Добірка наукової літератури з теми "Novgorod (City). Church of St. Sophia"

The article invites to look afresh at the late 16th century Novgorod icon‘The Vision of the Sexton Tarasiy of Khutyn`’ and the Faceted Palace,built in 1433 by German craftsmen. The stepped gables of the building,located west of St Sophia Cathedral in the icon, were interpreted asrealistic image of the upper parts of the Faceted Palace that havenot survived. However, the iconographic analysis of more than ahundred of the Russian icons and illuminated manuscripts datingback to the second half of the 16th – early 17th centuries proved thatthe stepped gable was a decorative architectural motive, widespreadsince the 1560s–1570s. The authors classified the images of buildingswith stepped gable in the late medieval Russian art, and determinedtheir possible sources among the Northern European prints of the15th – 16th centuries. The comprehensive study ascertained that thebuilding in the icon ‘The Vision of the Sexton Tarasiy’ can’t be used forreconstruction of the Faceted Palace. Since 1560s–1570s the schematicrepresentation of the city in Russian art often placed buildings withthe stepped gables (initially acquired from the European prints)next to the churches. Panorama of Novgorod in the Khutyn` iconfollowed this pattern and combined fantastic forms with ratherrealistic depiction of the church edifices.

The idea of Sophia – the personified Wisdom of God served as a symbol of independence and identity of the republic in the political culture of Novgorod the Great. In Old Russian chronicles and other narrative sources which can be connected with Novgorod, one may find statements showing that – in the eyes of the Novgorodians themselves – Wisdom was not only one of the main attributes of God, but also a separate character, a kind of divine being, who could be interpreted as patronesses and supernatural protector of the city-state. Construction of the temple of Hagia Sophia in Novgorod is usually dated to 1045–1050. In the source material one can find information that Novgorodian Sophia church was undoubtedly the most significant and important monument in the city. The theme of Wisdom of God is also a very prominent topic in Novgorodian historiography and literature. Moreover, the feminine personification of God’s Wisdom can also be found on the coins, emitted by the city-state from 1420.

The article tires to identify early printed editions from Novgorod churches and monasteries as part of the Russian State Library (RSL) collection. It shows the way they got to the RSL and provides a method for their attribution. In the XVIII century, the books were collected in the St. Sophia Cathedral library in Novgorod. In the middle of the XIX century, some of them were brought to the library of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. In the 1870s, the idea of exchanging book duplicates between the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev’s Museums arose. It was supported by His Eminence Metropolitan of St. Petersburg, Novgorod and Finland Isidore. In 1874, the Rumyantsev’s Museum received 126 books. Among them, there were books from the Kirillo-Belozersk Monastery, the Sofia Library and some items of an unknown origin (without owner's signs). The article shows the methodology and process of attribution the books from Novgorod monasteries and churches based on the study of owners’ signs (for example, dedicatory inscriptions, authographs and other notes) taking in account the history of the Sofia Library collection. There were some contributions from the nobility, for example, D. M. Bashmakov, a statesman of the 17th century; or Princess Natalia Kirillovna, a mother of Peter I, who made a donation to the Novgorod Convent of Great martyr Euphemia the Glorious. This fact allows us to look at the history of monastic libraries in a more detailed way exploring their parts. The attribution of the books of Novgorod origin at the RSL collection illustrates the research method for regional Cyrillic book collections, which for the most part remains unexplored.Keywords: the early Cyrillic printed books, the Sofia Library, Novgorod Books, editions of the Moscow Printing House, the history of libraries, St. Petersburg Theological Academy, monastic and church libraries, books of Ancient Russia, regional collections of old printed books.

The article deals with the biography of Luka Zhidyata, the Bishop of Novgorod. The mention of the consecration of St. Sophia of Novgorod by him probably dates back to the “Primary Chronicle”. Information of the chronicles about his three-year suspension and imprisonment in Kiev is compared with the norms of Byzantine canon law. The only rule by which Luka could be subjected to such punishment is a ban for clerics to play dice or communicate with the players. Such an accusation clarifies the role of his servant Dudika in in Luka’s process. The reason for the punishment of Luka by Metropolitan Ephraim was not revenge after Yaroslav's death for his participating in the election of Hilarion and the appointment of new Russian bishops in 1051, but rather the precarious political situation of Ephraim himself after 1054 and Luka's possible attempt to obtain the status of archbishopric for Novgorod.

The author studies key moments in the history of early Novgorodian annalistic writing in the context of other written practices in Novgorod. The first, very brief annalistic notes were made by clerics of the St. Sophia Cathedral in the middle of the 11th century, at the time when, in Novgorod, writing was becoming part of the everyday life of clerics as well as of the lay elite and the administration. The first systematic historical works (an annalistic compilation and a collection of lists) appear in the 1090s, when we see the spread of book production beyond St. Sophia and the start of the mass usage of princely seals. The beginning of the systematic keeping of annalistic records in the 1110s was probably stimulated by the creation and the revisions of the Primary Chronicle in Kiev but, at the same time, it is around 1117 that the posadnik’s seal appears, and this reflects a shift in the political balance in Novgorod. The 1130s were the time when the earliest extant documents granting lands, incomes, and privileges to church institutions were issued, and some other innovations in written culture also took place at around that time. In 1132 the annals previously kept for the prince passed to the control of the archbishop. Their content changed and official accusations relating to the behavior of princes began to be included. Thus, it was in the 1130s that the rights, privileges, and mutual positions of the actors in Novgorodian politics started to be fixed in writing.

Статья посвящена надписям над погребением матери Александра Невского княгини Феодосии. Она была похоронена в Георгиевском соборе новгородского Юрьева монастыря, но в XVI в. ошибочно полагали, что местом ее погребения является Георгиевская церковь города Владимира. В XVIII в. и в новгородском Георгиевском соборе, и во владимирской Георгиевской церкви имелись надгробные надписи о погребении княгини Феодосии. Источником этих надписей является текст Степенной книги. Вероятно, что их составление с использованием одного источника было независимым и относится ко второй половине XVII в. или, что вероятнее, к XVIII в. The article is devoted to the epitaph over the burial of Alexander Nevsky's mother, Princess Feodosia. She was buried in St. George's cathedral of Yuriev monastery in Novgorod, but in the 16th century, she was mistakenly believed to be buried in St. George's church in the city of Vladimir. In the 18 century both in Novgorod St. George's cathedral and in Vladimir St. George's church there were tombstones with epitaphs witnessing that Princess Feodosia was buried there. The source of these epitaphs was the text of the book containing the genealogies of the Russian princes and czars. Their compilation using the same source was likely to be independent from each other. Both supposedly date back to the second half of the 17th century, or, more likely, the 18th century.

The material presented above concerns the research of the concealed course technique used in Kyivan monuments of the Xth the beginning of the XIIth centuries and its origin. The concealed course technique presents the brickwork where the alternating brick courses are slightly recessed from the wall and covered by mortar, as a result, joints appear to be much thicker than they actually are. The earliest known monument where the concealed course technique that occurs in the Desyatynna church in Kyiv completed in 996, as well as the two palaces of the Xth c. nearby. The recessed brick technique is also used in Kyivan monuments of the XIth the beginning of the XIIth centuries: the St. Sophia Cathedral, the Golden Gate, St. George’s Church, St. Michael’s Church of Vydubytsky Monastery, the Assumption Cathedral and the Holy Trinity Gate Church of Pechersky Monastery, St.Michael’s Cathedral of the Golden Domes and some other buildings. The Church of Our Savior at Berestove, completed in the first quarter of the XIIth century is the last known Kyivan monument with the concealed course technique. The following Kyivan monuments – the Church of Our Lady Pyrohoshcha (1130’s) and the St. Cyril’s Church (1140’s) have coursed brick masonry. Apart from Kyiv the concealed course technique was used during the XIth - XIIth centuries in Chernihiv (the Cathedral of the Transfiguration), Pereyaslav (St. Michael’s Church), Novgorod (St. Sophia Cathedral and St. George’s Cathedral of St. George’s Monastery) and Polotsk (St. Sophia Cathedral). Bricks used in Kyivan monuments have their side dimensions 27 to 36 cm with prevailed dimensions 27 to 36 cm. The thickness of bricks increased from 2.5 – 3 cm at the end of the Xth – the beginning of the XIth centuries to 3.5 – 4.5 cm at the end of the XIth – the beginning of the XIIth centuries. The width of mortar strips between protruding brick courses varies from 9 to 12 cm. Walls in ancient Kyivan monuments were 1.1 to 1.3 meter thick. After the edifice was erected its outside and inside walls were covered with fine lime-and-ceramic plaster. Brunov was the first scholar who noticed peculiar masonry technique used in Kyivan and several Byzantine monuments. He considered the concealed course technique first appeared in ancient Kyiv and then was adopted at Constantinople. Some other scholars (e.g. P. Rappoport and P. Vocotopoulos) agree that the technique is of Constantinopolitan origin in spite of the absence of the monuments built in concealed course technique, dating to the Xth c. The fact that no early dated examples have been found at Constantinople should be attributed to the lack of monuments to be dated between 920s, when the Myrelaion Church was erected and the middle of the XIth century when the monastery of St.George at Mangana was founded. The oldest dated example of the concealed course technique known up to now in Constantinople is substructure of the St. George’s Church at Mangana. The other monument with the concealed course technique is the Panaghia Chalkeon Church in Salonika, dated by 1028 and is consequently earlier by approximately twenty years than the earliest dated examples of the technique in Constantinople. A lot of Byzantine monuments with the recessed brickwork dating back to the XIth – the XIIIth centuries could be found at Greece and Balkans. It is obvious that the concealed course technique originated in Byzantium as a result of development of Roman concrete facing of coursed brick. The technique was widely used in Byzantine provinces where brick was prevailing building material. Evidently the technique was developed already at the Xth century or even earlier, before it was adopted by ancient Kyivan builders. It appeared that concealed course technique could not be undoubtedly considered the hallmark of Constantinople but a widely spread medieval building practice.

Speaking about an originality of the early stages of development of Ancient Rus architecture in comparison with Byzantine architecture, the first thing mentioned is the usage of several domes. However, the decorative arched gables (zakomara), that became attribute of Ancient Rus arched gables temple, yet unknown in Byzantium, are almost not being mentioned. St. Sofia Cathedral in Novgorod represents the initial formation stage of such type of temple (A. Komech). The earliest decorative arched gable (zakomara) found has been preserved in this Novgorod cathedral. The process of formation of the arched gables temple happened in Kyiv in the second half of the ХІ century. St. Michael's Golden-Domed cathedral and Trinity gateway church of the Pechersk monastery in Kyiv are indicative of complete forms of arched gables temple. These two temples were constructed almost at the same time at the beginning of the ХІI century, but they represent the initial stages of different directions of the arched gables temple development. Both temples have one dome. But St. Michael's Cathedral has the form of a parallelepiped, statics of which is emphasized on the meander located at the level chorus (but for the east apses) and also horizontal ranks of windows and niches on all its facades. Trinity church has a vertical volume without any horizontal partitioning. Temples, similar in composition to Dormition cathedral of the Pechersk monastery and St. Michael's Golden-Domed cathedral in Kyiv, were built in Chernihiv at the first quarter of the ХІІ century. Chernihiv temples, unlike Kyiv temples, were built only from brick in the «оpus isodos» building technique, using Romanesque structural components and decorative elements (cross vaults, semi-columns on lesenes, lombard band, perspective portals). In Novgorod after completion of the St. Sophia cathedral the tradition of stone construction was renewed at the beginning of the ХІІ century. The remained Novgorod temples of this period have complete arched gables forms with vertical layout of the volumes and several domes. During the XІІ century, there are two kinds of the Novgorod variant of the zakomara temple in Pskov and Staraya Ladoga. Walls of the Novgorod, Pskov, and Staraya Ladoga temples were built in mixed building technique from brick and stone. In the Vladimiro-Suzdalsky principality from the middle of the XІІ century, the temples presented a connection of several composite variants of the arched gables type and other options of the Romanesque building technique (hewn quadrants of limestone) and the Romanesque decorative elements. The Chernihiv variant of arched gables temple became interregional, but kinds of Novgorod variant and Vladimiro-Suzdal variant were local. Temples, similar to the Chernihiv temples, were built in Kyiv, Kanev, Vladimir-Volynsk, Smolensk, Pereiaslav from the second quarter of the ХІІ century. This variant of arched gables temple prevailed until the end of the XІІ century when it was displaced by a new interregional tower-shaped temple type with the step raised arches. Arched gables temple represented the main way of development of Ancient Rus architecture of the XІІ century, but there were other traditions which are presented by single remained or partially remained monuments.

Majority of Old Rus` monuments are known to us by their excavated foundations. The character of foundation construction and layout of plan allows to reconstruct lost architectural forms of the monuments. The layout of building plan was executed by the help of rope and pickets installed at building site where tranches for wall foundation were dug. The earliest known masonry monuments of the X-th century had their wall foundation made of rubble on clay mortar. Another foundation type was used in Kyyivan monuments of the X-th – the XII-th centuries – the Tithe Church and palaces near to it, St. Sophia Cathedral, the Golden Gate and the Church of Klov monastery. The wall foundations of the Tithe Church were constructed of rubble on lime-and-ceramic mortar, with wooden substructures arranged at their footing. Wooden substructures consisted of half-meter long pickets driven into soil and 4-5 rows of timber laid in parallel direction with wall foundation, and a layer of mortared crushed rubble put over it. The height of the foundations was 1.1 to 1.5 m, their width was about 1.5 m. Wall foundation with complicated wooden substructure were also used in St.Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod and St.Michael Church in Pereyaslav. Horizontal timbers at the footing of wall foundations were also used in many Old Rus` monuments, the practice was lasted till the end of the XIX-th century. The other building peculiarity of ancient Kyyivan monuments was the separate foundations in a single building. E.g. St. Michael Church of Vydubytsky monastery has its narthex and apses not bonded with wall foundation to the main body of the monument. Because of the fact some scholars have concluded that narthex have been a later addition. In fact the ancient builders wisely designed foundations of the edifice and left the two units different in mass unbonded to allow for different settlement and avoid destruction of building fabric. The same design of wall foundations of different parts of a building was used in the Tithe Church, St. Sophia Cathedral and some other Kyyivan monuments. Therefore outer galleries unbonded in foundation and brickwork with the building’s main body could have only light timber roof of the abovementioned monuments. Skillful and experienced ancient Kyyivan builders perfectly knew soil bearing capacities and used wooden substructures in wall foundation to avoid problems of differential settlement and destruction of edifices.

Abstract This contribution aims to shed light on the lost mosaic of the Archangel Michael with a drawn sword once set, according to Niketas Choniates, in a πρόναος of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. After an overview of previous hypotheses, I will argue for a position just outside of the south-west vestibule of the church in the 10th century. Such a location and dating would be in line with the connotation of the Archangel as defender of a sacred space, perceived as a sort of Eden in Byzantine textual and visual sources. The spread of similar representations confirms the role of a reference point that the mosaic soon acquired by virtue of its position at the ceremonial entrance of the most important church of the Empire, not to mention its political importance. The ideological character of the Archangel went a step further during the last centuries of the Empire. A unique use of the First Arab Siege of Constantinople as a stage for St. Michael’s role as sword-wielding guardian in a 14th century Serbian painting is more broadly reflective of a theme throughout Byzantine artistic tradition in varied media. This representation reflected the duty of the Archangel not just as guardian of Hagia Sophia, but also of the emperor, Constantinople and the Empire in a broader sense.

The article talks about the oldest East Slavic dated manuscript: the Ostromir Gospel 1056–57. It takes its name from the Novgorod mayor Ostromir, a trusted associate of the Kievan Prince, who appointed him to manage the city. It is most likely that Ostromir presented this splendid gospel at the newly built cathedral of St. Sophia, the main church of northwest Rus’. This precious manuscript had a colourful fate: in addition to Novgorod, it was at various times kept in Moscow and St. Petersburg, in possession of Russian emperors and empresses until it was transferred in the early 19th century to library storage and is now located in the Russian National Library of St. Petersburg. The Ostromir Gospel serves as an excellent model for studying the written literary language of Old Rus’, Slavo-Russian paleography and the art of illuminated manuscripts, in particular their initials, borders and miniatures. The distant protograph of Ostromir Gospel may have been one of the Bulgarian manuscripts from Great Preslav, the capital of Bulgaria at the end of the 9th — 10th centuries.

The second ‘Image’ part of the book places the Wisdom image in the context of late Byzantine and medieval Russian art, and investigates the validity of the claims of the first ‘Word’ part about the meaning of the Novgorod Sophia icon. This chapter surveys two major sophiological themes of medieval Russian painting with a female or genderless figure of Wisdom: ‘Wisdom has built her house’ illustrating Proverbs 9:1–5 and the representations of Evangelists inspired by Wisdom. These iconographies appeared in late fourteenth-century Novgorod painting for the first time and are apparently intertwined. The link between them is created by the Sophiology of the fourth-century church father, Athanasius of Alexandria who distinguishes between two—created and uncreated—wisdoms which are distinct but united in the Person of Christ. However, this Novgorodian interest in representations of Sophia was driven primarily not by Christological debates, but by the fact that Novgorod’s main church, built between 1045 and 1050, is dedicated to St Sophia, the Wisdom of God.

‰e article introduces the history of the formation of collections of handwritten and old printed books that were kept among the Old Believers, which then were transferred in the libraries of the Novgorod eological Seminary and the missionary Brotherhood of St. Sophia. As in other regions, these collections arose in the second half of the XIX century due to the need to conduct polemics with representatives of the Old Believers and sectarianism, which was an important part of the so-called “internal mission” of the Greek-Russian Church. ey were based on manuscripts con scated in the Old Believers communities of the Novgorod province, as well as from private collections in the course of government persecution of religious dissidents. At present, some of the books have been preserved in the funds of the National Library of Russia, as well as the Novgorod State Museum-Reservation. ese collections, which include manuscripts and early printed books of the XVI–XIX centuries, are an important source base characterizing the book culture of the Old Believers in the Novgorod region, which in many respects was a continuation of the traditions of Medieval Russia.