Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Novgorod

The origin of Russian Democracy. According to explanation, Novgorod people gathered alongside of the Nicholas Cathedral wall and discussed things. People who have the highest voice won the discuss. They discussed policy and had had the right to elect Prince, Politicians, etc. They had a right to impeach, and Polticians had to 'serve' for the people. Interesting stories comparing with current Russian Politic. Russians are really proud of this history and they believe 'Coming together', 'Share and discuss idea', and even Communisitic idea came from this history. Interesting.

Great cathedral that works now like a museum, inside there are paintings, historical pictures and fresco paintings.

Some old wall is still visible.

Very very nice!!!

Nikolo-Dvorishchensky Cathedral was founded in 1113 and built in 1136. The cathedral was originally built as a princely church. Sophia Cathedral and the Kremlin by that time had become a city, not a princely center. The princely center was the prince's court, which later received the name Yaroslav's court. St. Nicholas Cathedral is located on the other bank of the Volkhov, almost opposite the St. Sophia Cathedral, and in a number of means and techniques they are similar (about 30 meters high, five-domed, the same choir height). It is also necessary to take into account the cultural layer, so now the Nikrol Cathedral looks lower than 1.5 - 2 meters than it was then. Due to the excavations near its walls, when the earth was removed from there, it seems to be in a pit and different depths of the apses and the narthexes built later are visible. Nikolo-Dvorishchensky Cathedral is the second oldest stone church in Novgorod after the St. Sophia Cathedral. The originally built temple was four pillars, three naves, five domes, three apses with a narthex. Large choirs are located in the western part above the narthex with two parts adjacent to the northern and southern walls, stretching to the east. Over the past more than nine hundred years, St. Nicholas Cathedral has been rebuilt several times. The cathedral was originally five-domed, but after a severe fire in 1679 or a fire in 1696, the roof was converted to a four-pitched one, and four domes with drums were dismantled. The cathedral became one-domed and remained so until 1994. The northern vestibule with a facade decorated with miniature Ionic columns, which has survived to this day, as well as the enormous size and wider facade of the church, the western vestibule with a porch were built or rebuilt in the first quarter of the 19th century. In 1921, the cathedral was operational and was probably closed before the war, but in 1945 it was transferred to the Orthodox Church. In September 1962, St. Nicholas Cathedral as a functioning temple was closed again and transferred to the museum. It housed the exposition of the scientific and atheistic department, and in the dome there was a planetarium. By the way, when I was in school, I was in this planetarium around 1984-1986, but I remember very vaguely, although I do remember that I did not have the feeling that it was a church. The cathedral in its current form is a rather eclectic result of the restoration of 1994-1999. Many of the original forms of the 12th century cathedral have been recreated. Five chapters were returned to him, a zakomarnoy roof covering, a criss-cross shape of four columns. On the other hand, late architectural forms remained: the presence of a church and a subchurch, rebuilt choirs, a staircase, western and northern annexes. As a result, due to the late additions, which are also huge in size, the appearance of the cathedral has changed dramatically compared to the original one and at first glance it is not perceived as a monument of ancient Russian architecture. You have to peer to notice it. Of course, the ancient Russian cathedral with antique columns and pediments of the vestibules, common in the 19th century, looks wild, clumsy and ridiculous, but what can you do. The annexes are also 200 years old and they have become independent architectural monuments. Frescoes in the mid-19th century cathedral. They are well preserved and in fair condition. The old frescoes have not survived, except for a few fragments of murals from the 12th century. A gilded carved iconostasis of the 19th century has survived in the cathedral, but there are no icons in it, and the voids are covered with cardboard or plywood, which leaves a somewhat strange feeling, since the iconostasis is not perceived as such. As if plywood boards were inserted into the broken windows. Still, the museum had to approach this problem creatively and fill the spaces for icons with some of their copies or drawings to make the image more complete. Nikolsky Cathedral is now a museum. Paid entrance. The structure of the cathedral is a separate exhibition. There is a modern iron spiral staircase leading to the choir, but visitors cannot climb there, although the choir is beautiful and high, it offers a good view. Art exhibitions are held in the annex where the entrance is. There is also an exposition for viewing below in the sub-church, where there are preserved frescoes of the 12th century with the remains of a stone staircase.