Description of the attraction
The monastery of the Holy Great Martyr, Victorious and Wonderworker George, traditionally called the Yuryev Monastery, belongs to the most ancient monasteries not only of the Novgorod Diocese, but of the whole of Russia. It was founded in 1030 by the Russian prince Yaroslav the Wise.
The majestic St. George Cathedral, second only to St. Sophia of Novgorod, was founded in 1119 by order of Prince Mstislav the Great. The modern appearance of the St. George Cathedral is quite close to the original one. The interior of the temple reflected its character and the purpose of the main church of the monastery and at the same time the princely temple. For the stay of the prince and his family, spacious choirs were arranged, where two chapels were located - the Annunciation and the Holy Passion-bearers Boris and Gleb. Since the end of the 12th century, the St. George Cathedral of the monastery served as the final resting place not only for the abbots of the monastery, but for Russian princes and Novgorod mayor.
Shortly before the consecration of the cathedral, its walls were painted; but, unfortunately, the ancient fresco painting has been almost completely lost, only small fragments of ornamental decorations of window slopes in the main volume of the cathedral and the painting of a small temple located in the northwestern tower have survived.
The complex of buildings of the Yuryev Monastery seems grandiose even today, although it has not yet been completely restored. It includes a 52-meter bell tower, and five buildings: Vostochny, with a gloomy prison cell; Southern - with the Church of the Burning Bush; Archimandrite - with the Savior Cathedral, under whose cover Vladyka Photius and A. A. Orlova-Chesmenskaya were buried; a bell tower rises above the North; and from the east adjoins the church and the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Cross.
The Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Cross with blue domes is located in the northwestern corner of the monastery territory. It was built in 1759-1763. under Archimandrite Ioanniki I. The church was supposed to be consecrated in the name of Gabriel of Pskov, but since there were not enough funds for the construction of the iconostasis, the temple was never consecrated. In 1810, the church was seriously damaged by a fire and was abandoned for several years. In 1823-1826. Novgorod provincial architect N. Efimov drew up a project for the reconstruction of an unconsecrated church and carried out the corresponding work. The temple was consecrated by Archimandrite Photius in the name of the Exaltation of the Cross.
In the post-revolutionary years, the Yuryev Monastery shared the fate of all Russian monasteries. In 1922, the confiscation of church valuables was in the nature of a shameless plundering of the monastery, the vestments removed from the icons were melted down, the silver shrine of St. Feoktista, liturgical vessels. Only a small part of the treasures has become the property of Russian museum collections. A few years later, in 1929, the monastery was finally closed, the surviving brethren were dispersed. Yuriev Monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church on December 25, 1991. Since 1995, a monastic monastery has been renewed in Yuryev.
