In the residential area of Veliky Novgorod, called the Nerevsky end since medieval times, a group of architectural structures has been preserved. They are located along the left bank of the Volkhov River on the Sofiyskaya side to the north, inside an earthen rampart. All of them are the most mature and artistically finished monuments of Novgorod architecture, dating back to the 15th century, and are subject to protection as a national property. Historians associate their location with the Nerevsky end, often calling them Kozhevnitsky.
Church of Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki: description
The architects decided to build this temple on the banks of the mighty Volkhov, it is to him that he faces his eastern facade. Professionally chosen proportions, creating a magnificent silhouette, and the right location, today made this temple a wonderful monument of ancient art, studying which, you can see how architecture has progressed over time.
Behind the shaft on the sideDmitrievskaya Street, which leads to the Zverin-Pokrovsky Monastery, still stands this ancient and amazing building, distinguished by its completeness and maturity. This is truly a wonderful example of architecture, which was typical for the heyday of the Novgorod land.
The Church of Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki was built in 1406. It is built of limestone blocks, all the decorative works of the facade, as well as the arches, vanes and the head of the church are made of red brick.
Ancient architecture
According to historical legend, this beautiful temple was built at the expense of tanners. A very long time ago, or to be more precise, in 1227, a wooden church stood on this site. But in 1384 it suffered from a strong fire. The walls of the new temple were built from blocks of limestone and bricks and were not specially plastered.
By 1930, the bell tower of the temple was demolished. However, it was during the years of fascist occupation that he suffered the most. It was possible to fully restore its original beauty only by 1960. This process was carried out by the architects Shtender G. M. and Shulyak L. M.
Divine splendor
The Church of Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki, photographs of which fully show all the graceful beauty and majesty that has not been broken for centuries, is a fairly tall one-domed four-pillared building. Its facades are finished and strict in proportion, and inIn the final areas, emphasis is placed on the skillfully designed brickwork of a multi-blade ornamental arch, the ensemble of which includes belts carved from triangular depressions, an arcade frieze, rosettes, niches of round and pentagonal shapes, a curb and relief crosses.
On the facade from the southern direction, a five-membered composition has been preserved to this day. It consists of two niches and three windows located between them. Ancient architects crowned the church of Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki with a decorative five-bladed brow. The apse of the temple itself is decorated with very original vertical rollers. They were pulled together by semicircular small arches.
Research on antiquities
The most important and striking elements of interior decoration are made in the traditional style developed in the XIV century, in its second half. Another bright and original architectural solution of the Church of Peter and Paul was the arrangement of the entrance on the floor not in the very thickness of the wall (such techniques were often used in the construction of Novgorod churches of the 12th-15th centuries), but in the form of a separate stone staircase located in the northwestern part of the temple. Interestingly, it is this feature of the temple that repeats and shows the technique used by the architects of the famous temple of Theodore Stratilates, built in 1360.
Already in the 18th century, a chapel of the Three Hierarchs was added to the south side. A little later, a small bell tower was built on the western side.
In the period from the 15th to the 16th century, the entire church of Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki underwent changes. The plan for its reconstruction turned out to be very interesting - it becametwo-story. In the western part, the choirs began to be located, where a staircase led from the northwestern corner. Thus, a sub-church appeared, or in another way - to podklet. The church itself was located on the second floor on the so-called hallway.
Paintings and frescoes
The built portal, which has a sharp shape, was knocked out at the time when the temple was divided into two floors. On the sides of this portal, the remains of an ancient painting were visible, and one could see on one side the image of the apostles Paul and Peter, on the other - an angel with a sword in his hand.
The researcher Pavel Gusev, who analyzed the images, found that the icon of the apostles Peter and Paul was made with oil paint in a handicraft-painting style, and the Angel was made using fresco technique. In the end, he concluded that the works belong to completely different eras. The angel was attributed to the 16th century, the image of Peter and Paul - to the 18th century, when the temple was transferred to the second floor.
Today the temple is no longer active, and services are not held in it. Now there is a branch of the State Museum-Reserve, which is open on Wednesday and Sunday from 11.00 to 16.00. Monday and Tuesday are days off. Entrance fee - 50 rubles, students and pupils - 30 rubles, children under 16 years old - free of charge. The museum is closed every year from October 1 to March 1.
