GEORGIEVSKY CATHEDRAL IN YURIEV-POLSKI

Georgievsky Cathedral

A small Vladimir city of Yuriev Polsky was founded and named in his honor in 1152 by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. In XII-XIV centuries Yuriev was the center of a small domain that since 1212 belonged to Prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, Yuri Dolgoruky’s grandson. A “provincial” town by the measures of Vladimir-Suzdal Russia, Yuriev could not, of course, be compared by riches of art with the main cities of Zalesskaya Rus. The city possesses a single gem of Old Russian architecture, but this monument leaves many other constructions far behind. We are talking about the famous Georgievsky Cathedral. It is, according to N. Voronin, “old and beautiful, wonderful and naïve” construction, unique in its kind.

It is believed that Georgievsky Cathedral became a monument of the victory won in 1221 by Prince Yuri Svyatoslavich over the Volga Bulgars. During this campaign Nizhny Novgorod was founded.

On the site of today’s Georgievsky Cathedral as early as in 1152 Yuri Dolgoruky built a small whitestone church, which he dedicated to his heavenly patron, Saint George the Victorious. In 1230, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich ordered to destroy his grandfather’s construction, since it had “become obsolete and broken,” and on its place in 1230-1234 the Georgievsky Cathedral was built, having become the highest peak of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture and the last whitestone construction until the Mongol-Tatar invasion.

The highest peak is the highest peak indeed. Neither before that, nor afterwards anybody was able to exceed this masterpiece unrivalled in its beauty, although attempts to repeat it were made. For instance, the first Moscow Dormition Cathedral built in the Kremlin in 1326 was an imitation of the cathedral in Yuriev Polski. But just to erect a similar temple was not enough –– there were no masters who could at least partially repeat the whitestone ornament that covered as a solid carpet the walls of the Georgievsky Cathedral from top to bottom.

Many words have been written and said about Georgievsky Cathedral’s carving. It is enough to say that its artful motives until XIX-XX centuries inspired masters of “blind” wood carving that decorated and still decorates window cases and cornices of wooden houses.

…Exotic images of beasts, birds, and plants: lions with “blossoming” tails, geese with entwined necks. And all this is in one line, as on an embroidered towel, everything is solemn, joyful, and festive. Vladimir Monomah, Andrey Bogolubsky’s grandfather, in his admonition wrote, “Various beasts, and fowl, and fish are adorned by Your wisest plan! God has given all this for men’s pleasure, for food and joy.” And all these “various beasts,” and magic birds, and fantastic beings –– everything created by God — glorifies the Creator in the sparkling whitestone carving of the Georgievsky Cathedral.

The whitestone carving covers with one solid ornament not only the space of the walls but all the architectural parts as well — columns, capitals, blind arcades and portals. Figures of human beings, beasts and mythical monsters alternate with exotic plant ornament; as a result, the cathedral covered with stone lacework turns into an intricate figure block cut of solid rock. The entire building looks luxurious and solemn.

Unfortunately, the cathedral is not preserved to us in its first-made appearance, and it is impossible to see its original beauty: in 1460s, the cathedral’s top crashed down. The southern façade of the temple suffered the most –– it was almost completely destroyed. The northern façade remained intact for the most part. In 1471, architect Vasily Yermolin, the first Russian master-restorer who restored churches in Vladimir, was sent from Moscow to Yuriev to work on the cathedral’s restoration. An extremely difficult task was presented to Yermolin: not only had he to rebuild the temple, but also to rebuild it in the way so that figure blocks with carvings once again would form solid stone ornament united by one whole concept. And you should also take into consideration the fact that there were no pictures or blueprints of the temple and its many blocks were destroyed as a result of the crash.

Indeed, Yermolin had to solve a “stone crossword.” We need to give the master the credit — he did all he could do. He gathered and restored big fragments of the building, in particular, the northern portal. But “to gather” the cathedral in its previous appearance he was not able. As a result, Yermolin faced the facades with carved stones in complete disorder, and used some parts of the carved stones to lay new walls.

Vasily Yermolin did put together the domes of the cathedral anew, but he was not able to recreate the previous proud solemnity of the cathedral. In its today’s appearance the Georgievsky Cathedral seems massive and weighty, as if growing into the ground. The huge onion dome and the large heavy dome drum press upon the already stumpy cube of the temple’s bulk. In spite of the seeming massiveness, the temple is not very big and remains the size of its original construction of 1152 — of the time of Yuri Dolgoruky.

Inside, the temple is very spacious. This spaciousness is achieved by the pillars that support the temple’s vaulting; the pillars are widely set and moved toward the walls. The altar is separated from the general space of the temple by a low partition with Deesis¹ carved in stone. The shrine of the temple’s builder –– prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich who survived the Mogul invasion and died in 1352 — is preserved in the temple.

But, of course, the interior of the cathedral can in no way be compared to the ornaments of its facades. On silvery-yellow whitestone walls one can unceasingly observe the fancy chaos of stone carving and sculpture. Years-long researches of students of the history of art and restorers allowed to almost completely unveil the initial plan of the cathedral’s builders and to restore the carving of the Georgievsky Cathedral. The main compositions that decorated the cathedral’s facades were: “Transfiguration,” “Trinity” and “Seven Youths of Ephesus” on the western façade; “Crucifixion,” “Three Young Men in a Fiery Furnace” and “Daniel in a Lion’s Den” on the northern façade; “Ascension,” “The Virgin Orans” and “Ascension of Alexander the Great” on the southern façade. In spans of the blind arcades there was a continuous chain of figures of the saints. This technique resembles Gothic cathedrals of Europe. On the northern façade “Holy Warriors” are depicted –– patrons of the princes of the Vladimir Dynasty (it is characteristic that among them there is no patron of Prince Constantine of Rostov, Vsevolod the Big Nest’s son, –– the kinsmen did not forgive Constantine’s military actions on the Lipitsa River against his brothers). Big bass relief of Saint George the Victorious, heavenly patron of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky –– Yuriev’s founder, is also here. Saint George is depicted in armor with a spear and almond-shaped shield. There is the coat of arms of the Vladimir princely dynasty on the shield: Rampant Leopard.

Against the background of the fancy and luxurious plant ornament that covers the walls of the Georgievsky Cathedral one can see masks of soldiers and maidens, figures of lions and centaurs, griffons and sirens. Among the stone bass relieves of the Georgievsky Cathedral a space was found for the portrait of Yuriev Prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, during whose reign the cathedral was erected. Also, upon one of the stones an inscription “Baku(n)” was found. It is believed that Bakun (Avvakum) is the name of the main sculptor of the cathedral who headed up the team of carvers.

The Georgievsky Cathedral is a typical “prince’s” temple, and it whitestone ornaments only add to its “secular” appearance. Here you will not see the “disembodied” characteristics of the temple of Intercession on the Nerlya River. The meaning of the carved decorations of the Georgievsky Cathedral is not limited to the borders of religious and dynastic ideology and spreads to the entire Vladimir land. It is for a reason that in images of soldiers many researchers see portraits of Prince Svyatoslav’s army men; in folk lore figures of monsters from fairy tales –– semi-pagan world perception of the local people; while rich plant and beasts ornament, probably, was supposed to signify the richness of Zalesskaya Rus. The images of the Georgievsky Cathedral serve as a full illustration of “The Word about the Perishing of the Russian Land” that was created approximately at the same time, “Oh, the fairest and beautifully decorated Russian Land!…”

Even ancient Russian chroniclers wondered who the creator of the Georgievsky Cathedral was. One of them expressed an opinion that the author and the builder was Prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich himself. Today’s researchers tend to believe that the prince really contributed a lot to designing this architectural masterpiece.

Vladimir bishop Mitrofan, who was burned by the Tatars alive in the Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir in 1238, also played a big role in the cathedral’s construction. Mitrofan was an extraordinary person, a very well-cultured man, an intelligent politician and a patron of arts. Most likely, it was him who worked on the design of the amazing ornamentation of the Georgievsky Cathedral. In its plots one can find excellent knowledge not only of the literature of the Holy Fathers but also of works of Russian spiritual writers — “The Word about Law and Grace” by metropolitan Illarion, “The Word on Ascension” by Cyril of Turov etc.

There are testimonies that a master from Eastern Bulgaria also participated in the temple’s construction, although the cathedral is built in complete accordance with traditions of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture. It is of note, that similar temple could in no way appear earlier, because the masters just did not have enough experience to build it. And only rapid progress of Russian architects and stone carvers who absorbed the experience of their predecessors, the best species of Russian and foreign art, allowed to create the stone fairy tale of the Georgievsky Cathedral in Yuriev.

Thorough study of creative signature of the stone carvers allowed to determine that two teams of masters participated in creation of the whitestone carving of the Georgievsky Cathedral: one team of around 12 people carved figured high relieves, while the second team of 18-24 people did the plant ornament.

The Georgievsky Cathedral is dubbed “the Swan’s Song” of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture. The hordes of Batu Khan hit Russia in the next two years, and this song was interrupted forever. And who can say what other high peaks the Vladimir masters could have reached if “the plight from the pagans” had not come in those years…

Deesis¹ (Greek) is the old Russian name of a composition depicting Christ in the midst of the Holy Virgin and John the Forerunner in prayerful postures facing him. In iconographic art it was initially painted on a single board. Later, Deesis was also painted on three separate boards; Deesis was also made of many parts.

(Lazarev V. N., Russian Medieval Art, Moscow, 1970).