Church of St. George in Ladoga. St George's Church (Old Ladoga)

The village of Ladoga in the Leningrad region is one of the oldest settlements in north-western Russia. It was here in the early Middle Ages that Russian statehood was born. In the second half of the 12th century, the Christianization of these lands begins. At the initiative of Bishop Nifont in Ladoga, seven (according to other sources - eight) temples were built. Until now, only the Church of St. George in Ladoga and the Assumption Cathedral of the outskirts of the nunnery have been completely preserved.

History of the construction of St. George Church

The temple was built after the victory of the Russian troops over the Swedes on the Voroneg River. The exact date of the beginning of construction is not defined, it is known only that the church was erected in 1165-1166. In 1445, around the temple grew the walls of the monastery. The founder of the monastery was the Novgorod archbishop Efimiy. Vladyka paid much attention to the repair of the church, as well as the paintings on the walls of the monastery. After so many years, the frescoes needed to be updated. Before the artists was the task to preserve the ancient murals and, when creating new frescoes, follow the style and content adopted earlier.

At the same time the church was covered with a new roof, replaced with an altar barrier, and a two-tiered iconostasis was erected. In this form, the monastery existed before the Time of Troubles (XVI-XVII centuries).

In 1584-1586 the church of St. George in Ladoga was distinguished by the gable covering of arches and the conical end of the dome. Over the western facade attached a two-belfry belfry. During the overhaul of the temple in 1683-1684 gg. Gypsum coating replaced four-stage, raised the drum, laid four windows, performed rasseku window openings. Unfortunately, at this time did not pay enough attention to the frescoes, many of which were knocked down from the walls and lost under the new floor.

Scientific restoration of the church

Interest in ancient Russian painting revived in the early XIX century. The Church of St. George in Ladoga, whose history goes back to the depths of the centuries, fell under the patronage of the Imperial Archaeological Commission. Through the efforts of enthusiasts, most of the frescoes were saved. The image was copied by the artist V.A. Prokhorov, N.E. Brandenburg. Researchers of the Russian antiquity VN. Lazarev, V.V. Suslov studied the artistic features of the frescoes.

In the XX century, work continued on the restoration of the temple, which was consecrated in 1904. By a lucky coincidence, the church of St. George in Ladoga escaped monstrous destruction during the time of militant atheism. His contribution to the renovation of the monastery was made by architects, historians, artists of restoration workshops - V.V. Danilov, E.A. Dobromovskaya, A.A. Draga and others. In 1996, the restoration work was completed. As a result, St. George's Church acquired its original appearance. The walls of the church were freed from alien strata, and now the attention of the parishioners is represented by works of ancient Russian art preserved to this day .

About St. George

The patron saint of the church is the holy martyr George, who encouraged his countrymen to accept the Christian faith. The conversion of the inhabitants of Palestine to Christianity occurred as a result of the victory of the saint over the forces of evil known as the Miracle of George about the Serpent.

In those days, the inhabitants of the Palestinian city of Geval were pagans. The townspeople were very much afraid of the terrible serpent who lived in the lake and ate people. In order to save his subjects, the tsar ordered that one child be given a snake to eat each day. Once there were no children left in the city, and the tsar's daughter was sacrificed to the monster.

The girl stood on the shore of the lake, resigned to her fate, when suddenly, from nowhere, appeared a rider. It was St. George, who rushed to help the townspeople. With God's help in the name of Jesus Christ, the serpent was defeated, bound and given to the Palestinians for violence. Seeing the fallen monster, people rejoiced and believed in Christ.

George's miracle of the Serpent is embodied in the icon of the same name. The face of St. George, defeating the monster, symbolizes the victory of man over the forces of evil, over his weaknesses, passions and doubts in faith. The fight against evil must not only be around itself, but also in itself.

Church of St. George in Ladoga: architecture

As it was said above, thanks to the fruitful work of many people, the temple was restored in its original form. The building corresponds to the style of the cult buildings of the pre-Mongolian era. The church is single-headed, it has four pillars and three equally high apses. The height of the temple is fifteen meters, and the area of the monastery is seventy-two square meters.

The windows in the northern, southern and eastern facades are located asymmetrically. Traditional symmetry can be traced only on the western facade. Thanks to this architectural solution, some dynamics are introduced into the image of the temple, while the building does not look classically strict and proportionate.

Asymmetry has a functional meaning: the windows are arranged so that the interior of the room is exposed to daylight. Window openings on the northern and southern facades are constructed in the form of a pyramid. The windows, located below, open under the choruses. The choir rooms on the second tier of the western corners of the church are joined by wooden decking. The staircase leading to the choir is in the west wall.

The eastern spines of the side facades of the temple are somewhat reduced in size, the apses seem to be pressed into the wall, the drum is noticeably shifted towards the east. The church is not strictly centered, which was typical of the Novgorod architecture of those times. The temple was built on the territory of the fortress, so the masters were forced to take into account the existing buildings.

Temple paintings

St. George's Church is decorated with frescoes of the early 12th century. Byzantine art intertwines with the public needs of Ancient Rus. The appointment of paintings is to educate people, to introduce parishioners to Christian values. Saint-Blessed Clement of Rome was especially venerated on the Novgorod land.

The frescoes of St. George Church are made in the same style. The artists of that time owned the necessary technical skills, felt the color, knew about the perspective and patterns of interaction of drawings with the space of the temple.

Until now, only a fifth of the frescos have survived. The most clearly seen is the painting of the dome and the drum with the composition "The Ascension of Our Lord." Above the altar part are depicted the prophetic kings David and Solomon, venerated by Novgorodians for the wisdom and care of Christians. The faces of the elders are addressed to the rulers: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Gideon, Naum, Ezekiel. Also images of Our Lady, Archangel Gabriel, Bishop John the Merciful, George the Victorious, angels are preserved.

The location of the church

The Church of St. George is in the village of Staraya Ladoga. This is the oldest settlement in the entire Leningrad region. The first buildings here were discovered in 753. Ladoga is mentioned in the "Tale of Bygone Years" as the possession of Prince Rurik. According to the Novgorod Chronicle, Oleg the Prophet is buried in the village.

In addition to St. George's Church, in Staraya Ladoga there is a museum of the same name, Staroladozhskaya fortress, women's and men's monasteries.