Church of St. John the Theologian on Ishna description and photos - Russia - Golden Ring: Rostov the Great (Topic)

Church of St. John the Evangelist on Ishna description and photos - Russia - Golden Ring: Rostov the Great. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

The Church of St. John the Divine on Ishna is a rare monument of wooden architecture. It was erected in 1687 (1689)

The crossing of Ishnya on the way from Rostov to Pereslavl-Zalessky belonged to the Avraamiev Monastery since ancient times, and they charged a fee for crossing it. Near the crossing there was a wooden church of St. John the Theologian, the construction of which is associated with a well-known legend in history. It is connected with the life of the Monk Abraham of Rostov, who founded the Epiphany Abraham Monastery. This happened during the existence of paganism in these places, when most of the locals worshiped the idol of the god Veles. Abraham, seized by devilish obsessions, could not approach this stone idol in any way. He prayed for a long time and, at last, an old man appeared to him, he advised the Monk Abraham to go to Constantinople (Constantinople) and pray in the church of St. John the Theologian. Avraamy of Rostov was upset because he had a long journey ahead of him, which meant that he would not be able to fight idolatry in Rostov soon. But he pulled himself together and started off. Crossing the Ishnya river, he met another elder, to whom the monk told about his intentions, the elder handed him his staff and ordered him to go to the idol of Veles in order to overthrow him with a cane, so that it crumbles to dust. This elder was John the Theologian himself. Abraham did everything that the saint told him to. After that, at the place where he met the saint, the Monk Abraham built a temple in honor of John the Theologian.

Presumably, the temple of John the Theologian was burned during the Time of Troubles, and for some time the devastated village lived without a church (in historical documents of the mid-17th century, this place is designated as the village of Bogoslovskaya, that is, a settlement that does not have its own temple).

The Theological Church that has survived to our time was built only at the end 17th century This is a rather old age for a wooden building, which makes it unique and very valuable.

Today's Church of St. John the Evangelist on Ishna is a building with one head and standing on a high basement, surrounded by a gallery on both sides. Previously, there was a gallery on the south side, it has not survived, but there are traces of its existence on the wall. From the west and east on the riverside (western riverbed − entrance to the temple, east − altar) there are large figured roofs - "barrels", which are covered with a ploughshare.

The temple on Ishna is an example of the use of various kinds of ornaments that the architects of those times could have invented for a wooden temple. The temple from the outside seems smooth and austere, but inside it amazes with the richness of decoration. There are skates on the roof, a herringbone, and carved wooden columns and other decorative elements. Even a wooden door made of thick boards with an interesting lock has been preserved in the temple.

The main value of the temple is the unique royal gates in the iconostasis, made back in 1562. Today, these gates can be seen in the Rostov Museum. The iconostasis itself deserves special attention. Tyablovy, it was completely painted with ornaments, it contained icons of the 16-18 centuries. The bell tower of the temple was built in the 19th century. and is connected by a passage to the gallery. Most likely, the southern part of the gallery was dismantled at the same time, therefore, the high temple began to tilt slightly to one side. The temple is surrounded by a fence with brick pillars around the perimeter.

We also recommend reading Mount Talinis description and photos - Philippines: Negros Island

Topic: Church of St. John the Theologian on Ishna description and photos - Russia - Golden Ring: Rostov the Great.