Suzdal is a district center of the Vladimir region. It is located 35 km from Vladimir on
the Kamenka river, tributary of the Nerl flowing into the Klyazma.
The town appeared on the Vladimir high plain noted for its fertile soils.
How to get there from Moscow: by train form the Kazansky railroad station,
then by bus or car by the Nizhegorodskoye shosse. You can get there by bus as well.
The bus station is located near the metro station Shchyolkovskaya.
Monastery of the Deposition of the Holy Robe
The monastery of the Deposition of the Holy Robe was founded in 1207. This ancient cloister towers up at the highest point on the area. Throughout its history it was put on fire and devastated by invaders. The earliest constructions have not survived.
In 1688 Suzdal's master-craftsmen Andrei Shmakov, Ivan Mamin and Ivan Gryaznov put up a stone fence and the Holy Gate, one of the most astounding monuments of Suzdal's architecture.
This picturesque and fanciful gate is inlaid with colored tiles. Pointed tent roofs were built over the two monastery passages. The big aisle is meant for ceremonies. The gate is flanked by a lodge topped by a small octahedral tower.
The principal Cathedral of the Deposition of the Holy Robe was erected in 1520.
In 1688 a parvis was added to it imparting more charm to the cathedral. The style of the three-domed Cathedral of the Deposition of the Holy Robe is reminiscent of churches in neighboring Intercession Monastery. Its construction could have been paid for by the boyar Ivan Shigony. He was involved in forcing Solomonia Saburova, the wife of Vasily III, to take the veil and tried to pray forgiveness by sponsoring the construction of the Nativity Monastery.
The monastery belfry was put up under the supervision of Suzdal's master-craftsman Kuzmin in 1813-1819 in classical style which was then in fashion. This highest (72 m) building in town was dedicated to the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812.
Nativity Cathedral
The Nativity Cathedral (1222-1225) is the principal edifice of ancient Suzdal. The dates of its erection accepted in literature are rather relative. The cathedral is one of the most intricate monuments of ancient Russian architecture which has absorbed architectural peculiarities of the 11th -17th centuries.
Its first structure dates back to the 11th century, to the period of the princedom of Vladimir Monamachos which is evidenced by the ruins of walls and foundation, discovered during the archeological excavations in 1938.
In 1222 Yuri Vsevolodovitch had the dilapidated building dismantled and replaced by a new one, built of white-stone, which existed until the 16th century.
In 1528 the white-stone walls above the arcatured band with female masks were pulled down and brick walls were put up in their stead. The three-domed cathedral got a five-domed topping, its interior was ornate with murals in the 17th century.
Thus, the Nativity Cathedral has gone through quite a few modifications. Its interior contains the murals of the 13th, 15th , and 17th centuries.
The Nativity Cathedral became the first urban house of worship which was not exclusively intended for the noble elite. It is positioned in the center of a ring made up of bulwarks, in the curve of the Kamenka river. Throughout its history the temple was several times put on fire.
Mortal remains of sons of Grand Duke Yuri Dolgoruky, the princes Shuisky and other noble persons were laid to rest in the cathedral.
The Golden Gate of the southern and northern portals is the most amazing monument of the 13th century applied arts. The gate is adorned with an ornament and figures of double-headed eagles, lions and griffins. The handles in the shape of a lion head symbolizing the prince's power guard the entrance into the temple.
The images and pattern of the gate are executed in the fire-gilding technique. The plate was covered with black varnish, then a drawing was scratched upon it with a needle. The scratched lines were etched with acid and filled with amalgam of thin sheets of gold and mercury, evaporating in the heat which fused the gold.
St. Alexander's Monastery
St. Alexander's Monastery is the ancient Suzdal monastery was founded in 1240 by Alexander Nevsky. The constructions of the 17-18th centuries have survived to this day. Those are the Church of Christ's Ascension (1695), the belfry, and the Holy Gate.
The earlier constructions perished in fires and numerous wars. In 1764 the monastery was abolished.
The Church of Christ's Ascension, the construction of which was financed by Tsarina Natalia Kirillovna, seems to have been the central one. Its significance as a house of worship is empathized by a great volume, beautifully worked up portal, and ornamental elements in the decor of its facade. The austere belfry with a pointed tent roof deprived of any decorations heightens the festivity of the Church of Christ's Ascension by its laconic forms. The path leading up to this ensemble starts at the single-bayed Holy Gate. The walls of the monastery have not survived.
Intercession Cathedral
The Intercession Cathedral (1510 - 1514) is an imposing and solemn edifice with three helmet-shaped domes. A splendid gallery with uncommonly tall arcades on short pillars runs along the first floor level. The cathedral acted as a mausoleum. The tall ground story housed a shrine for the ladies of noble families: the Polotskys, the Belskys, the Nagoys, the Skopin-Shuyskys, the Cherkasskys. To render the temple even more sumptuous in the 17th century the passages from the cathedral to the belfry were added.
The Intercession Cathedral (the central edifice of the convent) became notorious as the place where women were forced to take the veil. Along with Salomonia Saburova, wives of Ivan the Terrible (Anna Vasilchakova and Praskovia Solova) took the veil in the convent, followed by Yevdokia Saburova, wife of Tsarevitch Ivan.
In 1610 Tsarina Maria Petrovna, wife of the dethroned Vasily Shuisky, and his daughter Anastasia were cloistered there, then Ksenia Godunova, daughter of Tsar Boris. The last prisoner of the convent was Yevdokia Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter I who dealt with the unloved spouse following the example of his predecessors.
In 1712 Yevdokia Lopukhina established an altar in the Church of St. Nicholas in the convent's suburbs in memory of her son Tsarevitch Alexei who had opposed his father's measures and methods of reforms.
Transfiguration Cathedral
Transfiguration Cathedral (1582 - 1594) is the central temple of the Redeemer Monastery of St. Euphimius. The remains of the eminent Russian commander Prince Dmitri Pozharsky were laid to rest in 1642 in the cathedral shrine which is placed in the sanctuary.
The massive five-domed construction of the Transfiguration Cathedral is encircled by a frieze of figures and pillars.
The murals dating back to the 17th century still exist. They were contrived by a team of craftsmen under the famous artists Guriy Nikitin and Sila Slavin from Kostroma.
The side-chapel, a small projecting construction with an onion-shaped dome, is very distinctive in the composition of the cathedral.
Father-Superior Euphimius was interred there. The representations of the side-chapel murals relate of his deeds. The picture presenting the process of building the monastery and the town of Suzdal is worthy of note.
Before the erection of the main body of the Transfiguration Cathedral the side-chapel (the first stone building of the monastery) used to be a detached church.
