!!!Golden Ring of Russia, Vladimir

by Stas Sedov,
Dmitry Chistoprudov and
Dmitry Moiseenko,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

6 March 2015

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Vladimir, the city included in the Golden Ring of Russia, has such a
long history, that scientists still have doubts concerning the date of
its foundation. But whenever the city was founded, its glorious history
began with knyaz Vladimir Monomakh (1053-1125) who let Vladimir become
the defensive center of Rostov-Suzdal Principality. The city owes its
further prosperity to Andrey Bogolyubsky who transferred the capital of
the principality to Vladimir in 1157. After the reign of his successor,
powerful Vsevolod the Big Nest, the title of all Vladimir's knyazes
became ‘the great'.

[{Image src='01_Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir.jpg' caption='Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='588'}]

In the end of the 15th century, at the time of the growth of the Moscow
State, Vladimir started losing its importance, though it always was a
significant city. Nowadays Vladimir is the administrative center of the
region and one of the biggest tourist center in the European part of
Russia.

[{Image src='02_Golden Gate of Vladimir.jpg' caption='Golden Gate of Vladimir' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='615'}]

After the year 1917 the historical center of Vladimir was significantly
rebuilt, even so there are 239 ancient buildings dated 17-18 centuries
and protected by the state. Moreover, in 1992 several architectural
complexes were declared as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO as ‘White
monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal'.

[{Image src='03_Monument to Grand Prince Vladimir and Saint Theodore.jpg' caption='Monument to Grand Prince Vladimir and Saint Theodore' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='606'}]

The most famous sight of Vladimir is the Dormition Cathedral (Uspensky
Cathedral) dated the 12th century. It is an outstanding white-stone
architectural monument of pre-Mongolian Ancient Russia which served as
specimen for later cathedrals, including the Dormition Cathedral in
Moscow. It is also the one of not many cathedrals where several unique
frescos of the great icon-painter Andrey Rublev have remained intact.

[{Image src='04_Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir.jpg' caption='Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='485'}]

The Cathedral of Saint-Demetrius is another great architectural wonder
of the 12th century. This cross-in-square church was built in accordance
with traditions of Vladimir-Suzdalian school and is famous for its
white-stone carving.

The fortified Golden Gate of Vladimir was built in 1164 during the reign
of Andrey Bogolyubsky. This gate had, besides its main fortified
function, the aim to create the triumphal atmosphere by decorating the
main entrance into the wealthy part of the city that belonged to boyars
and knyazes. In the past the gate was covered with sheets of gilded
copper which were shining in the sun and impressing the contemporaries.
In the 18th century, having suffered the devastating fire, the gate was
reconstructed using the same stones, and a new brick church appeared at
the top of it. That is how the gate looks nowadays.

[{Image src='05_St. Nicholas Church.jpg' caption='St. Nicholas Church' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='641'}]

The architectural monuments of Vladimir are so unique that they were
represented on reverse of commemorative coins issued by the Bank of
Russia. Not only the city, but the whole Vladimir's region preserved a
lot of great monuments. One of them is a rural settlement Bogolyubovo,
situated two kilometers from the city, which is a former residence of
knyaz Andrey Bogolyubsky who had been reigning between 1157 and 1174.

[{Image src='06_Bogolyubsky monastery.jpg' caption='Bogolyubsky monastery' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='592'}]

The foundation of Bogolyubovo is strongly connected to a legend of the
appearance of the Theotokos to knyaz Andrey. This is the very place
where a monastery was founded and a starting point of the history of
this settlement. The ancient walls of the abode as well as the residence
of knyaz have not remained in their original forms. But even later
monuments of Bogolyubovo are ones of the greatest and most important
sights of Russia. In the first place it is the Bogolyubsky Monastery of
the Theotokos. Its complex includes the remainings of the Andrey
Bogolyubsky's palace — the only civil building of Ancient Russia that
has remained till nowadays, at least partially. In addition, there are
the Church of Annunciation built in 1683 and rebuilt in 1804, the Church
of Nativity dated the 18th century and the Bogolyubsky Cathedral created
in 1866 in a Russian-Byzantine style according to the project of the
architect Konstantin Ton.

[{Image src='07_The Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin on the Nerl River.jpg' caption='The Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin on the Nerl River' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='360'}]

A mile away from Bogolyubovo the famous Church of the Intercession on
the Nerl is situated. All the features of this 12th-century monument are
unique, beginning with the very place of its foundation. The church was
built in a lowland on a small man-made hill situated in a water-meadow.
Nowadays riverbeds of existing rivers have changed their position, but
previously that was the very place where the Nerl river flowed into the
Klyazma river, so that the Church was situated on a spit between the two
most important trade ways.

[{Image src='08_River Nerl flood.jpg' caption='River Nerl flood' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='491'}]

The base of the Church sinks approximately five meters into the ground
making it possible to resist the rising level of water at the time of
overflow. The walls of the Church are strictly-vertical, but due to
properly selected proportions it looks like they lean inwards making the
whole building seem higher. The dome drum of the Church with narrow
windows is rather delicate and high so it adds an impression of rising
skywards. The Church is decorated with the exquisite white-stone carving
associated with traditional Vladimir-Suzdalian art of building. Experts
admit the subtlety of proportions and an overall harmony of the
building, so sometimes the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is
considered to be the most beautiful church of Russia.

[{Image src='09_The Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin on the Nerl River.jpg' caption='The Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin on the Nerl River' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='664'}]

Our panoramas can give you the opportunity to take a closer look at all
this historical, architectural and cultural heritage of Russia which was
declared by UNESCO as ‘White monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal'.

\\ \\
[20 Panoramas of Vladimir|Geography/Asia/Russia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Golden_Ring_of_Russia_(Vladimir)]










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