Church of Michael the Archangel of the Iversky Monastery description and photos - Russia - North-West: Valdai (Topic)

Church of Michael the Archangel of the Iversky Monastery description and photos - Russia - North-West: Valdai. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

In the city of Valdai, Novgorod region, there is the Iversky Monastery, which owns one of its most notable churches - the Church of Archangel Michael, located above the inner gate of the monastery. The church was built in the 17th century, namely in 1685.

On one side, the Church of Michael the Archangel is adjoined by a two-storey stone Treasury building, built in the 17th century, and a massive stone tower equipped with a hexagonal hipped roof is attached to it , which is called "Nikonovskaya" and which is beautifully decorated with a single-headed gilded eagle. On the other side of the temple there is a stone two-storey building called "Nikonovsky", also built in the 17th century. It is known that Patriarch Nikon once lived in this building.

The Church of Michael the Archangel is a one-domed, pillarless, one-apse temple with original galleries located on three sides. The building of the temple is presented in a rectangular plan.

The whole church is part of a complex called the middle line of the monastery, which divides the existing territory into western and eastern. This urban planning solution was implemented in a wooden form and is the first stage of its creation. During the 1680s, Afanasy Fomin decided to realize the entire complex in stone form, adding three more objects: the Treasury building, the Holy Gate with the Mikhailovsky Church and the Mikhailovskaya Tower. The church and gate were originally completed in 1685. According to the existing agreement, Fomin was supposed to build a five-domed temple, but somewhat smaller in height, than the first wooden temple. To date, there is no exact data on either the restructuring or the contract. The crowning part that exists today mostly refers to the middle or end of the 18th century. One of the earliest axonometric images of the church dates back to the beginning of the 19th century and is represented by an engraving by A. Makushev.

From the very beginning of its construction, the church had a polychrome facade painting, made on gesso, but over time, repeated work was carried out, associated with the establishment of a new painting. It is known that in the 19th century beautiful and picturesque panels were introduced into the exterior decor system.

Over the course of the 19th century, not only the church, but also the adjacent gates, have repeatedly undergone alterations and repair and restoration work, in addition, the galleries located on the eastern side received a developed cornice of a classical type. Also, some window and door openings were broken, and then re-laid and hewn again; some part of the facade decor made of bricks was lost and the compositional component of the staircase of the southern volume of the church gate was completely distorted.

In 1918, the Iversky Monastery was completely abolished and ceased to exist during the 1920s. During the Great Patriotic War, an evacuation military hospital was located in the previously existing monastery. Most likely, during these years, the volume of the Church of Archangel Michael was divided by interfloor ceilings made of wood. After the post-war period, the church building was in a very poor condition, after all, not only the beautiful decor of the facade, but also the internal church interior decoration were lost.

In the course of the 1960s-1980s, extensive renovation work was carried out in the church, connected with partial restoration activities, during which it was restored again earlier the existing decor, and following the old footsteps, the hipped apse top with a plank covering was completely recreated. Also in the 1990s, a completely new metal roof was made on the church monument, and the apse that underwent restoration was covered with special galvanized iron.

During 2007, full-scale restoration work took place in the Church of Archangel Michael. and ceilings, as well as places that were specially adapted for the implementation of church services.

Topic: Church of Michael the Archangel of the Iversky Monastery description and photos - Russia - North-West: Valdai.