Address: Russia, Yaroslavl region, Yaroslavl, Kotoroslnaya embankment, 8
Build date: 1695 year
Coordinates: 57 ° 37'21.0 "N 39 ° 53'53.8" E
Cultural heritage site of the Russian Federation
Content:
The old Yaroslavl Kremlin is called the Chopped City. It was from here that all urban development began. Therefore, the architectural monuments located on its territory are of particular interest. One of the most notable churches is the Church of Nikolai Rubleny, the only one that has survived on the territory of the Kremlin since the 17th century. It amazes everyone with its amazing lightness, proportionality of all the main parts and irrepressible striving upward.
History of the Church of St. Nicholas Rubleny
The old center of Yaroslavl was in the shape of a triangle and occupied the territory between the Volga, Korotosl and Medveditsky ravine. Inside it were the chambers of the appanage princes. It got its name - the Chopped City back in the days when it was completely built of wood and surrounded by a high chopped wall.
View of the southeast facade of the church
On the tributary of the Volga, the Korotosl River, city shipyards have long been located. At the end of the 17th century, a stone temple was built with money collected by the townspeople who were engaged in this craft. He stood near the place where the entrance gate leading to the Kremlin was. Previously, there was a wooden church, also consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of all travelers and seafarers. Some researchers believe that it was erected in the time of Yaroslav the Wise and served as a gate church.
The opening of the stone church took place in 1695. Its main volume was given for a summer temple. And in the refectory, a winter church dedicated to the Monk Alexander Svirsky was arranged. This fully corresponded to the traditions of the second half of the 17th century - to build a large summer and a small winter temple in a single architectural complex. The small church was easier to heat in the cold season.
In 1918, a White Guard uprising against Soviet power took place in Yaroslavl. There were battles throughout the city. And the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, like many temples in the city, was badly damaged by explosions and shell fragments. In the same year, restoration work was carried out, and they saved the temple from total destruction.
Four years later, St. Nicholas Church was closed. And for a long time the church remained ownerless, until in 1980 it was transferred to workshops for restorers belonging to the Yaroslavl Art Museum. This organization owns the building to this day.
View of the church from the southwest
Architecture and interior decoration of the church of Nikola Rubleny
The temple was built in a three-part-axial composition and includes an expressive quadrangle crowned with a five-domed head, a squat refectory and a high bell tower. The church facades are surrounded by a curb above the ground floor and are decorated with arched niches-icon cases. On the hipped top of the bell tower there are also rumors (or lucarnes) with elegant platbands.
Despite the quite ascetic decor, this church is so beautiful that it is rightfully considered one of the main architectural monuments of Yaroslavl. And this beauty is due not to any special decorations, but to the amazing proportionality achieved by the architects of the main parts of the temple. The whole church strives upward, as if turning its gaze to the sky. This impression is emphasized by the austere quadrangle, which is covered with a closed vault, and five graceful chapters supported by refined dull drums. The tall thin tent of the bell tower is also directed upwards. It has narrow openings for ringing and is crowned with a small dome sparkling in the sun.
Originally, the five-domed tiles were covered with green tiles. In the 19th century, it was replaced by a more practical sheet metal. But now the tiling has been restored.
As if in contrast to the light quadrangle and domes, the high arched porch under the bell tower and the altar apse have weighted shapes. In general, the temple looks like a complete and full of harmony architectural ensemble, merging together the traditions of Moscow and Upper Volga architecture. He became an example for many rural parish churches, not only in the Yaroslavl region, but throughout Russia.
The current state of the church
There is no painting inside the temple. The building is closed for tourists and is occupied by the restoration department of the city art museum. Therefore, the church can only be viewed from the outside.
View of the church bell tower
How to get to the Church of St. Nicholas Rubleny
The temple is located on the Korotosl embankment of Yaroslavl, 8.
By car. The federal highway M8 leads from Moscow to Yaroslavl. Within the city limits, it is called Moskovsky Prospekt. You need to cross the Korotosl River along it, and after the automobile bridge, turn right onto the Korotosl embankment, which leads to the church of Nikola Rubleny.
By train. From Moscow to Yaroslavl, express train trains reach in 3 hours 16 minutes. The journey by regular train takes from 4 to 5.5 hours. From Moskovsky Train Station in Yaroslavl, the distance to the Church of St. Nicholas Rubleny is 3.2 km. You can walk to it, as well as drive up by bus or minibus.
