Among the monuments of ancient temple architecture,witnessed the history of Russia, a special place is occupied by the Transfiguration Cathedral in Pereslavl-Zalessky. It has come down to us from those distant times, when Russia had not yet known the horrors of the Tatar-Mongol invasion, it is the earliest of the white-stone temples of the north-east of Russia.
How to build in the old days
Transfiguration Cathedral(Pereslavl-Zalessky), being the same age as the city itself, was founded in 1152 by one of the sons of Vladimir Monomakh - the Grand Duke Yuri Dolgoruky. The years left their mark on him. Studies have shown that for a period exceeding more than eight and a half centuries, the temple plunged into the ground by ninety centimeters.
As if anticipating future war shocks,the creators of the cathedral laid in his walls a hefty margin of safety. More than a meter thick, they were laid out in the so-called semi-quarry technique, consisting in laying dry ideally hewn white-stone blocks. Fitted to each other with great precision, they ensured high strength and durability of the whole structure. By its architectural features, the object belongs to one-domed four-column temples, decorated with three apses. The quality of work was successfully tested by time, as a result of which the Transfiguration Cathedral (Pereslavl-Zalessky) built in the XII century has reached our days in excellent condition.
Board - a list of troubles
And to test the temple dawned a lot.Inside, on one of the walls, a plaque is fixed on which all the trials and troubles that have fallen to his lot over the next centuries are listed. The countless Tatar hordes that swept through Pereslavl-Zalessky, the hordes of Lithuanian conquerors, and the retinues of neighboring appanage princes are mentioned in it. It does not say in it only about those who caused the main and irreplaceable damage to the temple - about the restorers.
Destruction of wall paintings
As a result of their soulless and professionalthe incompetence shown during the restoration works carried out in the church at the end of the 19th century, priceless frescoes dating from the last quarter of the 12th century were lost forever. About the level at which they were performed by the ancient masters, you can make a presentation only on a single fragment, miraculously surviving and now stored in the Moscow Historical Museum. It depicts the Old Testament prophet Simon.
From the reports of the commission following the progressrestoration, it is known that the frescoes depicting scenes of the Last Judgment and the Virgin Mary seated on the throne, were removed from the walls and packed in wooden boxes. Since none of the museums agreed to accept them for storage, these samples of ancient painting were simply dumped in a barn, where they were in complete disarray.
Over time, they came to a complete disrepair, andIn 1895, their further storage was considered inexpedient by a special Archaeological Commission. Since piety did not allow the enlightened barbarians to throw sacred images into the dustbin, they were simply drowned in the lake.
The history of Russia, which became part of the ancient cathedral
Over the years of its history, it hasthe center of events that made up the bright pages of the history of ancient Russia, and Pereslavl-Zalessky. Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral has seen a lot in its lifetime. A marble plaque installed on its wall indicates that princely chambers were somewhere near it, in which the future defender of Russia, the pious Prince Alexander, was born in 1220, who was called Nevsky at the mouth of the Neva for defeating the Swedish invaders. Under the arches of the same temple he received holy baptism.
Transfiguration Cathedral (Pereslavl-Zalessky)became the burial vault of his son - the great Vladimir Prince Dmitry Alexandrovich, and his grandson - the specific Prince Pereslavl Ivan Dmitrievich. Their graves, kept by time, have survived to the present day. They remember the vaults of the church and St. Sergius of Radonezh, who was elevated here to the rank of hegumen, before he headed the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius founded by him.
Pictures of the past
Pereslavl-Zalessky Cathedral of the Transfigurationsaw how many great princes of Moscow prayed on their knees here. He also knew Ivan the Terrible himself, who had come to this wondrous land to beg God's forgiveness for the crimes he had already committed and gain strength for the new ones. And when, in the midst of the Time of Troubles, Russia was on the verge of collapse, in front of the images of this temple they prayed to the Lord for sending victory to the Orthodox militia Minin and Pozharsky.
Many "legends of olden times" keep in theirin memory of the Transfiguration Cathedral (Pereslavl-Zalessky). He could also tell how not far from him on the lake Plescheevo was building his “amusing fleet” young sovereign Russian Peter I, who was to receive the title Great from his descendants, and the fleet that sailed from the quiet shores of the lake was destined to conquer all the oceans of the world .
Mystery underground labyrinths
Like any self-respecting monument of the ancientsFrom time to time, the Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky has its own secret, exciting the minds of scientists and researchers and just lovers of everything that goes beyond the gray routine. From the chronicle materials it is known that during the erection of the temple, underground tunnels were dug deep under its foundation for the evacuation of city residents in the event of a siege - times were already painfully restless.
Did I have to use them in the followingperiods of history when hordes of Tatars and other invaders fell upon Russia are not known. Numerous attempts to find the entrance to these underground labyrinths proved fruitless, and they still keep their secrets, which certainly makes the temple even more attractive for tourists.
The life of the cathedral in the XX century and in our days
After the Bolshevik coup, the temple in whichuntil then, church services were performed regularly; it was closed, but fortunately, unlike many temple buildings, it was not destroyed. Everything that, in the opinion of the new authorities, was valuable, was seized or simply looted. However, a number of the most significant items of church plate were saved. Among them is a chalice sent to Moscow (communion cup) - a gift from Yury Dolgorukov and the unique Gospel of the deacon Zinovy.
Despite the fact that today the temple is officiallyis owned by Nikolsky Monastery, services are held in it infrequently, and it still maintains the status of the museum of antiquity, in which he himself is the main exhibit. Not far away stands a memorial monument in honor of Yuri Dolgoruky, by whose command the city was built and the Transfiguration Cathedral was erected. Pereslavl-Zalessky, whose history has become an integral part of Russia's past, thousands of tourists come every year to see this extraordinary temple and breathe in it through the air of past centuries.
