The monastery stands on Mount Maura, rising high above the Sheksnaya River.
Story
The formation of the monastery as a spiritual center
The heyday of the “Northern Lavra” in the 16th-17th centuries
Synodal period
On the initiative of the then rector of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Archimandrite Irinarch, in the year Tsar Peter issued a decree on the renewal of the Valaam Monastery. From year to year, the Valaam monastery was assigned to the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery and was revived at its expense, through the labors and concerns of its brethren.
The practice of imprisoning high-ranking persons in the monastery continues - for example, the defrocked and slandered Archbishop Varlaam (Vonatovich) stayed here for about a year, and Theophylact (Lopatinsky) for about a year.
The decline of the “Northern Lavra” began in the second half of the 18th century, after the measures of the government of Catherine II to secularize the monastic possessions in the year. The monastery suddenly became poor, and its numerous buildings, for the maintenance of which there were not enough funds, began to fall into disrepair. 1,350 of the most valuable manuscripts stored in the monastery library were transferred to the library of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy at the beginning of the century.
Cathedral in honor of the Kazan Icon Mother of God played an important role in the life of Kirillov: weddings and religious services were performed here, the fulfillment of which could not be carried out in the monastery. The main square of the city, where fairs were held, was located near the cathedral.
In the 1930s the cathedral was closed. The cathedral's bell tower was destroyed at the end or beginning of the year. Nevertheless, the cathedral remained the center of city life; until the 1960s, crowded fairs gathered at its walls twice a year, and bazaars bustled on Sundays. During Soviet times, a wine shop was located in the cathedral building. The revived Kirillov community first achieved the removal of wine production from the temple; the dilapidated building was transferred to the community. However, there are no funds for major repairs of the cathedral.
Vvedensky Temple
Euthymius Church
The church is of exceptional value as one of the oldest surviving wooden buildings in Russia, belonging to the type
Photo: Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery
Photo and description
The cathedral, named in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary - main temple the largest monastery in Europe - the Assumption Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. It was founded at the end of the 14th century by St. Kirill of Belozersky and St. Ferapont of Mozhaisk. The Monk Cyril was a disciple of the saint St. Sergius Radonezh and Archimandrite Simonov Monastery in Moscow, where the monk Ferapont of Mozhaisk labored with him.
The founding date of the monastery is considered to be the date of construction of the first Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God. On the site of this temple another wooden temple was built, which burned down in a fire in 1497. In the same year, a large stone cathedral was erected in its place, which has survived to this day. Like the previous two, the third temple was built by Rostov craftsmen. This is the first stone building in the north of Russia. It is known that it was erected by 20 Rostov masons, headed by Prokhor Rostovsky, over the course of 5 months over one summer period. The architectural appearance of the cathedral belongs to the era of the formation of all-Russian architecture in the second half of the 15th century. It reflects the typical features of the Moscow building tradition, which can also be traced in the example of such famous architectural monuments as the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the Zvenigorod Assumption Cathedral. Subsequently, the architectural forms of this cathedral had big influence on the traditions of local stone architecture.
The architectural ensemble of the cathedral did not immediately acquire the appearance that we can capture today. Since the end of the 15th century it has undergone significant changes. The main building is a cubic temple with semicircular apses and one massive dome. To the main building of the temple, later in different time, several chapels were added. WITH east side Adjacent to the temple is the Vladimir Church, built in 1554, which served as the tomb of the Vorotyn princes. To the north there is a temple in honor of St. Epiphanius, which was erected over the burial place of Prince F. Telyatevsky, in the monasticism of Epiphanius. From the south rises another side temple - Kirillovsky. It was originally built in 1585 over the relics of the founder of the monastery, and in 1781-1784 it was erected on the site of a dilapidated building new temple in memory of St. Kirill Belozersky. In 1595-1596, a one-story vaulted porch was added to the main building of the cathedral on the western and northern sides. Instead of the wide arched openings of the porch, which were filled with stone masonry in the 17th century, small windows were made. In 1791, a high single-domed porch was built. Thus, the original appearance of the cathedral was changed beyond recognition.
The greatness of the monastery is reflected in a wonderful monument of Russian icon painting of the 15th-17th centuries - the iconostasis of the cathedral. At first it had 4 tiers - local, deesis, festive and prophetic. In the 17th century, a fifth, ancestral, tier was added and new Royal Doors with a silver frame were built. The simple panels of the ancient iconostasis were replaced with carved and gilded ones, as a result of which some icons did not fit into the new iconostasis. The local tier housed the most miraculous, locally revered ancient icons, which were closely connected with the history of the creation of the temple. The Deesis row numbered 21 icons and was one of the largest in the 15th century.
Of the surviving locally revered icons of the ancient iconostasis, mention should be made of the “Assumption” by Andrei Rublev or, according to one version, by one of his close disciples, the icons of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” and “Cyril of Belozersky in the Life”, painted during the life of the saint by the icon painter Dionysius Glushitsky, who founded Sosnovetsky monastery, as well as a rich carved gilded icon case with paintings made for this icon. On this moment All ancient icons are on display and in the museum’s storerooms.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the existence of previously rich paintings made in 1641 by the icon painter Lyubim Ageev, as evidenced by the inscription on the northern wall of the cathedral.
Thus, the Assumption Cathedral is an ancient architectural monument of the late 15th century, a monastery that was of great importance in the spiritual life and history of our people.
A unique exhibition has opened in the Assumption Belfry of the Moscow Kremlin, at which lovers of icon painting will have the opportunity to see the entire iconostasis of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery for the first time. The fact is that today the icons from this famous iconostasis are kept separately in three different museums in the country. Visitors to the exhibition will see the iconostasis the same as it was in the 15th century.
The creation of the iconostasis in the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery is associated with the name of Tsar John III, by whose will, instead wooden temple Dormition of the Mother of God, which was built by St. Cyril with the first brethren of the monastery, construction began on the large stone Assumption Cathedral. The Tsar ordered a new iconostasis for the new cathedral.
At that time in Russia, in most churches the altar was blocked in the same way as in Byzantium, with a low altar barrier, similar to a translucent arcade with icons of Christ and the Mother of God. But gradually the material world began to be separated from the spiritual world more reliably, with blank curtains, additional columns, and, finally, a high wooden barrier with five rows of icons. This is how the famous five-tiered iconostasis arose, which forever became the personification of the Russian church. The first such iconostasis was erected by Theophanes the Greek for the Annunciation gathering of the Moscow Kremlin in 1405. It is the oldest, but it does not contain as many “of its own” icons as in the iconostasis of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.
“Only four such high iconostases from the 15th century have survived, and ours is the most complete in terms of icon composition. - Director of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve Mikhail Nikolaevich Sharomazov says. “I would like people to know about him, so that they stop thinking about Russian icon painting that it’s just Dionysius and Rublev.”
Hearts of three
Restoration of icons began back in 1980, after an exhibition at the Andrei Rublev Museum. It was then that it became clear that for icons that had previously been restored at different times and by different masters, it was necessary to organize a special scientific group of restorers in order to make the ancient iconostasis again a single, integral work, no matter how difficult this might turn out to be. The fact is that the iconostasis, although it was painted at the same time, was painted different people, different icon painting techniques, but despite the different techniques and styles, the iconostasis looks like a single artistic concept, a perfect concept.In the 15th century, three teams worked on the iconostasis, which was completed quickly and in a timely manner. Unfortunately, history has not preserved for us the true names of these icon painters. It is customary for restorers to conventionally call these teams “masters,” as if we were talking about three separate people, dividing them by techniques and manner of painting, in which the influence of three main directions is felt: the Novgorod, Rostov and Byzantine-Moscow schools of icon painting. The colors of the first or “blue master” shimmer like gems, the writing of the second master in Novgorod is energetic and sonorous, and the lines and colors of the third master are melodious and gentle, and in some way very similar to the work of the famous Dionysius.
A group of restorers led by O. V. Lelekova, who recently turned 90 years old, had to invent new methods of restoration. Using a new method of pigment analysis of the paint layer, it was possible to determine what minerals the icon painters used and how they composed the paint mixtures. In this way, it was possible to recreate the original lapis lazuli, that same piercing blue color of the first, “Blue Master,” or restore the gold lost in previous restorations on the gesso of the Deesis row.
Familiar strangers
Until the 18th century, the icons of the iconostasis rested quietly on their burdens in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. But the 18th century came, a new time, and they decided to “update” the iconostasis so that it would correspond to the Baroque style. Then some icons were removed and put into the Altar, and some were transferred to other monastery churches. Then there was a second renovation of the iconostasis, already in the manner of classicism. After 1918, the icons of the iconostasis of the Kirillo-Belozersky Assumption Cathedral were uncovered by restorers, and it became clear that they were all masterpieces. But hard times came and the icons were taken to museums in Moscow and Leningrad. Of the sixty surviving icons, only thirty-three remained in Kirillov. The rest ended up in such “titan” collections as the collection of the Andrei Rublev Museum of Ancient Russian Culture, the Tretyakov State Gallery and the Russian Museum. And now they are all collected at the exhibition into the local, Deesis, festive and prophetic rows of the first canonical Russian iconostasis of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.However, if you look at the icons of the exhibition, each one will seem subtly familiar. Of course, after all, each is a masterpiece of Russian icon painting, each is printed in reproductions in millions of copies, each at least briefly, sitting tiredly on banquettes in the vast museum halls, but they were seen more than once. Why do they look somehow new? It was as if wonderful lenses had been placed in front of them, through which completely new lines, a completely new harmony of colors suddenly became visible on them. Because for the first time these icons look the way they were conceived in the 15th century. For the first time, after many years of restoration, which restored the artistic unity of the iconostasis, you can see their true beauty reflected in each other.
2013
Mikhail Nikolaevich said that since 1924, visitors have not been allowed into the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. But in 2010, the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery was made a priority object for restoration in the region, and work began on preparing the Assumption Cathedral to receive excursions. This will happen in 2013. “We have friendly relations with the diocese. There is no problem that we cannot solve together. For example, an agreement has now been reached that two services a year will be held in the Assumption Cathedral. But the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God and the day of remembrance of St. Kirill of Belozersky,” said Mikhail Nikolaevich.Of course, there will not be a crowd of believers in the church, as in Moscow, but the use of candles during the service will still have to be negotiated. “I would prefer that in our country it becomes similar to how this issue is resolved in Europe,” Mikhail Nikolaevich expressed his opinion.
In 2013, the unique iconostasis can be viewed in its native Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, but for now, welcome to the Moscow Kremlin Museum in the exhibition hall of the Assumption Belfry, where you can view the icons of the famous iconostasis in full and in the smallest detail, consider them in a new way, understand how the unique ancient Russian style of icon painting was created.
Director of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum of the Reserve Mikhail Nikolaevich Sharomazov talks about the exhibition
The blue color of the “Blue Master” still surprises with its piercingness on the icon of the festive series “The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem”
“He rejoices in you” - for a long time it was assumed that this was the icon of Andrei Rublev. This was not confirmed during a restoration study.
The icon of the Apostle Andrew is very rarely exhibited even in the museum of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. During the restoration process, it was possible to identify and preserve the blue color painted with azurite on the apostle’s chiton, while on other icons the clothes painted with this pigment look emerald green after restoration
Modern multimedia tools are used in the exhibition halls so that even a child can see all the small details
The Icon of the Assumption has been preserved since the time of St. Cyril himself
This is what the main part of the iconostasis looks like, its compositional center: the icon of the Savior in power, the Deesis and prophetic row
Layout of icons in the iconostasis
An interactive game invites visitors to create an iconostasis themselves
Irina SECHINA
Now it is difficult to imagine the former beauty of the interior of the Assumption Cathedral. In terms of the luxury of its decoration, it stood out not only among the other churches of the monastery, but also belonged to the richest in Rus'. The very remoteness of the monastery had, as it were, an additional attractive force. Rich deposits flocked to him not only in money, but also in precious utensils, icons, sewing, books, and vestments. The decoration of the cathedral can be judged from the earliest surviving inventory of the monastery from 1601, in which each thing is described in the capacious, figurative language of that time. Particular attention is paid to the four-tiered iconostasis, the frames of which were decorated with pearls, gems, hryvnias, tsats, crowns; Only the faces and hands of the images remained open. Under the local icons there was a whole row of sewn icon-shrouds. Each icon had a “festive” and “everyday” veil for the same subject. Above the local row, on a beam painted on a red background with various herbs, stood 21 icons of the Deesis row. A description of the decorations for icons has been preserved: “In the Deesis, seven images have silver, gilded, basmyan hryvnias, and in them are 18 stones with pink flowers, and a pearl shell, and 14 images have silver, gilded, basmyan hryvnias, and 84 twisted, silver hryvnias, gilded, and 6 ponages... and 11 icons carved into bones... In the Deesis there are 19 wooden, gilded candlesticks.”
Above the Deesis icons were 25 holiday icons. The iconostasis ended with a prophetic row: half-length images of prophets were grouped 2-3 on each board. The tiblas of the upper tiers were carved and gilded. The walls and pillars of the church were surrounded by rows of icons in carved, painted, gilded icon cases, lined with milled tin on colored mica. And here shrouds were placed near the icons; in total there were about forty of them in the cathedral. Choirs, lecterns, cabinets, benches, skinny candles - everything was decorated with paintings and carvings. There was practically not a single item that was not decorated. The cathedral was illuminated by six chandeliers of various designs.
The iconostasis in the Assumption Cathedral was considered at that time one of the largest in Rus'. The creation of such grandiose ensembles was started by Andrei Rublev, who in 1408 painted more than 80 icons with his team for the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir. The Rublevsky iconostasis for a long time became a model for newly created iconostases in large cathedral churches. Many similar iconostases were created in the 15th century, but only the iconostasis from the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery has survived in its most complete form. Its almost five hundred year history is full of events. Already 40 years after they were painted, all icons began to be covered with silver gilded basma frames, which remain to this day on Deesis and holiday icons. In 1630, another tier of 25 icons was added - the forefathers' one. Although the icons for the Assumption Cathedral were created in Moscow with the contribution of the noble boyar Vasily Ivanovich Streshnev, they were painted by the Vologda icon painter Zhdan Dementyev, known for his work in the Vologda St. Sophia Cathedral. Later, in 1645, the original royal doors were replaced with new ones, granted by Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, - in a magnificent silver gilded chased frame of excellent Moscow work, which has survived to this day. Local icons also received well-preserved frames of the same design.
The iconostasis was significantly altered in the 18th century (after 1764). The ancient tyablo design, in which the icons stood in close rows on decorated beams, was replaced in 1757 by an ordinary carved gilded iconostasis by the Vologda master of the carving workshop Vasily Fedorovich Dengin, which has survived to this day. In the 19th century, the already featureless carving was gilded, adding another thick layer of soil. During the reconstruction of the iconostasis, many local icons were dressed in chased silver vestments. A significant part of the ancient icons did not fit in the new iconostasis, and they were removed. Only 15 of them were left in the festive row, 16 in the Deesis row, and the prophetic row was removed entirely, since its long boards did not fit into the new arrangement of icons. It was impossible to do without a prophetic row at all, so under the icons of the local row in the “pedestals”, instead of shrouds, semi-figured images of the prophets were written on special insert boards. The timid, artisanal painting was apparently done by monastery icon painters.
For a long time, the ancient icons, removed from the iconostasis, stood in the altar, and then they gradually began to be taken out of the monastery and the trace of many was lost. The monuments remaining in the iconostasis were greatly changed by numerous renovations and did not attract special attention. Only one icon from 1497 remains in the local row - “He rejoices in You”; the other two are now in Tretyakov Gallery, including the main temple icon of the Assumption. The rest of the icons now standing in the local row belong to a later time: “The Burning Bush” to the 16th century, “The Trinity”, “Present Queen” to XVII century etc.
At the end of the 1960s, restoration work began on the 1497 icons from the Assumption Cathedral. It lasted several years and is now completely finished. During this time, icons from 1497 that belonged to the Assumption Cathedral were discovered in various museums, having gotten there through complicated means. In the end, it turned out that about 60 icons survived, 34 of them on site, in Kirillov.
It is unusual in itself to have such a large number of works from the 15th century coming from one monument. Icons created by first-class artists became a huge contribution to the general treasury of ancient Russian art. Two icons from 1497 from the Assumption Cathedral - the temple "Assumption" and "Hodegetria" - have long been attributed either to Rublev himself or to artists of his circle. They stand comparison with celebrated masterpieces. The iconostasis was created by a group of artists. Those who painted the temple “Assumption”, “Rejoices in You”, holiday icons “Entrance into Jerusalem”, “Nativity of Christ”, “Candlemas” really followed the traditions of Rublevsky art. The images they created are spiritual and lyrical, the painting is exquisite in Moscow style.
The Assumption iconostasis is extremely interesting. From it one can judge the complex processes of the development of ancient Russian painting. At the end of the 15th century, there was a tendency to smooth out the characteristics of different schools of icon painting, and a pan-Russian style emerged. And, perhaps, nowhere can this process be traced so clearly as in the icons from the Assumption Cathedral. In addition to the “Moscow” one, there is another group of icons, for example, holiday icons - “The Crucifixion”, “The Descent of the Holy Spirit”, “Transfiguration”, “Assumption”, in which the features of Novgorod painting are felt - the severity of the images, the emphasis of the silhouettes, the richness of the spaces used by artists. It is even more interesting that in some icons the features of Moscow and Novgorod painting are fused together, for example, in “Baptism”, “Descent into Hell”, in Deesis icons - “Apostle Peter”, “Martyrs Dmitry and George”, “John the Baptist”, and some icons from these conventional groups in the iconostasis were created by the same artists. A special, uniquely individual group includes Deesis icons “John the Theologian”, “St. Andrew the First-Called”, saints, holiday icons on the theme of the Passion of the Lord.
All the icons of the ensemble are characterized by perfection of design, richness and sophistication of color, and masterly mastery of composition. The iconostasis provides a wealth of material for studying the individual characteristics of the work of ancient Russian artists. Disclosures recent years showed what a grandiose artistic phenomenon the Cyril icon painting of 1497 is.
For a long time, the cathedral did not have wall paintings, and the iconostasis served as the main element of decoration of its interior. The walls of the cathedral, both outside and inside, were plastered and whitewashed.
The cathedral was painted only in 1641. This is reported by the chronicle inscription in script, which runs along the southern, western and northern walls above the tier of towels: “With the favor of the Father, the haste of the Son and the accomplishment of the Holy Spirit, this Holy Cathedral Church of the Assumption was signed Holy Mother of God summer 7149 from the birth of Christ 1641 under the power of the pious sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Mikhail Feodorovich of All Russia and under his son under the rightful Tsarevich Prince Alexei Mikhailovich, under the great Mr. Varlaam, Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl and under Abbot Anthony built on the promise of the sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke I'm Mikhail Feodorovich of All Russia, Deacon Nikifor Shipulin, to the glory and honor of the Trinity, glorified God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and the Most Pure Mother of God and all the Saints forever and ever, Amen."
This is how the inscription, now partially lost, was read in 1773. The customer of the painting, Nikifor Shipulin, is a prominent figure in the state administration. In 1625, he served as a clerk for Patriarch Filaret, father of Mikhail Fedorovich, then in various orders. He repeatedly carried out important assignments for the king. So, in 1633, the tsar sent him along with the governors Dmitry Cherkassky and Dmitry Pozharsky to Smolensk to replace boyar Shein. Nikifor contributed money for the signing of the cathedral and porch (500 rubles) back in 1630. A few years after finishing the painting, he took monastic vows at the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery and after his death was buried on the cathedral porch. There is an assumption that Nikifor Shipulin, together with his son, is depicted in the cathedral painting in a composition illustrating one of the psalms. Indeed, here an old man and a young man, dressed in princely or boyar clothes, fall to the throne of Sophia. There are no similar images in other illustrations of the same text in Russian painting of the 17th century. If the assumption is correct, then we have before us a rare example of a lifetime portrait for that time.
Only in 1930, during restoration work, the end of the text of the chronicle was revealed: “We painted the icon wall letter of Lyubim Agiev and his comrades.” We love Agiev, or Ageev, the royal city icon painter from Kostroma, one of the best Russian mural painters of the mid-17th century. In 1643, he, together with masters from different cities, painted the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, being one of four highly paid icon painters and banner painters.
The paintings of 1641 were damaged during renovation work in the second half of the 18th century. The attachments to the arches and pillars hid some of the compositions, which disrupted the integrity of some thematic cycles, and other compositions were disfigured by the new masonry. During the cracking of the windows, the figures of Saints located on the slopes were destroyed, and neighboring compositions were also damaged. The openings made in the western and southern walls of the cathedral in connection with the construction of extensions also destroyed some of the compositions. After sealing the wide cracks that had formed by that time on the walls and vaults, white stripes of putty cut the wall paintings in different directions. Renewal of the paintings became inevitable.
In 1838, the original painting was oiled and covered with a layer of oil writing in a rather crude style. The renovators had to make some changes to the damaged compositions and repaint the surfaces of the butts. The paintings of the Assumption Cathedral have remained in this form until our time.
First trial openings ancient painting in the cathedral were carried out in 1929 by restorer P. I. Yukin. Restoration work was resumed only in 1970 and is currently ongoing.
During the restoration, it turned out that in most cases the 19th-century recording quite accurately follows the drawings of ancient paintings. Therefore, already now, before the painting is fully revealed, we can judge the decoration system of the temple and partly the composition of individual scenes. The painting scheme of the upper part of the cathedral is quite traditional: in the dome - the Pantocrator, in the piers of the drum windows - 8 forefathers in height, in the base of the drum - 12 round medallions with semi-figured images of the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel, evangelists in sails. Below unfolds the so-called proto-gospel cycle, containing scenes from the life of the Mother of God, and even lower are illustrations of the Akathist to the Mother of God. All these scenes are read in the direction of the sun, starting on the southern wall from the iconostasis and making several turns in the central space of the temple, and then in its corner rooms. This system of placing subjects is somewhat reminiscent of the painting system of the cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery. The same pattern brings to mind the placement in the lunettes of multi-figure compositions glorifying the Mother of God: “Assumption of the Mother of God,” “Protection,” “Rejoices in You.” In general, the theme of the Mother of God almost completely dominates the painting of the Assumption Cathedral. Only in the southwestern room are a few events of Christ's earthly life presented.
There is also a composition here that is not connected with its neighbors and is not part of any cycle. It depicts the King of Heaven on a throne, at the foot of which lie fallen warriors and an old man, a young man and a wife in boyar clothes are kneeling. This is an illustration of Psalm 44, which contains praise to the King. The thematic isolation of the scene reinforces the assumption, first expressed by the restorer S. S. Churakov, that here we have a family portrait of the person who commissioned the painting.
In the northwestern room of the cathedral there are scenes " Last Judgment" and some symbolic compositions, not entirely clear in meaning.
Judging by the exposed areas, the painting style is monumental and traditional. There is still no "carpet" and some fragmentation of compositions characteristic of later monuments of wall painting. Innovations in the field of iconography and interpretation of forms only slightly affected this painting. Thanks to the high quality of writing and relatively good preservation, the wall paintings of the Assumption Cathedral, after their full disclosure, will become one of the central monuments of Russian monumental painting of the mid-17th century.
In 1554, Vladimir's chapel was added to the northern side of the cathedral. This is a small pillarless temple, covered with a peculiar system of stepped arches. This type of ceiling is best known from the monuments of Pskov. In the external decoration, Vladimir's chapel reproduced in miniature the forms of the Assumption Cathedral - the same three tiers of kokoshniks, the same belts of patterned masonry. The desire to follow local models, especially the model of the Assumption Cathedral, is generally very characteristic of Kirillov's construction. The chapel was erected over the grave of Vladimir Ivanovich Vorotynsky with the contribution of his widow. Later it became the family tomb of the Vorotynsky princes.
The construction of small side churches at monastery cathedrals is quite a characteristic phenomenon for the middle of the 16th century. Usually they were placed over the coffin of the founder of the monastery or one of its subsequent abbots, who after death was worshiped as a locally revered and sometimes all-Russian Saint. The erection of a chapel over the tomb of one of the secular feudal lords was a completely exceptional phenomenon at that time, especially since there was no temple over the grave of Cyril at that time. The furious reaction to this event of Ivan the Terrible is known, who addressed the monastery brethren with a message full of bitter reproaches: “And behold, you have erected a church over Vorotynsky! Otherwise there is a church over Vorotynsky, but not over the miracle worker. Vorotynsky is in the church, but the miracle worker is behind the church. .."
Vladimir's chapel has not been preserved in its original form. In the 18th century, it was covered with a hipped roof, the ancient small arched windows were replaced by large rectangular ones, and the entrance on the north side was destroyed. Now its facades have been partially restored.
The existing onion dome, covered with a wooden ploughshare, was made in 1631. This date can be read on the inscription punched on the forged valance encircling the chapter from the bottom. The head and valance, preserved almost unchanged from the first half of the 17th century, are of unique value.
Inside the Vladimir chapel, the carved stone slabs inserted into the walls with inscriptions about the burial of the Vorotyn princes are of great interest. The pattern of the plates is not the same. The most ancient slab, placed on the western wall to the right of the entrance from the porch, contains a record of the burial of the brothers Vladimir and Alexander Ivanovich and the transfer of the ashes of Mikhail Ivanovich and his son Login Mikhailovich from Kashin in 1603. His other son, Ivan Mikhailovich, who was a very prominent figure in the political life of Rus' at the beginning of the 17th century, is also buried here. One of the candidates for the Russian throne, after the election of Mikhail Romanov to the kingdom, he led a deputation sent to him in Kostroma with an offer to accept the royal crown. He later served as first governor and ruled Moscow during the Tsar's absence. In the 17th century, the Vorotynskys became related (by female line) with the royal house. The last of the Vorotynsky princes, Ivan Alekseevich, died in 1679. During restoration work in 1971-1972, the remains of stone and brick sarcophagi were discovered in which some of the Vorotynskys were buried. The lid of the sarcophagus of Alexei Ivanovich Vorotynsky with a beautifully executed carved inscription is of particular artistic value.
The iconostasis of the Church of Vladimir was redone several times. The one that still exists today dates back to 1827. The iconostasis was designed, cut and gilded by the Vologda master Ivan Sirotin. In doing so, he used part of the thread upper tier iconostasis of the Church of St. Cyril. The icons were painted very well by the Kirill icon painter Ivan Kopytov, who came from a family of hereditary monastery servants.
The construction of the current northern porch dates back to the end of the 16th century. Until the end of the 18th century, the porch, longer than now, covered not only the northern, but also the entire western wall of the cathedral. However, this is not the most ancient building. Before it, the cathedral had two separate, non-joining stone porches on the same western and northern sides, which most likely appeared in the middle of the 16th century. Only minor traces have been preserved from them, from which it can be judged that they had a complicated gable roof (i.e., in the form of gable roofs stacked together). The porch of the late 16th century is described in monastery inventories as “the structure of Elder Leonidas.” Elder Leonid Shirshov was considered one of the main persons in the monastery, and in 1595-1596 he even headed the monastery. He probably headed the construction, and the monastery masons from the patrimonial peasants became the performers. The built porch, unlike the earlier ones, was interpreted as a single building, united by a common pitched roof. Its walls were cut through by wide arched openings, visible from the outside even now. In 1650 the openings were replaced with small windows. In 1791, the porch on the western side was broken and in its place a bulky entrance extension was built, covering almost the entire western façade of the cathedral. Its forms - flat frames with a somewhat clumsy design, an abundance of profiles and braces - go back to Baroque architecture and are archaic for the end of the 18th century. Buildings of similar decor from this period, most likely erected by local teams of masons without the participation of an architect, have been preserved in neighboring Belozersk.
The northern and western porches were painted immediately after their construction, at the end of the 16th century. Since the porches had wide arched openings open on the outside, the painting was concentrated on the sides of the entrances to the cathedral and to the chapel of Prince Vladimir. Therefore, it can also be considered as an external painting of the cathedral. It is unknown who painted these paintings, but we know that a little earlier, in 1585, the monastery’s Holy Gate, located under the Church of St. John the Climacus, was painted by Elder Alexander and his disciples Emelyan and Nikita. The paintings on the Holy Gates and porches of the Assumption Cathedral are perhaps the first mural works on the territory of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.
These first paintings on the cathedral porches have not survived. In 1650, after the laying of large arched openings, the walls of the porches were re-decorated with mural writing. “And the Yaroslavl icon painters Ivan Timofeev’s son, nicknamed Makar, and Savastyan Dmitriev’s son and his comrades wrote on the porches on the blocked large windows with wall letters, given to them according to the record from the craftsmanship to a deposit of 30 rubles in the year 157, 220 rubles.” This entry from an archival source does not mention the fate of the previous porch paintings. Apparently, they were knocked down along with the plaster. Sevastyan Dmitriev is a famous master who took part in the painting of the Assumption and Archangel Cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin, the Assumption Cathedral in Rostov, and was repeatedly called to the Tsar for various icon painting works. The customer of the painting was boyar Fyodor Ivanovich Sheremetev. It is known that he participated in the calling of young Mikhail Fedorovich to the kingdom, then he became a person close to the king and an active politician. In old age, he died in the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, where he took monastic vows shortly before his death. It was at his expense that the painting of the Church of Cyril, which has not reached us, was completed in 1642.
On the western porch, only two compositions survived: “The Dormition of the Mother of God” and one of the scenes from “The Apocalypse”. They differ in overall brightness color range, soft combinations of cold tones. Despite all the traditional compositions, the artist sought to enrich the viewer’s impression with careful drawing of details, a variety of architectural forms, poses, and folds of clothing. Small-sized figures densely fill the field allocated to them, their poses are dynamic.
The same features can be seen in the painting of the northern porch. The complex shape of the cross vaults forces the authors to be inventive in the placement of compositions, but they confidently cope with the difficult task. At the top of the vaults are depicted trumpeting angels, righteous people in white robes, standing before the throne of the Most High, and the “King of kings and Lord of lords” is seated. The devil is at work below - people worship the Whore of Babylon. Satan puts marks on the foreheads of his followers. At the very top of the vault, an army of the righteous gallops on white horses; the defeated sinner enemies fall down, where the hellish flames burn, ready to receive them. Placing one scene in different planes often gives an interesting spatial solution; a certain depth of space arises. The feeling of space is generally characteristic of authors. Thus, in the scene of the destruction of ships, the change in their size gives a hint of linear perspective.
Many scenes are distinguished by their vitality, even if borrowed from Western European engravings: townspeople look at the death of their hometown, chests with goods stand at their feet, sailing ships sail on a stormy sea, workers reap ears of corn with sickles. Other people's samples, reworked in the spirit of traditional icon painting, have become a way to approach real life.
The porch paintings are separated in time from the paintings on the cathedral quadrangle by a small gap, but they differ significantly in style, indicating the development of new trends in Russian monumental painting.
Simultaneously with the interior paintings of the porches, small compositions were executed in four icon cases above its entrances and in the cathedral's closets. Of these, only “Trinity” and “Metropolitan Jonah and Kirill Belozersky in Prayer to the Mother of God” remained, and even those were in very poor preservation. Joseph Vladimirov, a friend and like-minded person of Simon Ushakov, known for his treatise on icon painting, took part in this work. Joseph was probably part of Sevastyan Dmitriev’s brigade.
How strong the local architectural tradition was in Kirillov’s construction can be seen in the example of the Epiphanius Church, built in 1645 next to the Vladimir Church over the tomb of Prince Fyodor Andreevich Telyatevsky. It was built by a team of rural masons from the estate of the Kirillov Monastery, led by Yakov Kostousov. The size of the church is only slightly larger than the church of Vladimir. Its general composition, the design of the vaults and the main decorative elements almost exactly replicate the Vladimir Church. In its architecture it is much closer to the 16th than to the 17th century. The monument has been preserved quite well to this day. Later distortions mainly come down to the construction of a hipped roof instead of the previously existing covering of three tiers of kokoshniks.
The interior of the Epiphanius Church has changed relatively little. It was not painted. The primary four-tiered iconostasis survived without significant alterations; only two icons in the bottom row on the sides of the northern door were lost. Of course, to complete the idea of what the Epiphanius Temple looked like earlier, along with these icons, those that once hung on the whitewashed walls are now missing. A prominent place was occupied to the right of the entrance by the tomb of Prince Telyatevsky, covered with scarlet cloth. The color saturation had a purely emotional effect and created a special atmosphere, far from everyday life. A certain role in this colorful diversity was also assigned to chandeliers, lamps, candlesticks, and their patterned design. Judging by the description, the large chandelier was of German work: "... a small thing with a carved animal image and a ring stuck through the mouth."
We do not know the names of the artists of the iconostasis, but judging by the fact that several years later, in 1649, for another monastery church - Euphemia - the iconostasis was painted by Vologda resident Terenty Fomin, the Vologda artist could also decorate the Church of Epiphanius. The icons of this temple are also close to the prophetic series from the Assumption Cathedral, which was also painted by the artist from Vologda Zhdan Dementyev in 1630. Both the forefathers' cathedral icons and the iconostasis from the Epiphanius Church are characterized by craftsmanship, rigidity of forms, and monotony of silhouettes and gestures.
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