Description of the attraction
One of the most remarkable architectural monuments of the Ustyug masters of the middle of the 18th century is located in the lower part of the city, far from the historical center. This is the Church of Simeon the Stylite - truly the only church preserved in Veliky Ustyug, in the architecture of which signs of Western European Baroque are noticeable.
At first glance, one can immediately notice the artistic completeness of the forms, beautiful proportions and impeccable performance. Ornate platbands surround the windows, the walls are decorated with flat pilasters with tiled capitals. The capitals are the creations of the gifted Ustyug potters, giving the church an elegant and sublime look, pouring a fresh emerald color into the color palette of the temple. The façade on the west side is especially decorated. Round windows, open porch-terrace, luxurious pediment.
The construction of a stone church was started in 1725 on the site of the church of the same name, built of wood. The construction was completed in 1747. Almost ten years later, during a strong fire in 1757, the temple was extremely burned, and soon, with funds provided by the Ustyug merchant I. Ya. Kurochkin, the reconstruction of the temple began, which was completed in 1765. In 1771, Matvey Bushkovsky, a master of bells from Ustyug, cast a bell for the church of Simeon the Stylite, weighing 154 pounds.
The composition of the church of Simeon the Stylite differs significantly from the rest of the cathedrals of Veliky Ustyug. The church is two-story. The first floor - a summer church - was consecrated in honor of the Monk Simeon the Stylite with a side-altar dedicated to the holy Apostle James Alfeyev. The second floor - a winter church - was consecrated in honor of the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, with chapels in memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. In the middle of the composition there is a quadrangle, on the east side the altar part adjoins it. Semicircular pediments complete the walls of the quadrangle and two side-chapels. Baroque platbands are used to decorate windows.
The interior and iconostasis of the Church of Simeon the Stylite was created in 1765. The main room of the temple is decorated in abundance with all kinds of stucco moldings. The summer temple was located on the ground floor. In various parts of the temple there were several ancient icons in icon cases, which were decorated with pearls and silver. The interior of the winter church impresses with the unity of the baroque decoration and the extraordinary luxury of decoration. The most skillful stucco molding covers the walls and vaults of the temple. The hallmarks contain colorful displays of storylines from the New and Old Testaments. The majestic iconostasis is decorated with unusually beautiful and magnificent carvings. The images of the iconostasis were painted by Vasily Kolmogorov, a talented icon painter of the 18th century.
Just to the west of the church is a tiered bell tower built in the same style as the church. The bell tower ends with a spire, which is traditionally inherent in Russian architecture of that time. The decor of the temple and the bell tower is very similar in character, however, the multi-colored tiled capitals of the pilasters on the facades of the bell tower are more luxurious and diverse.
In 1930, in February, the church was closed. Then they began to knock down the bells and destroy the iconostases.
Since May 2001, divine services have been resumed in the church of Simeon the Stylite. Today it is a fully functional temple, which also serves as a museum display. Thanks to the common efforts of believers, as well as organizations and entrepreneurs, together with the city administration, the winter church was recreated. All work on the restoration of this rare architectural monument is carried out by the museum-reserve.
