Description of the attraction
The Antoniev Monastery was founded at the beginning of the 12th century. Its cathedral belongs to the oldest churches in Novgorod. The life of St. Antonia tells that he was born in Rome. Being left an orphan early, he distributed his wealth to the poor, and the remaining jewelry, gold and silver things and church items he corked into a barrel and put it into the sea. He himself retired on a rock by the sea and lived there for a year and three months. But one day the stone on which he prayed came off and miraculously sailed across the Neva and Lake Ladoga, to Volkhov and found himself in Novgorod. It was on the night of Christmas in 1106. At the place where he landed on the shore, the Monk Anthony the Roman built a monastery. A year later, he asked the fishermen to throw their nets into the Volkhov for an ingot of silver, and miraculously, the net pulled ashore a barrel of Anthony's treasures, which he had thrown into the sea in Italy. So, says the legend, and it is difficult to believe her, but in the cathedral of the monastery over the relics of Anthony there are six enamel icons with Latin inscriptions. Such icons are not found in Novgorod and in Russia in general, and the legend says that they belong to the treasures of Anthony, who sailed to him in a barrel by the sea …
The monastery burned several times, was rebuilt again, was plundered by the Poles at the beginning of the 17th century. Now the monastery complex includes, in addition to the Nativity Cathedral with its late extensions, the monastery wall with passable arches, the Rector's and Treasury buildings (XVII - XIX centuries) and the Church of the Meeting with a refectory (XVI century).
In 1117, construction began on the Nativity Cathedral. According to the plan and the general solution, it was typical of its time: four-pillar, with a narthex, a staircase tower, and a three-domed end. But instead of heavy cross pillars, T-shaped and octahedral pillars were used, which is very important for the interior of a small church; the staircase tower is round, not rectangular, the choir is wooden, not stone. The monumental paintings, which appeared in 1125, represent the most significant in volume and unique in style ensemble of Novgorod frescoes of the 12th century. The most impressive scene is the Annunciation and the half-figures of four healers - Frol, Laurus, Cyrus and John, located on the western faces of the eastern pair.
The temple was the burial vault of Novgorod boyars, archbishops, governors and others. The largest Novgorod boyars, the Alfanov brothers, are buried in it, torn to pieces by the people during the riots of 1609. Mikhail Tatishchev, Prince Vasily Ivanovich Odoevsky, who died in 1612, the steward Saltykov, who died in the battle near the city of Rugodivy in 1700, the steward Streshnev, the Choglokovs, Olsufievs, Knyazhnins, etc.
