The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is considered one of the most beautiful in Russia. It is located on a hill surrounded by water meadows, organically merging with the surrounding landscape. The white stone Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is called a poem embodied in stone. Russian craftsmen managed to express with the help of stone the idea that is the cornerstone of any religion - this is the superiority of the spiritual over the material.

Since 1992, this white stone monument has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Address

The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is located at the address - Vladimir region, Suzdal district, Bogolyubovo village.

How to get to the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl

By bus, train or car, go to the Bogolyubovo station, located 10 km from the city of Vladimir in the direction of Nizhny Novgorod.

If you arrived by car, you must leave the car in the parking lot at the Bogolyubovo railway station. Then walk along a paved path for about 1.5 km or use a horse-drawn cart for a fee.

From the history

In 1164, the Grand Duke of Vladimir Andrei Bogolyubsky, together with his son Izyaslav, brother Yaroslav and Prince Yuri of Murom, led a campaign against the Volga Bulgaria and destroyed several Bulgarian fortresses. In this campaign, Izyaslav, the beloved son of the prince, died.

After the victorious campaign, Andrei Bogolyubsky established in Rus' the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, in whose honor he erected several churches.

According to the most common version, the first temple dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary was built by the prince in 1165 on the banks of the Nerl River, on the border of his principality. According to legend, the church was built in memory of Izyaslav, so its appearance is permeated not only with calmness, but also with sadness.

It should be noted that some historians adhere to the version according to which the church on the Klyazma was erected in 1158, that is, even before the successful campaign of Andrei Bogolyubsky on the Volga Bulgaria and the death of Izyaslav.

The prince chose a place for construction 1.5 km from his castle in Bogolyubovo, where the Nerl River flows into the Klyazma and every spring there is a big flood.

In this place, a special hill was built from clay and cobblestones, in which the foundation of the future building was built. According to legend, the stone for construction was brought as an indemnity from the Volga Bulgaria by the Bulgars themselves.

The erected Temple of the Intercession on the Nerl looks light and bright and, as if growing out of a green hill. Russian craftsmen used every means to make the building graceful, slender and looking up.

When the Nerl floods in the spring, water approaches the church from all sides. Staying on the island, the temple is reflected in the fast-flowing waters.

In 1784, this amazing creation of Russian architects only miraculously escaped death. The hegumen of the Bogolyubov monastery proposed to dismantle the church in order to use its stones for the construction of the monastery bell tower. The bishop of Vladimir gave permission, but, fortunately, the abbot did not agree on the price for disassembling with contractors and the church was saved.

Church of the Intercession on the Nerl - architecture

The foundation of the church was laid to a depth of 1.6 meters, then the base of the walls was built of hewn stone 3.7 meters high. After that, the walls were sprinkled twice outside and inside with clayey sandy loam soil and then tightly compacted. Thus, an artificial hill 5.3 meters high grew up, reliably covering the base of the temple lying in its array from the spring flood.

In addition, the builders lined the surface of the hill with white stone slabs and laid stone gutters to drain precipitation.

In the 12th century, this amazing structure seemed like a supernatural miracle. Only craftsmen with real talent and bold engineering ideas could create a temple that has been standing on a hill above the stormy waters of the Nerl and Klyazma for more than 800 years.

The architecture of the church is simple: it is a single-domed cross-domed four-pillar temple 20 meters high, its distinguishing feature is the sophistication of proportions and simplicity of composition. Separate building techniques made it possible to create an impression of lightness, aspiration upwards and to embody a completely new artistic idea - the victory of spirit over matter.

Among the original construction finds, which made it possible to visually increase the height of the building, the following can be noted:

• A large number of conspicuous vertical lines created with the help of narrow high windows, elongated columns of the arched belt and an elongated dome drum
• The walls of the church are slightly tilted inward, which also visually increases the height of the building.

white stone carving

Like many temples of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture, the church is decorated with white stone carvings. On three of its facades, we will see a composition depicting the king of the psalmist David, sitting on a throne. On both sides of it are doves and figures of lions. Even lower is a belt of 21 female masks, symbolizing the dedication of the temple to the Most Holy Theotokos.

Initially, an open white-stone gallery 5.5 meters high was located around the church, the base of which was white-stone pillars. The floor of the galleries was covered with bright majolica tiles, and in the southwest corner there was a staircase that could be used to climb the choir stalls.

The parapet was decorated with carvings depicting griffins and other mythical animals, including leopards. It has been established that the figure of a rearing leopard is the oldest sign of the Russian people, preserved to this day in the coat of arms of Vladimir. The meaning of the rest of the figures is still unknown.

Interior design

When designing the interior space, the architects also sought to emphasize the aspiration upwards. The vaults are supported by four pillars, which are slightly tapered towards the top, due to which, the height of the building visually increases.

Previously, on the dome there was an image of Christ the Pantocrator with archangels and seraphim, the floor was covered with colored majolica slabs, and the walls were painted with frescoes. The murals were destroyed during the renovation of the church in 1877.

The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is a masterpiece of world architecture; like a warrior in a silver helmet and a white stone shirt, it stands on a small hillock.

In spring, it looks like a swan rising above the surface of the waters, and in winter, like a monument, it looks out of the snowdrifts. With the advent of summer, a light and sparkling white church, like a candle, rises among the greenery of a vast water meadow.

The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is assigned to the Bogolyubovsky Monastery. After restoration, it acquired almost its original appearance and is currently jointly used by the church and the museum-reserve.

The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is called a masterpiece of world architecture; the pinnacle of creativity of the Vladimir masters of the heyday of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. This small, elegant building is set on a small hill, on a riverside meadow, where the Nerl flows into the Klyazma.

It happened that during the spring flood, the water came up to the very walls of the church, and then a single-domed church, dazzling with whiteness, dazzling with whiteness, rose alone above the water surface, like a candle, growing over the expanses of water meadows in all its clarity and beauty...

In all of Russian architecture, which has created so many unsurpassed masterpieces, there is probably no monument more lyrical than the world-famous Church of the Intercession on the Nerl.

This amazingly harmonious white-stone temple, organically merging with the surrounding landscape, is called a poem imprinted in stone. "The perfect coherence of the general and the particular, the whole and the smallest details creates a subtle and enlightened harmony, likening the architecture to spiritualized and soaring music or a song, - writes N.N. Voronin. - The image of the famous creation of the Vladimir masters is so perfect that there was never any doubt that it was originally like that, that it was designed like that by its architects.

Tradition tells that Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky built the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl after the death of his beloved son Izyaslav - in memory of him. This is probably why this church, standing alone on the banks of the Nerl, radiates a light sadness.

The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is compared with ancient Greek temples in terms of conciseness and perfection of forms. Looking at this amazing creation of Russian masters, it is hard to believe that the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl was only miraculously saved from death. And he was in danger not from the militant atheists of the communist era, but from the Orthodox clergy. In 1784, the abbot of the Bogolyubov Monastery petitioned the diocesan authorities for permission to dismantle the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl in order to use its material for the construction of the monastery bell tower. The Bishop of Vladimir gave such permission. The church survived only due to the fact that customers and contractors did not agree on the price.

The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl was built in 1165. Historical sources connect its construction with the victorious campaign of the Vladimir regiments against the Volga Bulgaria in 1164. In this campaign, the young prince Izyaslav died. In memory of these events, Andrei Bogolyubsky founded the Pokrovsky Church. According to some reports, the defeated Volga Bulgars themselves delivered the white stone for the construction of the church as an indemnity.

The temple was dedicated to a new holiday in Rus' - the Intercession of the Virgin. This holiday was established by the Vladimir clergy and the prince without the consent of the Kyiv Metropolitan and the Patriarch of Constantinople and was intended to testify to the special patronage of the Mother of God of the Vladimir land. Indeed, the main temple of Vladimir, the Assumption Cathedral, was also dedicated to the Mother of God - in contrast to the cathedrals of Kyiv, Novgorod, Polotsk, Pskov and other princely capitals.

The place for the church - a floodplain meadow at the confluence of the Nerl into the Klyazma - was indicated by Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky himself. Since there was a wide flood here every spring, a high foundation was built specially for the temple - an artificial hill made of clay and cobblestone, in which the foundations of the future building were laid. Outside, this hill was lined with white stone slabs. When the Nerl floods in the spring, the church remains on a small island, reflected in the fast-flowing waters that come right up to its walls. Once upon a time there was a pier where river boats moving along the Klyazma moored.

Structurally, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is extremely simple - it is a single-domed, cross-domed, four-pillar temple common to ancient Russian architecture. But the builders of the church managed to embody a completely new artistic image in it. The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl differs from the earlier churches in Vladimir by its refined proportions, extreme clarity and simplicity of composition. Here there is no royalty of the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral, there is no courageous majesty of the Dmitrievsky Cathedral. Light and light, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is the embodiment of the victory of spirit over matter. With the help of well-chosen proportions, shapes and details, the architects managed to overcome the heaviness of the stone, create the impression of weightlessness, aspiration upwards.

By all available methods, unknown architects tried to give their building a sense of movement. To a large extent, this is achieved by the calm balance and symmetry of the building, as well as many original construction finds. For example, it is almost impossible to notice that the walls of the church are slightly tilted inward and this barely noticeable slope visually increases the height of the building. The same purpose is served by a large number of striking vertical lines - elongated columns of the arched belt, narrow high windows, and an elongated drum of the dome. The existing onion dome in 1803 replaced the ancient helmet-shaped dome.

The walls of the temple are decorated with white stone carvings traditional for Vladimir-Suzdal architecture. On all three facades, the same composition is repeated: King David the Psalmist, sitting on a throne. Two doves are symmetrically located on both sides of it, and under them are the figures of lions. Even lower are three female masks with braided hair. The same masks are placed on the side parts of the facade - the temple is, as it were, surrounded by them. These masks symbolize the Mother of God and are present on all Vladimir churches of that era.

Archaeological excavations have made it possible to establish that originally the temple was surrounded on three sides by an open white-stone gallery paved with bright majolica tiles. In the southwest corner of the gallery there was a staircase leading to the choir stalls. The gallery rested on carved white stone pillars, and its parapet was decorated with numerous carved stones depicting griffins and other mythical animals. Among them stood out images of leopards rising in a jump - the emblem of the Vladimir princely dynasty.

The inner space of the church is subject to the same idea - upward movement. The four pillars on which the vaults rest narrow slightly upward, thereby visually increasing the height of the temple. A dome full of light floats high overhead. Once it housed the image of Christ the Pantocrator, surrounded by archangels and seraphim, and the walls of the temple were covered with a motley carpet of frescoes, which was echoed by a colored majolica floor. The ancient painting, which had suffered over seven centuries, was finally destroyed in 1877 during the next "renovation" of the temple.

But, despite all the losses, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl retained the main thing that the unknown architects who created it aspired to - the idea of ​​​​the superiority of the spiritual over the material, brilliantly expressed in stone, which is the cornerstone of any religion. And, probably, that is why this outstanding work of Russian masters has received worldwide fame and recognition, becoming a kind of "calling card" of Russia.

Church of the Intercession on the Nerl.
The white-stone temple in the Vladimir region of Russia, one and a half kilometers from Bogolyubov, is an outstanding monument of architecture of the Vladimir-Suzdal school.
The church was consecrated in honor of the Feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God, established in Rus' in the middle of the 12th century.
The Church of the Intercession stands in a lowland, on a flood meadow. Previously, near the church there was a place where the Nerl flows into the Klyazma (now the riverbeds have changed their position). The church was located almost on the river "arrow", making out the crossroads of the most important water trade routes.
The Church of the Intercession is built on a man-made hill. The usual strip foundation, laid at a depth of 1.6 m, was continued by the base of the walls, 3.7 m high, which were covered with clay soil of an artificial hill lined with white stone. Thus, the foundation went to a depth of more than five meters. This technology made it possible to resist the rise of water during river floods (up to 5 m).

From the temple of the XII century, without significant distortion, the main volume has survived to our time - a small, slightly elongated along the longitudinal axis (about 8 x 7 m excluding apses, the side of the domed square is about 3.2 m) quadrangle and head. The temple is of the cross-domed type, four-pillared, three-apse, one-domed, with arched-columnar belts and perspective portals. The walls of the church are strictly vertical, but due to the exceptionally well-found proportions, they look tilted inward, which achieves the illusion of a greater height of the building. In the interior, the cross-shaped pillars taper upwards, which, despite the small size of the temple, creates an additional feeling of “altitude” of the interior.

The walls of the church are decorated with carved reliefs. The central figure in the composition of the three facades of the temple is King David seated on a throne with a psalter (stringed musical instrument) in his left hand, blessing with his right hand with two fingers. Lions, birds and female masks are also used in the design.
The original interior murals of the temple are completely lost (knocked down during renovation in 1877).
The meadow on which the church is located is now a specially protected natural area and has been declared a historical landscape complex of regional significance. The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl itself is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site called "White Stone Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal".
Currently, the temple is under the joint jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve. Regular services are held in the temple, the rest of the time it is open as a museum exposition.

An article from the book "The most famous monasteries and temples of Russia"
source

The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is a masterpiece of world architecture, the pinnacle of creativity of the Vladimir masters of the heyday of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. She is called the "white swan" of Russian architecture, a beauty, compared with a bride. This small, elegant building was built on a small hill, on a riverside meadow, where the Nerl flows into the Klyazma. It happened that during the spring flood, the water came up to the very walls of the church, and then a single-domed temple, sparkling with whiteness, rose alone above the water surface, like a candle, growing over the expanses of water meadows in all its clarity and beauty.

It seems to grow out of a hill, and you involuntarily admire how well the place for construction was chosen...

Recently, the Orthodox Church celebrated a great holiday - the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. It was installed in memory of the miraculous appearance of the Theotokos in Constantinople in the 10th century, in the Blachernae Church, where the robe of the Mother of God, Her head cover (maforium) and part of the belt were kept.

The most perfect temple created in Rus', a pearl of white stone architecture, a unique creation of ancient masters. All this is about her: the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl rises above the banks of the old Klyazma river on a round, grassy hill. It seems to grow out of this hill, and you involuntarily admire how well the place for the construction of the temple was chosen. But it only seems at first glance that everything is so simple. In fact, the temple keeps many secrets and mysteries…

The secret is the first. Construction time

Guides who conduct excursions at the Church of the Intercession tirelessly tell tourists a beautiful legend: “The temple was built in 1165 by order of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in memory of his son Izyaslav, who died during a campaign against the Volga Bulgarians. Tradition says that in a difficult moment, the Russian people, besieged by numerous enemies, turned to the Mother of God with a plea for help. And she did not leave her spiritual children in trouble: she took off her headscarf and covered all the persecuted with it. In the blink of an eye, they became invisible, and the enemy cavalry rushed away.

But historians are more skeptical with conclusions and dates. The chronicles, they say, are so sparse that we will not find in them either the date or even the name of the church. The only chronicle - the Vladimir chronicler - contains both the dedication and the date, calling the church "Intercession" in a message under 1158: on the Nerl, and build a monastery." And only a late monument of the 16th century - "The Life of St. Andrei Bogolyubsky", gives details: the connection of the temple with the death from wounds of Andrei Bogolyubsky's son Izyaslav in 1165. But another - newly discovered - version of the same Life does not contain this text about Izyaslav!

The timing of the construction of the temple is also amazing. Usually the church was built in 3-4 seasons, but in the annals: “make this church in one summer and make a monastery for monks with it,” that is, the temple was erected in one year.

When was the pearl of white stone architecture built? People of science only shrug their shoulders and stand hypotheses: there is still no exact chronicle date.

The second secret. Name

The very dedication of the temple to the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, historians believe, is very unusual. After all, this holiday originated precisely in Rus', in Byzantium (from where Orthodoxy came to us) it was not. But the earliest of the icons of the Intercession that have come down to us belong only to the XIV-XV centuries. Yes, and the Intercession churches built in Rus' earlier than this time are not known!

“Could the church be Pokrovskaya in the 12th century?”, historians ask. The texts about the feast of the Intercession, like the feast itself, shaped the idea of ​​Andrei Bogolyubsky about the protection of the Mother of God. Under Andrew, the “Vlachernae Miracle” of the 10th century was known - the appearance of the Virgin in the Blachernae Church of Constantinople to Saints Andrew the Holy Fool and Epiphanius during the battle with the Saracens on October 1, 910.

Other historians put forward their own hypothesis: the dedication of the temple could also be associated with another holiday: Andrei Bogolyubsky established on August 1 a holiday dedicated to the Savior and the Virgin after a miracle that happened on August 1, 1164, when during a campaign against the Volga Bulgarians from the images of the Savior and the Virgin, and also, fiery rays began to emanate from the cross.

The “Victory Cross” with a cross-commemorative inscription just stood near the Church of the Intercession!

This white stone cross is still intact, it is in one of the expositions of the museum-reserve. And in the Tretyakov Gallery there is a double-sided icon of the 12th century, which some researchers consider to be Vladimir-Suzdal: the All-Merciful Savior and the Adoration of the Cross. Thus, one can doubt the naming of the church in the XII century Pokrovskaya. Most likely it was renamed later.

But when, for what reason? Mystery…

The secret is the third. Location

And here is another strange circumstance: the dangerous proximity of water, which seems to us only a poetic property of the architect's soul, but which required a special engineering structure in the form of a man-made hill-pedestal.

Yes, yes: the hill on which the church stands is the work of human hands! The researchers proved that it was specially poured for the construction of the temple.

Thanks to archaeological research, we know that during its "youth" the temple looked different. Initially, the temple was surrounded by open galleries with ceilings. The height of the gallery was 5.5 meters, and in the southwestern corner the arcade turned into a thick wall with an internal staircase, from where the entrance to the choir was.
What is the secret of the hill?

During the archaeological research, an amazing secret of the hill was also discovered. On a low-lying floodplain, the flood water rose by more than three meters during the flood. That is why the construction here was carried out in a very special way. First, a foundation was laid of cobblestones on lime mortar with a depth of 1.6 meters, up to a layer of continental clay. On the foundation, in two stages, the base of the walls was erected from carefully hewn, tightly fitted stone, 3.7 meters high. Outside and inside, these walls were covered with clayey sandy loamy soil and compacted tightly. The underground part of the temple is thus 5.3 meters. This is how an artificial hill grew at the mouth of the Nerl, which became a pedestal for the Church of the Intercession and protects it from the treacherous spring waters. The hill was covered with a shell of white stone slabs with gutters and ladders running down to the pier.

But why is the church located so far from the residence of the prince - a whole verst from it? There is an assumption that the church stood at the confluence of the Klyazma and the Nerl. Both rivers were then navigable. Can you imagine how magnificent the temple looked, reflected in the waters of these rivers!?

Mystery four. white stone carving

Outwardly modest, the temple struck with a riot of colors of the interior decoration, as if reflecting all the splendor of the kingdom of heaven. In the light-filled dome was placed image Christ, surrounded by archangels and six-winged seraphim, and a colorful carpet of frescoes on the walls smoothly turned into colored majolica on the floor. Unfortunately, in 1877 inept restorers completely destroyed this beauty...

But outside the temple is still decorated with beautiful white-stone carvings, characteristic of Vladimir-Suzdal architects. Rich ornaments and an amazing row of reliefs of girlish faces encircle all three facades of the temple. Currently, nineteen such reliefs have been preserved, representing a whole gallery of sculptural portraits. The execution of this beautiful white stone carving required considerable time and great technical skill. Even the simple processing of a stone block involved more than a thousand strokes of the master on the tool. And according to the calculations of modern researchers, about three and a half thousand man-days should have been required to cut the shaped stone and carve the reliefs of the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl!

Most likely, local historians suggest that Andrei Bogolyubsky had one architect who supervised the construction of churches in both Vladimir and Bogolyubovo. But where the artel came from, how it was equipped - is unknown. There is not a single mention of this in the chronicles.

Scientists believe that the carved decorations of the cathedral also had a symbolic meaning: a three-time repeated image of a singer, who is sometimes called David the Psalmist, women's faces with long braids, doves, lions, griffins. So far, it has only been possible to understand that the figure of a rearing leopard or leopard (in Old Russian - pardus) is the oldest sign of the Russian people, preserved to this day in the coat of arms of Vladimir.

The meaning of the rest of the figures is still a mystery.…

Reference

Description

The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl was built in 1165. Historical sources connect its construction with the victorious campaign of the Vladimir regiments against the Volga Bulgaria in 1164. In this campaign, the young prince Izyaslav died. In memory of these events, Andrei Bogolyubsky founded the Pokrovsky Church. According to some reports, the defeated Volga Bulgars themselves delivered the white stone for the construction of the church as an indemnity. According to another legend, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky built this temple in sublime sorrow in memory of his eldest son Izyaslav, who died on a campaign against Volga Bulgaria. Structurally, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is very simple - it is a single-domed, cross-domed, four-pillar temple, common for ancient Russian architecture. The church is small and surprisingly harmonious. The semi-cylinders of the apse, which are so overweight and protrude so strongly in the buildings of Yuri Dolgoruky, here seem to be sunk into the body of the temple, and the eastern (altar) part does not outweigh the western. Intricately profiled pilasters with light semi-columns emphasize the upward movement of the composition of the graceful temple. An arched-columnar belt, whose thin columns rest on carved brackets, runs along all the facades and under the eaves of the apses. Above the arcade-columnar belt, the walls are decorated with reliefs. The vertical aspiration gradually and imperceptibly passes into the semicircular outlines of the zakomaras. The semicircles of the zakomar are echoed by the completion of gracefully elongated windows. And, finally, the church is crowned with a semicircle of the dome, which used to be helmet-shaped, but now resembles an onion. In 1954 - 1955 during archaeological research, foundations of unknown purpose were discovered. Most likely, this is the foundation of an unpreserved arched gallery that went around the church on three sides at a distance of two and a half meters from the walls. The interior decoration - the frescoes have not been preserved, they were knocked down during the "renovation" of the temple in 1877. The place for the church - a floodplain meadow at the confluence of the Nerl into the Klyazma - was indicated by Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky himself. Since there was a wide flood here every spring, a high foundation was built specially for the temple - an artificial hill made of clay and cobblestone, in which the foundations of the future building were laid. Outside, this hill was lined with white stone slabs. When the Nerl floods in the spring, the church remains on a small island, reflected in the fast-flowing waters that come right up to its walls. The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is compared with ancient Greek temples in terms of conciseness and perfection of forms. Looking at this amazing creation of Russian masters, it is hard to believe that the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl was only miraculously saved from death. And he was in danger not from the militant atheists of the communist era, but from the Orthodox clergy. In 1784, the abbot of the Bogolyubov Monastery petitioned the diocesan authorities for permission to dismantle the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl in order to use its material for the construction of the monastery bell tower. The Bishop of Vladimir gave such permission. The church survived only due to the fact that customers and contractors did not agree on the price. In all of Russian architecture, which has created so many unsurpassed masterpieces, there is probably no monument more lyrical. This amazingly harmonious white-stone temple, organically merging with the surrounding landscape, is called a poem imprinted in stone. The temple is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Address: Vladimir region, Bogolyubovo village

Alisa Gorodtsova

Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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Perhaps, in the whole world one cannot find such a light, bright and refined temple as the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, which is 10 km from Vladimir. This is a white-stone masterpiece of old Russian architecture, an example of the architecture of the Vladimir-Suzdal school. The secret of its grace lies in the harmonious proportions and perfect combination of the church with the landscape of the Russian plain. The temple is considered one of the most beautiful in Russia and is included in the UNESCO register of world monuments, and the Bogolyubovsky meadow surrounding it is recognized as a regional historical and landscape complex.

The low building symbolizes the desire to rise, to God, and the road to the temple is a small pilgrimage. They go to him through the meadows on foot from Bogolyubovoto touch the centuries-old history and light a candle.

A bit of history

From the Life of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky it is known that the temple was built in 1165, it served as a memorial to the son of the prince - Izyaslav, who died in the war with the Volga Bulgars. Later, Prince Andrei established the feast of the Intercession of the Virgin in Rus' and dedicated a church to it.

According to legend, white stones for the construction of the temple were brought from the defeated Bulgar principality.

Veil on the Nerl

What to see

The temple stands in a truly unique place: on the Bogolyubsky flood meadow, in the bend of the Nerl River, on a man-made hill. Here you can feel the purity, high spirituality and inspiration, it is no coincidence that there are many artists near the church. The white-stone wall carving, combined with vertical lines and a slight slope of the walls, gives the building lightness and airiness.

During the flood, the church seems to float on water: it looks like a white swan, and it is also compared with a candle, a bride at the altar and other romantic images.

From a small cross-domed building of the 12th century, a square frame-four and the head have been preserved, the rest of the parts were destroyed by time and restored in the 19th century. The walls are strictly vertical, but due to the finely chosen proportions, they seem to be slightly tilted, which makes the room seem higher. The interior of the church is more than modest: the frescoes were knocked off the walls during the restoration work in 1877, but there is a small iconostasis with icons.

Outside, carved wall reliefs with biblical figures, birds, animals and masks have been preserved. King David is depicted in the center, reading psalms with his right hand raised in blessing, next to it is a lion, symbolizing princely power, and a dove, a sign of spirit and meekness.

Practical information

Address: Bogolyubovo, Vokzalnaya, 10.

You can get from Vladimir by bus or train to the Bogolyubovo station. Then about 2 km on foot or in a horse-drawn carriage (600 RUB per hour). Paid parking is near the railway station, free - at the entrance to the Bogolyubsky monastery. Prices on the page are for October 2018.

The church is active, there is a candle shop. Opening hours: daily, from 8:00 to 18:00, admission is free.

The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl rises like a white beacon on a man-made hill above a water meadow, as if showing the way to wanderers. Due to its unique landscape and architectural composition, the creation of Russian architects is known far beyond the borders of the Vladimir region. Since 1992, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the meadow where the Bogolyubsky temple is located is part of the historical landscape complex, which is of regional importance.

Mysteries of the emergence of the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl

The history of the creation of the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is full of inaccuracies and conjectures. Only one thing is known for certain - under which prince the temple was erected. This white-stone masterpiece was erected during the time of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, son of Yuri Dolgoruky.

It is difficult to name the exact year of construction. Most historians associate the construction of the temple with the death of Prince Izyaslav, as the desire of Prince Andrei to perpetuate the memory of his son. Then the date of the founding of the church can be considered 1165. However, historical reports say that the church was erected “one summer”, and the prince died in the fall. So, it is more fair to speak of 1166 as the date of the construction of the temple and the “one summer”, mentioned in the biography of Prince Andrei.

An alternative is the opinion that the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl was erected simultaneously with the construction of the monastery ensemble in Bogolyubovo at the turn of 1150-1160. and has nothing to do with the death of the prince. According to this version, the construction of the temple is a gratitude to the Most Holy Theotokos for the patronage of the people of Vladimir in the battles with the Bulgars.

The legend is also associated with the Bulgars that the impressive white stone was delivered from the Bulgar kingdom, conquered by Andrey Bogolyubsky. However, subsequent studies completely refute this assumption: the stone in the conquered part of Bulgaria has a brownish-gray tint and differs significantly from the limestone used in construction.

Andrei Bogolyubsky was very sensitive to the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. At his insistence, the new church was consecrated in honor of the Mother of God feast. Since that moment, this holiday has been widely venerated, and now in almost every city you can find the Church of the Intercession.

The secret of the architects

The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is rightfully considered an architectural monument of not only a national but also a global scale. For all the brevity of forms, it is the brightest example of the Russian style of architecture and served as a canonical model in the design of other churches.

The place for construction was not chosen by chance - in the old days there was a crossroads of busy river and land trade routes, but rather unusual, because the temple was built on a water meadow in the place where the Nerl flows into the Klyazma.

The unique place also required a non-standard approach to construction. In order for the building to stand for centuries, the architects used a non-standard technique during its construction: first, a strip foundation (1.5–1.6 m) was made, which was continued by walls almost 4 m high. Then this structure was covered with soil, the resulting hill became the foundation to build a church. Thanks to these tricks, the church has successfully resisted the annual onset of water for centuries.

An interesting fact is that, according to some pictures from the annals of the monastery, the original image of the structure was significantly different from the modern one. This is confirmed by the excavations carried out in 1858 by the diocesan architect N. A. Artleben and in the 1950s by N. N. Voronin, a major specialist in the field of traditional ancient Russian architecture. According to their finds, the church was surrounded by vaulted galleries, which gave its decoration a resemblance to the solemnity and splendor of Russian towers.

Unfortunately, the names of those who built the masterpiece of Russian architecture have not survived to our times. Historians have only established that, along with Russian craftsmen and architects, specialists from Hungary and Lesser Poland also worked - this is indicated by the characteristic Romanesque features of the decor, skillfully superimposed on the traditional Byzantine basis.

The interior decoration is striking in its sophistication. The original painting has not been preserved, most of them were lost during the “barbarian” repair in 1877, which, not coordinating with the diocesan architect, started the monastery authorities. The restored and new design elements are so organically combined with each other that they create the impression of a single whole.

The temple also has its own architectural features: despite the fact that the walls were erected strictly vertically, it seems that they are slightly tilted inward. This is especially noticeable in the photos taken inside the church. Such an illusion is created thanks to the special proportions and pillars that taper towards the top.

Another atypical feature of the decor of the church is the carved reliefs depicting King David. His figure is central to all three facades. In addition to David, depicted with a psalter, the reliefs show paired figures of lions and doves.

History milestones

The fate of the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is full of sad events. After the patron of the temple, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, died in 1174, the church completely passed into the care of the brethren of the monastery. Funding stopped, in connection with this, the bell tower was never erected, which was originally planned as part of the architectural ensemble.

The next disaster was the Mongol-Tatar ruin. When the Tatars took Vladimir in the 12th century, they did not ignore the church either. Apparently, they were seduced by utensils and other precious elements of decoration, which the prince did not skimp on.

But the year 1784 almost became the most disastrous for the temple, when it belonged to the Bogolyubsky monastery. The abbot of the monastery set out to destroy the white-stone temple and use it as building materials for the monastery buildings, for which he even received permission from the diocese of Vladimir. Fortunately, he was never able to negotiate with the contractor, otherwise the unique architectural monument would have been lost forever.

A relatively "cloudless" life began at the temple only in 1919, when he entered the patronage of the Vladimir Provincial Collegium for Museum Affairs, already in the status of a monument of ancient Russian architecture.

In 1923, divine services in the church ended, and only the geographical position saved it from destruction and desecration during the years of Soviet power (no one was interested in a plot in the middle of a meadow, constantly flooded with water) and the status of a museum.

Since 1960, the popularity of the church has grown from year to year, attracting more and more tourists and pilgrims. In 1980, the restorers returned the church to its original appearance, but services resumed only in the 1990s.

How to get there

The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is located in the village of Bogolyubovo near Vladimir. There are several ways to get to the temple:

• choose one of the many excursions that travel agencies of Vladimir, Moscow and other large cities offer in abundance;
• use public transport. Buses No. 18 or No. 152 go from Vladimir to Bogolyubov.
• by car, GPS coordinates of the church: 56.19625.40.56135. From Vladimir you should go in the direction of Nizhny Novgorod (M7 highway). After passing the Bogolyubsky Monastery, turn left to the railway station, where you can leave the car.

Whichever option you choose, be prepared that you still need to walk about 1.5 km. There is no entrance to the shrine. During the spring flood, the water rises several meters and can only be reached by boat; local enterprising boaters offer a similar service for a small fee.

However, no matter how much effort you spend on the trip, just a glance at the elegant snow-white temple, literally hovering over the river surface, will fill your soul with peace and replenish your strength. A more detailed description of the route and the schedule of services can be found on the website of the Vladimir-Suzdal diocese, to which the church currently belongs.

Now it is not only a place of pilgrimage for believers, the picturesque region is very fond of artists and photographers. During floods, the church is surrounded by water on all sides, which makes it look like it was literally erected in the middle of the river. Pictures taken at dawn look especially impressive, when the fog over the river creates an additional halo of mystery.