And its unique ones, which have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List for more than 20 years. The assignment of this status to the unique monuments of Vladimir-Suzdal white stone architecture speaks of their exclusivity and value, because it is simply impossible to get on this list.

There are several strict evaluation criteria by which it is determined whether an object is worthy of World Heritage status or not. Without delving too deeply into this topic, I will say that the white stone monuments of Vladimir meet three cultural selection criteria (out of six):

  • a masterpiece of human creative genius,
  • significant mutual influence of human values,
  • an outstanding example of a design illustrating the period of its creation.

All this applies fully and Dmitrievsky Cathedral.

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Dmitrievsky Cathedral is a court temple. It was erected at the princely court by Vsevolod the Big Nest and consecrated in honor of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki. Dates of creation: 1193-1197.
Describing such beauty in words is a thankless and useless task. How can you describe its power, solidity, strength? How can you convey the ornateness of stone carvings? Therefore, without further ado, let’s go, you will see everything for yourself.
So, the yellow building of the Public Places separates the Dmitrievsky Church from the “Chambers” museum complex (the building was built in the 80s of the 18th century according to Blank’s design).

We approach the Dmitrievsky Cathedral. The first thing you notice is its magnificent stone carvings.

We go around the temple in a circle. There are almost no scaffoldings; they were removed not so long ago.



There is a humorous sign for newlyweds on the door.

And here's what Dmitrievsky Cathedral completely - in all its glory. The head of the cathedral is located on a high drum and is covered with a golden helmet-shaped dome. The material from which the cathedral is made is limestone. The facades of the temple are divided into three tiers.
The lower tier is devoid of stone carvings and decorations because it was originally closed by single-tier galleries surrounding the cathedral on three sides. Staircase towers were located at the corners of the galleries. Galleries and towers connected the cathedral with the princely palace. Unfortunately, they were dismantled in 1838.

There is an observation deck next to the Dmitrievsky Cathedral.

Once you climb it, a stunning view opens up.

and if you look to the right - the Nativity Monastery (first mentioned in 1191).

Currently, a museum exhibition is open in the cathedral. A few fragments of frescoes from the 12th century have been preserved in the temple.

Southern facade of St. Demetrius Cathedral.



The main character in the design of the cathedral is King David. It is present in the design of the three facades of the temple. David is surrounded by various creatures - animals and birds, trees and grass.






The history of the Dmitrievsky Cathedral in Vladimir, its cross-domed architecture and white stone carvings arouse genuine interest among tourists.

History of the cathedral

Grand Duke Vsevolod the Big Nest decided to build the cathedral building in Vladimir on his land, and for this he attracted Russian craftsmen. The work was carried out in 1194-1197, white limestone was used for construction.

40 years later, the cathedral was destroyed and robbed by the Mongol-Tatars, then fires blazed many times and it was looted. As a result, the building needed reconstruction; it was carried out in 1837-1839 by decree of Nicholas I. The cathedral building took on its original appearance, in which it has remained to this day.

During the Soviet era, the cathedral survived because it was considered a monument of ancient Russian art. A commission responsible for the preservation of painting monuments met here. In 1919, services were no longer held in the cathedral and restoration work began. The work lasted for years and ended only in 2004. At the final stage, drainpipes appeared in the cathedral, a new cross was installed, and all the reliefs and white stone were covered with a protective mixture. Today the church is considered a museum exhibition and belongs to the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve; no services are held here.

Architecture and interior decoration

Dmitrievsky Cathedral is distinguished by its small area, because it was used only by the prince’s family and was his personal church. It was once framed by galleries with staircase towers that connected it with the palace of the Grand Duke. Subsequently, these structures were removed during reconstruction, but the cathedral did not lose its splendor.

On the southern facade there is the composition “The Ascension of Alexander the Great into Heaven”, and the main figure on all facades is the psalmist King David with a harp in his hands.

The facade of the cathedral itself includes three tiers, one of them is decorated with white stone figures and patterns, and the other is completely covered with carvings, it can be seen even on the dome drum. The structure of the temple is crowned by a gently sloping gilded dome, made in the shape of a hero’s helmet; a cross made of gilded copper is mounted on it.

Relief facades


The fame of the Dmitrievsky Cathedral is in its white stone facades, because of this it is also called the “white stone book”. Everything here is strewn with numerous reliefs on which real and mythical animals are depicted, and the images of saints can also be seen. Most of the reliefs, and there are about 600 of them, have their original appearance. Some had to be restored when restoration was carried out in the 19th century. The main motive that can be traced throughout the design of the facade of the cathedral is the glorification of the power of the prince. It is not for nothing that heraldic symbols are depicted here - griffins and centaurs, lions, eagles, there are scenes of hunting and fighting animals.

Interior decoration


The interior decoration of the building is not rich; several frescoes from the 12th century have been preserved from their original appearance, for example, the composition “The Last Judgment”.

Also kept here is a domed cross 4 meters high, it has a perforated ornament. It was removed from the dome in 2002 and replaced with a new one. In the Dmitrievsky Cathedral you can see the tombstone of the first governor Vladimir Count Vorontsov.

Shrines

  • When the construction of the temple was completed, Prince Vsevolod installed a large nest of the image of the Great Martyr Dmitry of Thessalonica.
  • Also placed here was a chased silver reliquary with a piece of his shirt, it was soaked in the blood of the martyr.

The cathedral in Vladimir still preserves these shrines today.

Address and how to get there

Vladimir's Cathedral is located in the city on Cathedral Square.

To get to it, you can take a bus from Moscow or use a commuter train, it departs from the platform of the Yaroslavsky or Kursky railway station.

Address: Russia, Vladimir, st. Bolshaya Moskovskaya, 60
Start of construction: 1194
Completion of construction: 1197
Coordinates: 56°07"45.2"N 40°24"39.3"E
Object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation

At the beginning of the 12th century, the Suzdal land was a backwater in the north-east of Rus', but already at the beginning of the 13th century it became a principality, playing a decisive role in the life of the country.

Under Vsevolod the Big Nest, the Vladimir-Suzdal principality reaches its greatest power. To commemorate the heyday of the Vladimir land, Vsevolod decided to build his “personal” court temple in the princely courtyard, a hundred meters from the Assumption Cathedral.

General view of the cathedral

Between 1194 and 1197, the prince erected a church decorated with white stone carvings and consecrated it in honor of his heavenly patron, Dmitry of Thessaloniki. In those days, princes bore two names: princely and Christian, given at baptism. Vsevolod got the name Dmitry. For having many children, Vsevolod received the nickname “Big Nest”. By the time the cathedral was built, the prince’s son Dmitry was born, which became another reason to consecrate the temple in honor of the Great Martyr Dmitry.

Demetrius Cathedral - reliquary

Since ancient times, Saint Dmitry was revered as the patron saint of warriors. According to his life, Dmitry held the position of proconsul in the Greek city of Thessaloniki (another name is Thessaloniki, modern Thessaloniki). In addition to the tasks of administration, the proconsul had to defend the city from barbarians and exterminate Christianity. Defending the borders, Dmitry proved himself to be a talented commander, but angered the pagan emperor Galerius by preaching the Christian faith. Dmitry was stabbed with spears in prison, and after execution his body was thrown to be torn to pieces by wild animals, but they did not touch him, and the Christians of Thessalonica buried his remains.

South-eastern façade of the cathedral

While in Thessalonica, the Christian emperor Constantine (306 - 337) founded a church at the site of the execution of the great martyr, in which the relics of Dmitry of Thessaloniki are kept to this day. After 8 centuries, Vsevolod the Big Nest, creating a court temple, traveled to Thessaloniki and brought relics from there. The icon of the Great Martyr Dmitry, written, according to legend, on his coffin board, and a piece of clothing soaked in the blood of the saint were chosen as shrines of the Demetrius Cathedral.

Dmitrievsky Cathedral - a monument of white stone architecture

Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir is a Byzantine type of temple with four pillars and three semicircular apses. The building is crowned with a gently sloping gilded dome and an openwork cross. made of slotted gilded copper with a weather vane in the form of a dove. The chronicle reports that Vsevolod invited Russian architects to build the temple and “did not look for German craftsmen.” However, not only Vladimir carvers, but also Greek artists worked on the decoration, so the white stone decoration of the cathedral is dominated by elements characteristic of Western medieval basilicas.

North-eastern façade of the cathedral

The masonry technique, decorative false arches on the facade, perspective portals and windows are borrowed from Romanesque architecture. Initially, the cathedral was surrounded by galleries that connected it with the grand ducal chambers. The passage was dismantled in 1837 - 1839, during the restoration carried out by order of Emperor Nicholas I. Due to the abundance of white stone carvings covering the walls of the temple and the drum of the dome, Demetrius Cathedral is called a “poem in stone”, “a carpet of stone patterns”. 566 carved stones create a bizarre picture of a world where Christian motifs are intertwined with pagan images. On the walls of the temple, the earthly world is presented in all its diversity: real and mythical animals, warlike horsemen, psalmists and saints are depicted here. Carved compositions glorify the greatness of the Vladimir prince, as wise as King David, fearless as Alexander the Great and strong as the biblical hero Samson. The main sculptural composition is David the musician, whom animals and birds listen to. The lions and doves surrounding the king symbolize heaven and earth, and, therefore, David appears in the miniature as the representative of God on earth and personifies the idea of ​​a God-protected state.

Southwestern façade of the cathedral

On the northern facade of the cathedral you can see the creator of the temple himself: on one of the zakomars there is a picture of a man sitting on a throne with a baby on his lap. This is Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest with his youngest son. Next to him are carved figures of his eldest sons. Demetrius Cathedral is much more beautiful on the outside than on the inside. Its interiors are decorated modestly. Of the ancient frescoes of the 12th century, only a fragment of the Last Judgment painting, made by a Greek master and his Russian assistant, has survived. The temple is small, because it was built exclusively for the princely family and was not designed for parishioners and pilgrims. Wide vaults and the calm rhythm of the supporting arches give the interior decoration a strict solemnity.

Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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Demetrius (or Dmitrovsky) Cathedral in Vladimir was built in honor of the Christian great martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, who ruled in Saluni in the 1st century AD. e. and executed for his adherence to Christianity. This small cross-domed church made of white stone, externally reminiscent of the famous Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, is one of the monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is not only an example of art, but also a shrine: pilgrims come to venerate the icon and a piece of clothing with the blood of the martyr.

Story

At the end of the 12th century, Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest ordered the construction of a temple on the territory of his estate in honor of the saint. Russian and Greek masters were invited to work on the Grand Ducal Cathedral, and its opening took place around 1997. Then artifacts belonging to Saint Demetrius were brought from Saluni (now Thessaloniki).

Later, St. Demetrius Cathedral was subjected to enemy raids and fires, after which it was renovated. During the process of inept restorations, the external appearance of the building was distorted and most of the frescoes were lost. During the revolution of 1917, the church was transferred to the Vladimir City Museum, and 20th century restorers were able to extract fragments of the original frescoes from under the plaster and protect the white stone carvings. Now the cathedral is operational, it is open to parishioners and tourists.

What to see

Demetrius Cathedral is a Byzantine temple, built in the form of a cross and framed by semicircular apses; the gilded dome is crowned with an openwork cross with a weather vane.

This masterpiece of architecture is compared to a precious box - its architecture and ornaments are so elegant. It is made of white limestone and is conventionally divided into three tiers - earthly, heavenly (spiritual) and intermediate. Of particular interest are the white stone wall reliefs on the upper belt and on the drum near the golden dome; about 600 stone elements were used to create them. The bas-reliefs intricately intertwine Christian, mythological and literary images: saints, rulers, musicians surrounded by symbolic flowers, birds, lions.

On the southern wall are depicted scenes of the ascension of Alexander the Great, on the northern - portraits of Prince Vsevolod and his sons, the eastern one tells about the life of the biblical king David, and the western one - about the exploits of the legendary strongman Hercules.

Inside there is a functioning temple and at the same time a museum exhibition. Here is an old cross 4 m high, which once crowned the dome of the cathedral, an icon of St. Demetrius and a piece of his shirt in a silver casket. On the walls you can see rescued fragments of once-lost frescoes from the 12th century, among them the most impressive one is “The Last Judgment”. Also presented is the tombstone of Count R. Vorontsov, the first governor of Vladimir.

Practical information

Address: Vladimir, st. Bolshaya Moskovskaya, 60. Website.

Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 17:00, from November to March from 10:00 to 16:00, closed on Tuesday and the last Wednesday of the month.

The city of Vladimir is a place where Russian people are filled with pride in their ancestors, who created magnificent architectural monuments many centuries ago, and today they amaze with the perfection of their forms and the beauty of their interior decoration. Many of them are recognized, including the luxurious court Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir, the facade of which is decorated with elaborate carvings. This building is also famous for its frescoes, and is often called the white stone poem.

Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir: history

As you know, in the 13th century the Vladimir-Suzdal principality reached its greatest prosperity, and its ruler Vsevolod decided to build a “personal” temple for his large family and associates. It must be said that in those distant times there was a custom according to which the princes, in addition to the Christian name, were given another name with which they signed their decrees. Since Vsevolod, nicknamed the Big Nest for having many children, was baptized in honor of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki, he decided to dedicate this new temple to his heavenly patron. There are different opinions regarding the time of foundation of this structure. In particular, for many years it was believed that the construction of the Dmitrov Cathedral in Vladimir supposedly lasted from 1194 to 1197, but at the end of the 90s of the last century, chronicle evidence was found that it began in 1191.

Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir: photo and description

In architectural terms, the temple is single-domed, four-pillared and three-apsed. Initially, it was surrounded by rather long galleries with staircase towers, through which it was connected to the princely palace. Thus, the prince's family and courtiers could attend services directly from their chambers. Unfortunately, these auxiliary structures were dismantled when ordered in 1837, so they cannot be seen today. In general, it must be said that these so-called restoration work almost caused its complete destruction. Therefore, the fact that the Dmitrov Cathedral in Vladimir has survived to this day is the merit of the restorers who worked here half a century later. They had to work hard to correct the mistakes of their predecessors.

Facade decor

As already mentioned, the Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir is decorated with rich carvings. She is present on 600 bas-reliefs, which depict biblical saints, as well as mythical and real animals. Most of these wonderful specimens have been preserved in their original form, while some were replaced with new ones during restoration work.

The design of the northern façade, on which medieval wood carvers depicted Prince Vsevolod himself and his sons, deserves special mention. No less interesting are the images of Alexander the Great, as well as the biblical king David and Samson. This choice of subjects was prompted by the desire to flatter the customer, who is compared with these most famous characters of antiquity.

Interior decoration

Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir, a photo of which is often decorated with tourist brochures offering trips along the Golden Ring route, is not distinguished by its luxurious interiors. The reason, again, is the unscrupulous work of restorers. However, several frescoes dating back to the 13th century have survived to this day. In particular, in the temple you can see fragments of the large composition “The Last Judgment,” the author of which is presumably an artist invited by Vsevolod from Greece.

Relics

Saint Dmitry was revered by Christians as the patron saint of warriors. His life indicates that he held the position of proconsul in the city of Thessalonica, which the inhabitants of ancient Rus' called Thessaloniki. Having learned that Dmitry is a Christian, Emperor Galerius throws him into prison and then orders him to be stabbed to death with spears. The body of the martyr is given to wild animals to be eaten, but they do not touch him. Later, the Christians of the city interred the remains of the saint. Years later, he comes to Thessaloniki and, at the site of Dmitry’s execution, founds a church in which today the relics of the saint are kept.

So, having consecrated his Dmitrov Cathedral in Vladimir (the description is presented above), Prince Vsevolod set off in the footsteps of Constantine and brought some relics from the Thessalonica temple for this church. They were an icon depicting the Great Martyr of Thessaloniki, written on his coffin board, and a piece of clothing on which there were drops of the saint’s blood.

Assumption Cathedral

When talking about the Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir, one cannot help but say a few words about another masterpiece of ancient Russian architecture, located just a few meters away. We are talking about the Assumption Cathedral, which is more than 850 years old. It is considered the standard of church architecture, and its features can be seen in hundreds of churches built in Rus' over the centuries.

This building is also included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is considered one of the main tourist attractions. Although the most beautiful, in terms of external decor, is Dmitrovsky. The Assumption Cathedral is certainly a leader when it comes to interiors. The main pride of the temple is the luxurious frescoes of the great icon painter Andrei Rublev.

In addition, it contains several niches-arcosols, where the most prominent representatives of the Vladimir nobility and church hierarchs were buried.

The modern appearance of the Assumption Cathedral, which is familiar to everyone from photographs, is quite different from the original one, since in 1186-1189 it was radically rebuilt, since it could no longer accommodate everyone. In particular, galleries were added to it on both sides, and four new chapters were erected in the corners.

Now you know when and by whom the cathedrals of Vladimir - the Assumption and Dmitrovsky - were built, which are rightfully considered the best examples of Russian architecture.