Description of the attraction
Snetogorsk Monastery is located 7 kilometers from Pskov on the high bank of the Velikaya River. In 1299 German knights attacked the monastery and plundered it. 17 monks and the founder of the monastery, hegumen Iosaph, perished in the fire. The Pskov prince with his retinue defeated the knights and ordered to build a new stone church in the monastery. The construction of the temple was delayed: in 1310 -1311. was completed, and in 1313 it was painted with frescoes. The cathedral was consecrated in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin.
The Nativity Cathedral is famous for its frescoes. During the invasion of Pskov by Stephen Batory (1581-1582), the cathedral burned, the upper part of the drum collapsed. The frescoes were also badly damaged. The frescoes in the central part of the building were covered with a new iconostasis, and whitewashed in open places. In 1909, clearing of the Snetogorsk frescoes began, and it continues to this day.
Snetogorsk wall painting refers to the initial period of the heyday of the Pskov fresco. In addition to the bright, picturesque manner in which the masters worked, their painting is characterized by a very free interpretation of religious subjects. Prophets, apostles, saints are not just symbols of faith, but living people with different characters and appearance.
At present, the ensemble of the Snetogorsk monastery consists of: the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, the refectory church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (1519), the Bishop's house (1805), the ruins of the bell tower with the Church of the Ascension of the Lord (first half of the 16th century), the Holy Gates and the fence of the monastery (XVII- mid-19th century).
Now on the territory of the monastery there is a nunnery, where more than 60 sisters live.
