yuriev monastery St. George Cathedral Spassky Cathedral Holy Cross Cathedral Bell tower Znamensky monastery Znamensky Cathedral Bell tower of the Znamensky Cathedral Holy gates with cells Antoniev monastery Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Remains of the Church of the Annunciation on the Settlement Church of the Savior on Nereditsa Church of St. Nicholas on Lipna Church of Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki Church of Peter and Paul on Slavna Church of Fyodor Stratilat on Shchirkov Street Church of the Trinity in Yamskaya Sloboda Church of Blasius Church of St. Nicholas of the White Nikolsky White Monastery Church of the Twelve Apostles Church on the Prophet John the Merciful on Myachin Church of the Annunciation on Myachin Church of Peter and Paul on the Titmouse Church of the Annunciation on the Marketplace Church of the Apostle Philip and Nicholas the Wonderworker Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyin Street Church of Clement on Ivorov Street Church of Dmitry Solunsky Church of Fyodor Stratilat on the Brook Church of the Nativity of Christ on Red Field Church of Boris and Gleb in Plotniki Church of St. John the Evangelist on Vitka Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God on Michalitsa Church of Archangel Michael at Auction

A.I. Komech Old Russian architecture of the late X - early XII centuries. Byzantine heritage and the formation of an independent tradition.

A new movement begins in Novgorod with the construction Theotokos-Nativity Cathedral of the Anthony Monastery... Its appearance so hypnotized researchers by its fundamental similarity with other buildings that for many decades the hypothesis of its creation by the same master Peter ( Karger M.K.Decree. op .) Only recently have they begun to realize how much new there is in this monument ( Gladenko G.V., Krasnorechiev L.E., Shtender G.M., Shulyak L.M. Novgorod architecture in the light of recent research. - In the book: Novgorod To the 1100th anniversary of the city. M., 1964, p. 189-191 .), and the new one to which the future belongs.

The history of the construction of the building itself is not entirely common. This is a monastery cathedral, and it was founded by the abbot; in fact, it is the first non-princely building in Novgorod (however, we still do not know anything exact about the church of Fyodor in 1115).

The Novgorod bishop Anthony was recognized as the abbot of his monastery only in 1131, and this bishop was Niphon. Obviously, Anthony was not recognized as hegumen John, who was bishop from 1108 to 1130. prince.

Indeed, the general composition brings the cathedral so close to the princely monuments that the participation of the same architects in its creation becomes very probable. If you give yourself an account of the fact that other construction artels, except for the princely, in Novgorod at the beginning of the XII century. it just wasn’t, then the assumption turns almost into a certainty. True, the technique of laying walls and vaults here is coarser and more primitive, the plinth is less regular in size, its thickened halves are found, resembling block bricks, and cobblestone is used more. The nature of the changes is such that one can hardly speak of the work of the same masons and of equal material resources. Most likely, only a part of the masters of the princely artel labored ascetic in the construction of the monastery cathedral, the rest of the workers, obviously of lower qualifications, were attracted by the monastery. The coarsening of technology can also be associated with the lack of funds at the customer.

However, the same difficult circumstances could free the architects from the exact adherence to the developed type, the tastes of the customers were able to be detected. It was a step beyond the boundaries of the previous socio-cultural circle, and new ideas determined the architects' search for new forms.

The cathedral resembles princely buildings with the proportions of the plan, the staircase tower adjoining the north-western corner, the three domes, the height of the choir arrangement and the general exaggerated height, which makes all Novgorod monuments grandiose regardless of their planned size. It is hard to believe that the Nativity Cathedral is 2.5 m narrower than the Dmitrov Cathedral in Vladimir.

The main changes in the composition are associated with the separation of the internal space and the mutual orientation of the parts. The octagonal shape given to the western pillars united the entire space of the western part of the temple. The pillars themselves are thicker than the walls, they seem to include the removal of the blades, and the bases of the supporting arches at the top almost do not go beyond their outline (this method of determining the thickness of the pillars will remain in Novgorod in the second half of the 12th century). Due to the closed form, massive supports do not orient either individual cells or the entire space intended for worshipers in any way. This homogeneity has more than just artistic meaning. The worshipers were no longer divided into different groups in their social hierarchy.

The choirs, although preserved here, by their semi-closedness and contraction, acquire a completely different character, having turned from a part of the main space into a room next to it ( Kovaleva V.M., Shtender G.M.On the formation of the ancient architectural appearance of the cathedral of the Anthony monastery in Novgorod.- KSIA, M., 1982, 171, p. 54-60 .). The narthex and the choirs above it are also separated by their measure, they are not two (like the small naves), but three times wider than the thickness of the wall.

The main space of the temple is not only united, it is also elongated in the north-south direction. This is a completely new feature in the cross-domed churches of Novgorod. It is formed with the help of forms that evoke involuntary associations with Romanesque architecture. Of course, first of all, we are talking about fashionable octahedral pillars, but the use of stone slabs is no less interesting. There were no slabs in the heels of the arches in either the Nikolsky or St. George Cathedrals. Here they appeared, and in two sizes: thin - in the shoulder blades of the walls and much thicker cross - in the four central pillars. The main reason for the thickening of the slabs could be the incomplete coincidence of the pillars with the bases of the supporting arches, because of which the latter needed some additional support. Such thick slabs visually become similar to capitals from which arches diverge. It is very tempting to associate such forms with the influence of Romanesque art, introduced by Antony himself - the "Roman". However, the unification of the space for worshipers within the general system of the cross-domed temple with its opposition to the altar rooms was found in Byzantine architecture with the appearance of round polished columns with real capitals as supports. The methods of organizing space and their meaning in the Nativity Cathedral turn out to be more Byzantine, but the "vestments" of the methods are, as it were, Romanesque.

The whole building is divided into transverse zones - narthex, naos and the altar part. For the construction of the altar barrier - solid and rather high (the painting on the pillars starts at the level of 6 m) - in the eastern pair of pillars, the western ones were not made, facing towards the domed square of the scapula. The supporting arches hang here, break off, resting on strongly removed slabs - the capitals of the pillars (later the slabs were hewn off here). The absence of blades leads to the formation of wide, wall-like planes, behind which the vertical pillar-like nature of the eastern supports is lost. There is a feeling of a single wall separating the altar from the naos and cut through by high arches of the apses adjoining it.

The unity and solemnity of the transverse altar composition is emphasized by the painting - "Annunciation" above and the half-figures of the saints, placed not one by one (which would reveal the vertical), but two, which creates, as it were, belts of painting. Perhaps this clear opposition between the naos and the altar influenced the slightly manifested feature of the eastern part of St. George's Cathedral (see above). The integrity of the space in front of the altar and oriented towards the altar results in a much greater sense of anticipation and anticipation than in other temples. The imperiously attractive, somewhat "noisy" spectacle of the princely buildings "dies down". The shoulder blades, as it were, are completely absent in the supports standing in the middle of the temple and do not constrict, do not dynamize the interior as a whole. The vaults with their supporting arches are not entirely adequate in structure to the lower zone of the temple. Considered, moreover, very high, they seem to move away, and the intensity of their visual perception weakens. The difference between the top and the bottom appears for the first time, and yet it is essential for all subsequent architecture of the city. The movement and structure of the top lose their dynamic connection with the zone of a person's stay, which turns out to be much more calm and contemplative in its emotional expressiveness.

A new taste manifested itself in the external appearance of the building, which at first glance, however, captivatingly similar to the St. Nicholas and St. George Cathedrals. Here, for the first time in the upper zone of the middle panes, one rather than two windows appears (Observation of G.M.Stender.), Together with a pair of lower windows, a group of three windows is created, obligatory in Novgorod architecture until the middle of the 14th century. Architects reject niches that dismembered the wall and pierced the inert stone massif with the rhythmic activity of outlines. Artists are attracted by the interpretation of the wall as an even and calm shell of space, the intensity of the formation of the external appearance is weakening. And although the shoulder blades still serve as common to all monuments of the beginning of the XII century. the basis for the design of the facades, the stylistic change is quite noticeable. And again, it is precisely this understanding of the architectural form that is destined to establish itself in the future.

The main quality of the use of new elements and relationships in the Nativity Cathedral is the awareness of the artistic effect extracted from them. There were no insurmountable structural or construction-related barriers that could prevent the copying of previous samples. And if the architects did not take this path, then we must explain their choice by the will of new customers. The non-princely monastery with its way of life and culture, sensitivity to the spiritual, contemplative, sacred determined new ideological and artistic tasks for architects. In the monastic life there was no place for that enthusiastic demonstration of worldly power, social selection and wealth, which is always felt in the works of the princely circle.

A.I. Komech

Old Russian architecture of the late X - early XII centuries. Byzantine heritage and the formation of an independent tradition.

Part three see: http://sergeyurich.livejournal.com/827861.html

PART FOUR
ANTONYEV MONASTERY (HISTORY AND Frescoes)

There are a lot of monasteries in Novgorod and its immediate environs. They are in a different state, there are also generally dilapidated ones, preserved in fragments (like, for example, the Spiritual Monastery in the very center of the Sofia side of the city), there are also well-preserved ones. Some of them are active, and some have become museums. I will definitely tell you about most of these monasteries (the ones we visited) in separate parts of these notes. This part is dedicated to the famous Anthony monastery .

The Antoniev Monastery is located within the city, on its Trade Side, somewhat north of the medieval area that was called Carpentry end (or simply the Carpenters).

If you are staying in the central part of Novgorod, then you can get to the Antoniev Monastery on foot. From Yaroslav's Dvorishcha you need to walk along Bolshaya Moskovskaya Street in a northern direction, and when you reach Studencheskaya Street (why it is called that way, it will be clear later), turn left towards Volkhov. Travel time will take about half an hour. Well, if you are too lazy to stomp on foot, then there are a lot of buses running along B. Moskovskaya. But I advise you to leave a little earlier and walk along Pankratova Street (also to the left), in order to at the same time inspect the very interesting Church of Boris and Gleb in Plotniki (first half of the 16th century).

History of the Antoniev Monastery interesting enough to elaborate on it.
This monastery was founded at the very beginning of the XII century (in 1106), and not by a Novgorodian, and indeed not by a resident of Russia, but by a foreigner, whose name was Anthony the Roman .

Fresco of the 18th century:

Legends tell different stories about the Monk Anthony. But the most well-established version, reflected in the frescoes of the monastery he founded, which bears his name, is as follows.

Fresco of the 18th century:

No one rich Italian (if this term is applicable to the inhabitants of the Apennine Peninsula at the beginning of the second millennium), at one fine moment there was a sign, after which all kinds of material goods began to disgust him. He distributed all his property to the poor (according to another version, putting it in a barrel, threw it into the sea; to be honest, I like the first version better), retired to a deserted place on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea, where he began to lead the life of a hermit. All the time he spent in fasting and prayer. He chose a large stone on the coast as a place for prayer.
And then one day this stone broke off the coast and miraculously, together with the hermit Anthony praying on it, instead of immediately sinking to the bottom, swam into the open sea like a solid raft.
It is not known how long the sea voyage of the Monk Anthony on his rock lasted, but it is stated that he made his way on it from the Mediterranean Sea along the Atlantic coast, through the English Channel and the North Sea to the Baltic Sea, and further along the Neva (through Lake Ladoga) and along Volkhov straight to Novgorod. Thus, Anthony almost repeated the path "from the Greeks to the Varangians", bypassing the whole of Western Europe. I wonder what he ate during this voyage, which was supposed to last more than one month? But we will attribute this to a miracle that defies logical explanation, because stones do not float either ...

The Monk Anthony sailed to Novgorod on a stone (18th century fresco):

On the right bank of the Volkhov, to which he moored the saint's stone, he went ashore and built a wooden church of the Nativity of the Virgin, which became the first building of the future Anthony monastery.

Despite the fact that Novgorodians have long been accustomed to foreigners, it was not for nothing that Novgorod was actually a member of the famous Hanseatic League, they were rather hostile to Anthony the Roman, which is not surprising. The final break between the two Christian churches happened more than fifty years ago, when the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople mutually anathematized each other. The appearance in Novgorod of a "Latin" could well have been perceived by the Novgorodians as an attempt at Catholic propaganda.

Fresco of the 18th century:

And most likely Anthony would have been expelled from the city if not for the unexpected intercession of the Novgorod Bishop Nikita .

Frescoes of the 18th century:

This bishop also did not enjoy special love in Novgorod, since he was sent to head the Novgorod diocese from Kiev (the times when the Novgorodians will choose their bishops at the veche will come a little later). Relations between Novgorod and Kiev, at all times not very friendly, since the time when Prince Oleg moved the capital from Volkhov to the Dnieper, by the beginning of the XII century reached an extreme degree of tension. Novgorod was striving with all its might for independence, which in the end it received in the period from 1126 to 1136. But up to this moment there were still several years, and the Novgorodians reconciled themselves before the bishop, forced to recognize "theirs" and Anthony, whom the church hierarch took under his protection.

In 1117, instead of a wooden church, Anthony laid a stone church. According to legend, Anthony and Bishop Nikita dug the ditch for the foundation of the Nativity Cathedral together. Surprisingly, this temple has survived to this day. Thus, this year he turned exactly 900 years old. Isn't that a very respectable age?

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin of the Anthony Monastery - this is a slender building, crowned with three domes, with a round thick tower adjoining to its north-western corner.
It is this tower that makes the temple unusual.
For the rest, as in other Novgorod buildings of that time, there is no superfluous ornamentation and stucco molding. All details - high apses, flat blades - are aimed at emphasizing the aspiration of the building upward (the parameters of the temple are as follows: height - 25 meters, length - 18 meters, width - 11 meters).
The masonry is traditional limestone, but with a very wide use of brick - its most ancient, slab version. They used a thin and thick plinth and even a pentagonal brick, intended for decoration.

In 1125 the cathedral was painted with frescoes , many fragments of which can be seen even now, thanks to the work of Soviet restorers from Moscow and Leningrad.
Judge for yourself on how interesting these frescoes are.

Frescoes of 1125:

And this is my favorite fresco in this temple:

Like all Novgorod monasteries, the Antoniev monastery burned many times. She was robbed during the conquest of Novgorod by Ivan III, during the days of the oprichnina campaign of Ivan the Terrible, during the Troubles, when Novgorod was occupied by the Swedes. By the way, church vessels-chalices made of onyx and jasper in a carved gold frame, decorated with precious stones, which were taken from the Anthony Monastery, are now kept in the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin.

The new painting of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin belongs to the 18th century, which is due to the fact that in 1740 in the Anthony Monastery a Novgorod Theological Seminary was established - one of the oldest educational institutions Russia.
Several 18th century frescoes which seemed to us the most interesting.

Currently, on the territory of the Antoniev Monastery, there are several faculties of the Novgorod State University. Yaroslav the Wise (now it's clear why the street that leads to him is called Studencheskaya?) Apparently that's why this area is well-groomed and resembles a small park. The Nativity Cathedral is now a museum under the jurisdiction of the Novgorod State Museum-Reserve. Services are not held in it, but you can take pictures in it, which we used.

By the way, I advise you to visit the Antoniev Monastery in the morning, until numerous tourists come. The Museum of the Nativity Cathedral is open from 10.00. Come by this time. True, we were in it at about 11 in the morning, but apart from us there was not a single soul in the church (except for the ticket saleswoman and only one museum curator; we overheard their dispute about the year from which the history of the cathedral should be counted - from 1117 - the year of its foundation, or from 1119, when its construction was completed).
The cost of a ticket to visit the Nativity Cathedral is 100 rubles (photography is free). There is no need to pay for a walk through the territory of the former Anthony monastery.

To be continued...
Sergey Vorobyov.