Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian on Yarunova Hill

The Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, also known as the Kozmodemyanskaya Church, is a stone parish church built in 1725 in Suzdal, Vladimir Oblast. It stands on Yarunova Hill (Yarunova Gora), a small rise on the high left bank of the Kamenka River, and belongs to the Vladimir Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. The single-domed church with its tented bell tower is clearly visible from Lenin Street and from the bridge over the Kamenka, and it is one of the most recognisable views of Suzdal.

History

In the late 12th century a monastery dedicated to the unmercenary saints Cosmas and Damian was founded on this hill. Its foundation is attributed to John, Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal. It is not known exactly when the monastery closed, but by the 17th century only a wooden church of the same saints remained. The Suzdal inventory of 1617 lists it as a wooden parish church with a refectory church of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women, built by the parishioners.

In 1725 the parishioners took down the wooden church and built a stone one in its place, together with a bell tower and a fence. Before the revolution the church was surrounded by a low stone wall with a staircase leading down to the river.

In 1903 the painter Nicholas Roerich visited the church: his painting "Suzdal. The White Church" depicts the Kozmodemyanskaya Church. In 2010 Archbishop Evlogy of Vladimir and Suzdal visited the church, and a cross was raised on it at that time.

Architecture

The church is built of stone, but its silhouette is close to the wooden churches of Suzdal. The cubic main volume has almost no decoration and is topped by a single onion dome on a tall drum. The composition is asymmetrical: the bell tower is attached to the church on the west side.

The bell tower is an octagon on a square base, crowned by a slightly concave tent roof known as a "dudka" (pipe). The dormer openings of the tent have framed surrounds, and a small onion dome sits at the top. The concave tent sets this bell tower apart from most Suzdal tent roofs, which have straight sides.

The church has a heated side chapel dedicated to the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women.

Legends

Local tradition links the name Yarunova Hill to a pagan sanctuary of the god Yarun, or Yarilo, said to have stood on the hill. Another version places a sanctuary of Perun here. Neither version is supported by documents.

Getting there

Suzdal is about 37 km from Vladimir, with regular buses between the two. The church stands on Yarunova Gora Street above the Kamenka, not far from the town centre. The best view opens from the bridge over the river and from the opposite bank.

Good to know

The church is active. According to guidebooks, it has a school of bell ringers, and its teacher sometimes takes visitors up the bell tower and shows how the bells are rung.