Description of the attraction
In the center of Pereslavl-Zalessky is the Pereslavl Kremlin. From the wooden fortress, grandiose ramparts, up to 12 meters high, remained, and inside there is a cathedral complex of churches of the XII-XIX centuries, in the main of which is now a museum exposition.
Pereslavl fortress
The first settlement, which gave rise to Pereslavl, was located on the very shore of Lake Pleshcheevo and was called Tick or Tick - either from the word "splash", that is, "splash", or from the abundance of bream found in the lake. There was a small town with a wooden fortress on the ramparts - a settlement and the remains of these ramparts have survived from it.
But the prince Yury Dolgoruky decided to build a new fortress here in a different place, at the mouth of the river, and named it Pereyaslavl … Later the name began to be pronounced as Pereslavl. It was 1152.
The fortress turned out to be worthwhile on the island … On one side it was protected by a lake, on the other - by the Trubezh and Murmazh rivers, and on the fourth side a deep ditch was dug. The fortress was protected by huge ramparts … Wide wooden log cabins were erected, and already on top they were covered with earth. As a result, now the thickness of the shafts in the bases is about thirty meters, and the current height is up to twelve meters. The wooden walls were double. Inside was wooden palace of the prince … By the end of the 12th century, one of the most powerful wooden ancient Russian fortresses was built here - and it remained wooden throughout its history. Pereslavl was in the XII-XIII centuries. the third largest city and was second only to Kiev and Smolensk.
Town captured and burned several times … In 1238 it was ravaged by troops. Khan Batuwho had plundered and burned Vladimir before. At the end of the XIII century, the Horde troops will send here at the call of their own, the Russians. The point is that children Alexander Nevsky began to fight for power: the prince of Pereslavl Dmitry Aleksandrovich fought with his brother Andrey Alexandrovich … Both princes went to the Horde for labels to reign - and both received labels: in the Horde, too, by that time feuds began and different khans supported different princes. As a result, in 1291 near Pereslavl there was a clash of the Khan's troops Mengu-Timur and Nogaya.
The walls of the Kremlin were significantly renewed and strengthened Dmitry Donskoy … When the Lithuanians tried to seize the fortress in 1372, they could not do it, but they could in 1382 Tokhtamysh.
V Time of Troubles at the beginning of the 17th century, the city was burned by the Poles, and then the voivode recaptured it M. Skopin-Shuisky … The last wooden walls were rebuilt in 1666. But Pereslavl was no longer subjected to any attacks, and there was no longer a need for fortifications. In 1759 the dilapidated the wooden kremlin was dismantled - only the city walls remained.
Transfiguration Cathedral
In the center of the Kremlin is stone Transfiguration Cathedral … He appeared here in the year the city was founded - 1152 year … This is one of the oldest surviving monuments of church architecture.
It was built so that in the event of an attack it could serve as a refuge: the thickness of its walls is about a meter, and its small narrow windows look more like loopholes. It has a fairly simple decor and was built so solidly that it has hardly changed over time. If he had any outbuildings and galleries, they were wooden and no traces have survived from them. He served with the burial-vault of the Pereslavl princes.
Once the cathedral was painted, but almost nothing has survived from the frescoes. The most ancient frescoes were knocked down during repairs at the end of the 19th century, only one fragment of them has survived - it is in the collections of the State Historical Museum. And the frescoes of the 19th century were not preserved already in Soviet times. Repairs in 1891-94 took place with the permission of the Archaeological Commission on the initiative of the local churchwarden merchant P. N. Kozhevnikov … In addition to new frescoes, a new marble iconostasis has appeared here - it has survived to this day.
The most important and sensational find in this cathedral is unique graffiti of the XII century … New restoration technologies made it possible to discover them. Pereslavl believers drew crosses and other signs on the walls out of boredom, but most importantly, they found an inscription on the wall with a list of twenty names. it list of murderers of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, some of the names of which are fully confirmed by the chronicle data.
In various museums, there are several more relics originating from this temple. For example, in the Tretyakov Gallery there is a 15th century icon "Transfiguration", in the Armory there is a chalice of the 12th century, and in the Department of Manuscripts of the Russian National Library there is a facial Gospel.
The temple ceased to function after the revolution, stood in desolation, and its decoration was destroyed. In the 1930s, excavations, he was tidied up a bit. After the war, it opened exposition dedicated to Alexander Nevsky, and in 1958 a bust of this prince, a native of Pereslavl, was installed in front of the building.
The temple is now run Pereslavl-Zalessky Museum-Reserve … Sometimes, in agreement with the museum, church services are held there. Access is only available during summer time. Restoration work continues.
Vladimirsky Cathedral and Alexander Nevsky Church
The cathedral complex includes two more churches. it the remains of the Sretensky nunnery, which appeared in the Kremlin at the beginning of the 18th century. The small monastery was at first wooden, but in the middle of the 18th century, two events happened simultaneously: the monastery was abolished Catherine II, which thus "optimized" the church economy, and at the expense of the Pereslavl merchant F. Ugryumova a new brick church was built, which was used as a summer parish. The Ugryumov merchants were a notable family in Pereslavl and kept a linen factory in the city. The wooden house, which once belonged to them, is located near the Kremlin and is part of the museum complex.
At the same time, another church is being built in the same Baroque style - Alexander Nevsky Church … The complex also included a three-tiered bell tower and a stone fence, but they have not survived to our time, they were demolished in the 1930s. Both temples were richly decorated, but almost nothing of the decoration has survived to this day.
Vladimirsky Cathedral functioned until 1924. In 1925 both temples were robbed … The robbers carried out all the silver frames of the icons and precious utensils. After that, the cathedral was handed over to the city athletes, and the Alexander Nevsky church was turned into a library. Then both churches were once again redone: bread was baked in the Vladimir Cathedral, and a store was set up in the Alexander Nevsky Church.
Since 1998, the churches have been transferred to the church and are active. To the church of St. A particle of his relics was transferred to Alexander Nevsky - it is considered the main temple shrine
Churches of Metropolitan Peter and Sergius of Radonezh
On the territory of the Kremlin there is another Church - Peter the Metropolitan … The wooden church has been here since the 15th century, and the current brick one was built in 1585 year … In the lists, the building is listed as "a church in the sovereign's courtyard," so at first, most likely, it was the home church of the Pereslavl princes and was part of the unpreserved complex of palace buildings.
This is one of the rare specimens tent churches - these were built in a very narrow period of time. It is small, but surprisingly proportionate and harmonious. In the 1880s, she was renovated, and her original painting did not reach us.
During the 60-70s. XX century church restored - it was returned to its original appearance of the 15th century, but it continued to remain abandoned. Since 1991, it was officially transferred to the Church, now it is in the process of a slow restoration and is only open during rare services.
Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh - a former prison church, it was built at the very beginning of the 20th century at the expense of the Pereslavl manufacturer, honorary citizen of the city, S. Pavlov. Not far from the Kremlin, there is a beautiful wooden mansion that belonged to this family. In Soviet times, the domes of the church were dismantled. Now the building has been transferred to the church again and is slowly being restored.
Interesting Facts
- Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, who founded his capital on a completely new swampy place on the shore of the lake, is often compared with Peter I.
- The main square of the Pereslavl Kremlin is called Red, like the main square of Moscow.
- According to some reports, the lower floor of the Metropolitan Peter Church was originally intended to be a political palace prison.
On a note
- Location: Pereslavl-Zalessky, Red Square, 1 A.
- How to get there: by regular bus from Moscow from VDNKh and Shchukinskaya stations. Further from the bus station to the city center by bus # 1.
- Official website:
- The entrance to the territory of the Kremlin is free, to the Transfiguration Cathedral - only in warm weather.
- The cost of a ticket to the Transfiguration Cathedral: adult - 80 rubles, concessionary - 50 rubles.
