Gate Church of the Ascension of the Savior-Prilutsky Monastery description and photos - Russia - North-West: Vologda (Topic)

Gate Church of the Ascension of the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery description and photos - Russia - North-West: Vologda. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

In the northern part of the wall of the stone fence of the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery, there is the pre-existing main entrance to the monastery, or as it is also called the Holy Gates, with a small gateway church built in honor of the Ascension of the Lord. The church with a gate, as well as adjacent sections of the north-western wall, is an ancient component of the monastery fence, which was built in the 16th century, immediately after the construction of the Savior Cathedral; the rest of the walls and towers were still made of wood. After some time, not only the church, but also the Holy Gates were included in the ring of the 17th century walls. The majestic gates form the entrance to the church from the road to Kirillov, Arkhangelsk and Belozersk. The Holy Gates consist of two arched openings: a small one for travelers and a large one for passages. Bolshoy Proyezd is designed in the form of a perspective portal, above which a fresco was located at the beginning of the 20th century; at the moment, the fresco is reminiscent of a metal cabbage roll above a large passage.

From the very beginning, the church was consecrated in honor of the holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratilates - the patron saint of the Christian Orthodox army - who keeps the sacred entrance to the monastery. The church had this name until the 19th century. There are many suggestions that the church was consecrated in the name of the angel of the great Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, who is the son of Ivan the Terrible. Fyodor Ioannovich ascended the throne in 1584, which markedly contributed to the construction of the Spaso-Prilutsky monastery. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, due to fires, the church was very badly damaged and remained in this state until 1815 - then the church was re-consecrated in honor of the Ascension of the Lord. In this regard, the church was subject to a number of global alterations, the last of which became very unsuccessful (according to the art critic G.K. Lukomsky) and were carried out in 1875.

The Ascension Gate Church is incredibly simple in composition, although original. The cubic volume of the building, modeled on the ancient gateways, is almost completely devoid of altar apses, which is typical for an element of a church building. The completion of the temple is made in the form of a light head, which was originally erected two pyramidal-stepped tiers of kokoshniks. The kokoshniks did not correspond to the design of the vaults and served as decoration, further strengthening the harmony of the silhouette of the entire structure. The peculiar decoration of the drum of the head of the Ascension Monastery combines ornamental motives of Pskov-Novgorod and Moscow origin. In the 16th century, it became an important element of the external decoration of buildings in the Russian North, where the decorative and artistic influences of Novgorod and Moscow collided. The decorative multi-tiered endings of the Ascension Gate Church repeat the elements of the Spassky Cathedral, which gives it those qualities that were highly valued in Ancient Rus.

The walls were divided in two parts, which clearly reflects the special internal structure, which is a two-pillar design building. A low stone altar barrier stands between the four-sided pillars. The central box vault is cut by a drum on the sails; the corner parts are covered with rather original small vaults of the Pskov type.

According to the monastery inventories of 1684-1693, it can be said that a stone chapel was built to the northern part of the stone fence of the monastery with bells and side wheel clocks. During 1729-1730, the chapel was converted into a bell tower, currently located next to the Ascension Church above the fortress wall. The bell tower has a four-sided prism, which is decorated with kokoshniks and semi-columns at the corners; the bell octagon completed the dome and the elongated tent. Despite the fact that the bell tower has a later origin at the gateway church, it was erected in the traditions of ancient Russia.

In 1990, the bell tower was transferred to the gateway Church of the Ascension; in 1991 the diocesan monastery was opened.

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Topic: Gate Church of the Ascension of the Savior-Prilutsky Monastery description and photos - Russia - North-West: Vologda.