Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyin Street

Photos

  • Церковь Спаса Преображения на Ильине улице. Photo 1

Description

The Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyin Street in Veliky Novgorod is an inactive Orthodox church that was built in 1374 and is famous for the fact that it preserves the frescoes of Theophanes the Greek created in 1378.

The temple was built on Ilyin Street, which is located on the Torgovaya side of Novgorod. Initially, a wooden church stood on this site, built by Bishop Nikita and known since the 11th century thanks to the portable image of the Mother of God “The Sign”. According to legend, through this image Novgorod was saved in the winter of 1169/1170 from the Suzdalians besieging the city. In 1356, a special temple was built for this icon, which in 1688 was moved to the Znamensky Cathedral.

Architecturally, the Church of the Transfiguration is a four-pillar square church with one apse and one dome. The facades of the temple have a three-lobed finish, and the roof has an eight-slope shape. The external decor of the temple is rich and varied, with numerous crosses and arched elements.

The interior of the temple is characterized by a cruciform structure with chambers located at the corners of the building at the level of the choir. The temple also has ancient stone thrones and upper chambers.

The frescoes of Theophanes the Greek in the church were partially lost in the 17th-18th centuries and whitewashed, but after clearing and restoration work was carried out at the beginning of the 20th century and after the Great Patriotic War, part of the painting was restored.

Currently, the temple is a historical and architectural monument. It also served as a model for the design of the Church of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer on Vereiskaya Street in Moscow, which received a prize in the international religious architecture competition Faith & Form Awards.

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