Description of the attraction
The Church of St. James of Rostov was built on the site of the Yakovlevsky side-chapel of the Conception Cathedral dismantled in 1824. It was necessary for the winter services. This church was built under the care of Archimandrite Innocent, the abbot of the monastery, and his abbot, Hieromonk Flavian. For the construction of the temple, Countess Anna Alekseevna Orlova-Chesmenskaya donated 7,500 rubles. The church was consecrated on June 14, 1836 by Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow and Kolomna.
The church of St. James with its southern wall adjoined the old monastery cathedral, while its northern facade was facing the Dmitrievsky temple.
In the architecture of the temple, at first glance, there is a noticeable similarity with the nearby Dimitrievskaya church. This similarity is not at all accidental and, most likely, dictated by the wishes of Archimandrite Innocent. According to legend, the temple of St. James is a monument of favor to the Yakovlevsky monastery of Emperor Alexander I. When in August 1823 the tsar visited the monastery and learned about the archimandrite's intention to build a temple in honor of St. Saint Demetrius. In addition, the similarity of these two churches not only follows the same style of architecture, but also the realization of the idea of the identity of Saints Demetrius and James. The case of the dispensation of temples dedicated to them in the monastery confirms the fact of their importance in the system of values of the Yakovlevsky monastery, which glorifies these heavenly patrons.
The temple in honor of St. James is decorated with a magnificent iconostasis, its walls are painted with letters on gold. From bottom to top, the iconostasis is covered with gold; columns entwine vines with tassels. The icons here are distinguished by their exquisite decoration. The murals of the temple are made in the academic style. From an artistic point of view, the paintings in the temple represent a great variety, are distinguished by the expressiveness of figures, strict clarity and exquisite taste. On the spacious semicircular plafond of the church, the Mother of God is depicted sitting on the throne; before her are the powers of heaven, around her are the great forefathers, prophets, apostles, martyrs; above the throne, in the altar, on another plafond - God in three Hypostases, surrounded by the ranks of the Angel. Below the plafond, behind the throne, on the altar wall is the Last Supper.
In the arch that separates the refectory from the main church there are: the cell, ancestral icon of Archimandrite Innocent of the Tikhvin Mother of God - on the left side; cell Flaviana - an icon of the Savior praying in the Garden of Gethsemane - on the right side. The icons are placed in the temple as monuments to the creators of this temple.
On the plafond of the meal there is a majestic depiction of the scene of the Last Judgment. The walls are decorated with images of Saints: Demetrius, James, Jesus Christ: bearing the cross to Calvary by the Lord; Saint Demetrius, standing in prayer in his cell with his hands raised before the Crucifixion; preaching the Word of God to the people from the pulpit in Bishop's vestments; gaining miraculous relics; Saint James, floating on his mantle on the lake, his judgment on his sinful wife. These images and other icons were painted by Timofey Medvedev, a peasant in the estate of Hof Marshal Olsufiev. The church houses a large, silvered copper chandelier in the shape of a bowl; the other, a small one - in the refectory.
