White-stone architecture along the Golden Ring - White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal 633
What and Why
Vladimir (Russian: Владимир), together with Suzdal (Суздаль), was one of the major principalities of mediaeval times that succeeded Kievan Rus' (Old East Slavic: Роусь, Rusĭ) that dates its foundation back to the 10th century CE. The city prospered when it became the capital of the joint principality of Vladimir-Suzdal (Владимирско-Су́здальская, Vladimirsko-Suzdal'skaya) during the mid-12th century CE.
The city is famous for being one of the most visited destinations within the popular Golden ring (Золотое кольцо, Zolotoye koltso) circuit, as it preserves several of the finest monuments of white-stone mediaeval architecture in Russia (Россия, Rossiya). The Golden ring is considered as the cradle of Russian Orthodox Church (Русская Православная Церковь, Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov). As a result the city brims with a strong air of Orthodox faith and culture.
The iconic buildings of the city were constructed during Vladimir's heyday of the 13th century CE. The white colour arises due to the use of the local white limestone, and its impressive shape and form eventually became a standard in Russian ecclesiastical architecture.
Toponymy
The city was named after the Eastern Orthodox saint Vladimir II Monomakh (Old Slavic: Володимѣръ Мономахъ, Volodiměrŭ Monomakhŭ), as mentioned in our previous blog Moscow (Москва) - Kremlin and beyond. The name Vladimir (Владимир) is a common masculine Slavic name with stems 'vladĭ (Old East Slavic: владь)' meaning 'to rule' and '*mēri (Old East Slavic: мѣръ)' meaning 'great' or 'famous'. Hence Vladimir literally means a 'great ruler'. The name does not have an anglicised version.
See
Assumption Cathedral (Собор Успения Пресвятой Богородицы)
The Assumption Cathedral (Собор Успения Пресвятой Богородицы, Sobor Uspeniya Presvyatoy Bogoroditsy) is the main landmark of Vladimir and is regarded as the primary church of Russia during Vladimir-Suzdal times. The church, erected during the mid-12th century CE by craftsmen all over Europe, is famous for its five golden domes, with the belfry added in the 1810 CE. The church is dedicated to Virgin Mary (Aramaic: מרים, Maryam) and is the coronation site of a number of tsars (царь).
The church is also famous for its golden iconostasis (Greek: εἰκονοστάσιον), which is effectively a wall or stand of icons or religious drawings in Orthodox churches. The iconostasis of the Assumption Church is considered one of the most impressive in Russia. Usually an iconostasis consists of a number of main sections with special features, although there are variations across different churches:
The cross of the Russian church ☦ is different from the typical cross with two extra cross-beams. The topmost extra beam represents Pontius Pilate's (Latin: Pontius Pilatus) inscription of 'Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews (Latin: Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum, INRI)' while the bottom slanting beam represents the footrest on the crucifixion cross.
The top tier usually shows the Twelve Apostles, sandwiching an icon of the Holy Trinity or the Second Coming of Jesus (Hebrew: ישוע, Yeshua). Typically Jesus's image is drawn with a halo around his head.
The second tier shows the Old Testament Patriarchs (Hebrew: אבות, ʾAvot), sandwiching Mary.
The third tier shows the twelve Great Feasts (希腊语：Δωδεκάορτον, Dodekáorton) of the liturgical year of the Orthodox church.
Right at the eye-level is a large icon of Christ Enthroned, called Deisis, flanked by John (Hebrew: יוֹחָנָן, Yôḥānān) the Baptist and the other either by Mary. The rest of the tier is flanked the big portrait of Saint Peter (Aramaic: 𐡊𐡉𐡐𐡀, Kipa) on the far right and Saint Paul (Hebrew: שָׁאוּל, Šā'ûl) on the far left, while the middle is filled by archangels like Michael (Hebrew: מִיכָאֵל, Mīḵāʾēl) and Gabriel (Hebrew: גַּבְרִיאֵל, Gaḇrīʾēl) and other important Church characters.
The bottom tier is called the Sovereign. In the centre of it is an arch-gate. The gate is flanked by Christ, Mary (symbolising Christ Incarnation), the Second Coming and Christ entrance to the material world. The other icons are usually the Four Evangelists: Matthew (Aramaic: ܡܰܬ݁ܰܝ, Mattai), Mark (Aramaic: ܡܪܩܘܣ, Marqōs), Luke (Aramaic: לוקא, Lūqā) and John (Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ, Yôḥānān) of the New Testament.
Cathedral of Saint Demetrius (Дмитриевский Собор)
The white limestone-built Cathedral of Saint Demetrius (Дмитриевский Собор, Dmitriyevskiy Sobor) is an impressive example of Russian architecture. It was built in the late 12th century CE to honour Saint Demetrius (Greek: Ἅγιος Δημήτριος, Hágios Dēmḗtrios) of Thessaloniki (Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη) when Vladimir was at its zenith. The cathedral is comparatively small and looks fairly different from other Russian churches, especially the top onion dome is replaced by a typical dome.
The features that really set this cathedral apart from other churches are the extensive and elaborate relief carvings on the wall. These carvings include Christian stories, Russian folklores or myths. The most prominent, on the west façade in the central bay, is a scene featuring King David (Hebrew: דָּוִד, Dāwīḏ) surrounded by angels and some mystical creatures like chimeras. These reliefs also include some cryptic words or runes which remain uninterpreted to this day.
Golden Gate (Золотые Ворота)
The official city gate and the main entrance of the city, the Golden Gate (Золотые Ворота, Zolotyye Vorota) was constructed in the mid-12th century CE and it is now the only surviving gate of the original city fortress. The name is really a misnomer as the whole building is white except its tiny golden dome.
The gate is instrumental in defending the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus' (Монгольское нашествие на Русь, Mongol'skoye nashestviye na Rus') during the mid-13th century CE with a museum detailing this battle and the history of the city fortress.
850th Anniversary of Vladimir Monument (Памятник 850-летию Владимира)
The foundations for 850th Anniversary of Vladimir Monument (Памятник 850-летию Владимира, Pamyatnik 850-letiyu Vladimira) were laid in 1958 CE to commemorate the 850th anniversary of Vladimir. It comprises a triangular obelisk with a statue on each side. The first is an ancient warrior facing the Golden Gate; the second is an architect facing the Assumption Cathedral and the third one is of a modern-day worker facing the industrial sector of the city.
Buy and Do
Russia is famous for its wooden mechanical toys, many of them very interesting and intricate in design, where the mechanisms move based on hand motions or gravity. Vladimir is one of the main outlets for these toys.
Eat and Drink
Shchi (Щи)
In Vladimir, there is a local dish similar to the famed borscht (борщ), as blogged earlier in Moscow (Москва) - Kremlin and beyond, called shchi (щи, pronounced /ɕːi/). Shchi, a cabbage soup, has been a staple in the region since the 10th century CE as cabbage is a vegetable that grows in winter, can be frozen and be carried around easily. The word shchi derives from its Old Slavic name 'съти (syti)' meaning 'satisfying'.
The taste of it is honestly quite similar to borscht and while mine was served hot, it is also common for this soup to be served chilled like a gazpacho. The chilled version, as one can imagine, is simply to leave the soup outdoors and apparently cold temperature helps to soften the cabbage.
Stay
We stayed and had our serving of shchi in the rustic wooden hotel Russkaya Derevnya (Русская Деревня). A fantastic stay to be candid.
Getting There and Around
Vladimir is a very small city and the few monuments are just a few kilometres apart. We naturally were driven around the place by a coach. The city will only take you half a day to explore all the main sites.
UNESCO Inscription
These two artistic centres in central Russia hold an important place in the country's architectural history. There are a number of magnificent 12th- and 13th-century public and religious buildings, above all the masterpieces of the Collegiate Church of St Demetrios and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin.
References
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