Tutaev's Resurrection Cathedral: history, architecture, interior decoration

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

In the small town of Tutaev, Yaroslavl region, which is part of the so-called Golden Ring of Russia, many ancient monuments have been preserved. The ancient temples of the city are of particular value. Tutaev's Resurrection Cathedral is a unique architectural monument of the 17th century. It will be discussed in this article.

City of Tutaev: Resurrection Cathedral and its features

Between Rybinsk and Yaroslavl, just in the middle, this ancient settlement is located. Tutaev is located 30 kilometers from the regional center, upstream of the Volga River. The Resurrection Cathedral is one of its most famous monuments.

This tourist site has three features:

• the famous icon of the Savior of the 15th century is stored in the temple (it is older than the cathedral itself!) - the largest image of Christ the Savior in Russia (its parameters: 3.2 by 2.8 meters);
• the interior of the summer church of the cathedral is decorated with a unique carved 8-tiered iconostasis;
• in the Resurrection Cathedral in Tutaev it's beautifulpreserved wall paintings of the 17th century.

Of course, it's better to see all this with your own eyes than to look at dozens of photos on the Internet.

Tutaev's Resurrection Cathedral: a general description of the monument

The Resurrection Cathedral can be found in the western half of Tutaev, which was formerly known as Borisoglebskaya Sloboda. The cathedral rises majestically above the city, which is especially noticeable either from the left bank of the city or from the river itself. It is on the Volga River that the altar part of the cathedral looks; there is a ravine to the north of the building. A brick fence with gates is installed around the temple, as well as a bell tower, which is located separately and was installed at the same time as the cathedral itself.

The cathedral has two aisles: the southern one, which was consecrated in honor of Boris and Gleb, and the northern one, consecrated in honor of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. Around the temple there is a gallery resting on the arches, in which the windows of the lower temple are visible: the lower arcade used to be open, but now it is glazed. Both chapels are also located on the gallery, small cupolas are located on their deaf drums.

Light enters the central part of the cathedral through the windows above the gallery, as well as through the light drums. Another source of light for the building are the small windows between the gallery and the central part.

Two porches lead to the gallery: north and south, which faces the central part of the city; each of them is not in the center, but slightly shifted to the left. Buttresses support the walls of the northern aisle. In the altar there istriple semicircular apses in two tiers.

History of the shrine

The Resurrection Cathedral of Tutaev was built by unknown craftsmen from the city of Yaroslavl in 1652-1678, that is, almost thirty years. Initially, it was planned to reconstruct the temple of Boris and Gleb, but during the course of work the plan changed, and a cathedral was erected in Sloboda. Interestingly, now you can find some items in it that are older than the building itself, since after its construction, small and old churches were destroyed, and all their decoration ended up in the cathedral.

In the 18th century, the cathedral underwent some restructuring - for example, the upper part of the bell tower was slightly changed, due to which it became somewhat lower. During the Soviet Union, the temple was not closed, which made it possible to keep it intact. That is why art historians have not fully explored its decoration.

Architectural features and decor

The people who were responsible for the creation of the temple were able to correctly calculate the proportions and proportionality of its main components. The imposing arches that carry the gallery have given their silhouette in the gallery's beautifully ornamented windows. Also, this silhouette can be found in semicircles of false zakomara, which are brightly and beautifully painted.

The rich decoration in the form of murals, tiles, figured masonry makes the cathedral even more beautiful. In addition to the gallery, the upper part of the main building can also boast of the beauty of the decor, which was an innovation for that time. There are a huge number ofancient icons and wooden sculptures.

The interior of the cathedral: icons and paintings

The iconostasis at the cathedral is gilded and made in the 18th century, but it is not very similar to most of the iconostases of that time - it does not have that excessive splendor that is typical for creations in the Baroque style.

There are two icons of particular note in the cathedral. The first is a gigantic, three meters high, image of the All-Merciful Savior. Another significant icon that can be found on the south wall of the cathedral is Oranta.

Artel of artists from Yaroslavl painted the cathedral in 1860, their work can be noted for a large number of different biblical subjects, among which the Old Testament stories dominate. For example, the southern wall of the gallery depicts the life of the first people, Adam and Eve in paradise. On the western wall is one of the most famous biblical scenes - Noah and his salvation from the Flood. The north wall retells the story of Jonah. In this painting, it is especially curious how one of the Yaroslavl artists depicted a whale - here it looks more like just a huge fish.

The western wall of the main temple is painted with a painting depicting the Last Judgment. The murals are provided with comments, among which there are both biblical quotes and poems by Simeon Polotsky.

Another distinguishing feature of the cathedral is the painting on the outer walls. The walls of the center are decorated with false zakomaras, on the surface of which there were frescoes; in addition, several icon paintings can also be found on the walls. The frescoes that are outside the temple have been remade more than once through oil painting.

In conclusion…

Tutaev's Resurrection Cathedral is the most valuable monument of architecture and art, built in the second half of the 17th century. This shrine, as well as other sights of the city, annually attract a huge number of tourists and pilgrims.