Russian city

Inside, fragments of 13th-century frescoes have been preserved, and also fragments of wall paintings dating back to 1635. Particularly beautiful are the paintings in the princess's burial vault (near the west wall), with a luxuriant maroon-red flower in the centre.

The octagonal stone tent-shaped bell tower was built in the 1630s, a few dozen meters from the cathedral, to which it is not directly joined.

The central Kremlin ensemble is completed by the Archbishop's Chambers, an architectural complex which grew up during the 15th-18th centuries. As research has shown, the oldest part is in the south-east corner--the Archbishop's Chambers, dating back to the end of the 15th century. A private church with a Refectory was built in 1559 to the west of the chambers. At the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th century the old buildings were incorporated into the new and more spacious Archbishop's Chambers.

The main block of the chambers, whose fa9ade overlooks the cathedral courtyard, is closely connected with the cathedral. The main entrance to the chambers is on the axis of the cathedral's west portal. From here, two ceremonial staircases lead into the spacious hall. The visitor walks through to find himself in the vast uncolumned hall of the Krestovaya (Cross-vaulted) Chamber. Then comes a series of rooms used for various purposes.

A magnificent monument of civic architecture, the Archbishop's Chambers was neglected for a long time. Now, after restoration, they have become a museum with an extremely rare collection. The exhibition gives the visitor a detailed picture of the social, economic, and political history of Suzdal, its architecture and the various stages of restoration work in the town. In the Ancient Russian Art Section of the museum there are rare examples of casting, chasing, engraving, and ivory carving. In the development of the jeweler's art, 15th-century Suzdal was on a par with such important Russian art centers as Novgorod, Moscow and Tver. No less famous were the works of the Suzdal embroideresses. Invaluable examples (16th-17th cc.) of 'painting with the needle'--the shrouds, palls, pelena cloths, covers for vessels, and robes for the clergy represented in the exhibition were done for the most part by nuns. The colored fabrics, embroidery with pearls, precious stones, gold, and silver delight the visitor, especially the connoisseur of this rare craft. The Suzdal specimens of portrait embroidery are not inferior to the masterpieces of the Moscow Kremlin and Hermitage museums.

The pride of the museum is a collection of old icons. Inheriting and developing further the Byzantine and Kievan traditions and drawing on the experience of the Novgorod artists, the 13th-century Suzdal craftsmen created their own local school. In the 14th-15th centuries, what came to he called the Vladimir-Suzdal school of ancient Russian painting reached its pinnacle. The best works of this period arc notable for elegance, lyrical outline, soft coloring, unity of tone and, most important of all, inspiration.

It was these qualities of Suzdal painting that were subsequently adopted as a basis by the Moscow school which emerged in the 14th century.

Both the Tretyakov Gallery and the Leningrad Russian Museum have in their collections many first-class works by Suzdal painters. In the exhibitions of these museums icons by Suzdal artists are exhibited side by side with the works of the other schools. Here, in Suzdal, the visitor has the opportunity to trace the development of the local school from the very best examples. Particularly worthy of mention arc three 15th-century icons in the Krestovaya Chamber: the icon 77je Mother of God with Child, known as the Eleusa (14th century), St. Nicholas (14th century), 7Vie Shroud (15th century) and 77;c Family Trees(16th century).

In the museum and its branch, the Church of the Resurrcction-on-thc-Markct-Place (Voskreseniye-na-Torgu), there is an exceptionally beautiful collection of colored wooden sculptures, tools, and architectural decorations--window frames, bargeboards, carvings of scenes from everyday life, and other remarkable work by Suzdal artists.Virtually a continuation of the exhibition in the Church of the Resurrection is a wooden township which has grown up in recent years near the Kremlin on the far side of the river Kamenka on Dmitriyevskaya Hill. Log-built churches, huts, barns, drying sheds and mills have been brought here from various hamlets and villages in the Vladimir Region. What inexhaustible creative imagination went into all these structures! The people showed wisdom and skill in their use of wood, that most rewarding and favourite building material of olden times. Using the simplest of tools--the axe, the chisel and the plane--Russian people created uniquely beautiful buildings without the use of nails or iron. The creations of the folk architects displayed in the Suzdal museum arc notable for talent, skill and industry.

It looks remarkably appropriate, this log-built township amid the stone architecture of Suzdal. For almost a quarter of a millennium, beginning in 1238, not a single stone building of importance went up here. However, as far as can be judged from the extremely rare references in manuscript books and other documents, those two and a half centuries were the period when Suzdal wooden architecture flourished. Unfortunately, none of it has survived to our own times. Churches, dwelling houses and various functional and administrative buildings were made of wood. The examples of wooden architecture brought in from various parts of the Vladimir Region recreate this remarkable feature of Suzdal in bygone days.

To see the other sights of the town, go back to the central square, where stand the beautiful churches of the Resurrection (1720) and of Our lady of Kazan (1739). The first is particularly interesting; the architectural forms arc especially typical of Suzdal in the first half of the 18th century. It is a large whitewashed brick cube with a pyramidal roof crowned with an onion shaped dome on a tall drum. The one and only low, but very wide, apse (the semicircular projecting part of the building) is joined to the church at the east end. Next to the Church of the Resurrection stands its bell tower, for which magnificent colored tiles were used.

Between the Church of the Resurrection and the river, on the very edge of a steep cliff overlooking the Kamenka, is the Shopping Centre (Torgovyie Ryady), an interesting example of Russian neoclassical architecture. The booths and shops of the 'I'orgovyie Ryady are at the service of the customer to this day. Here, on the river bank, we see the Church of the Entry into Jerusalem (1707) and the Church of St. Parasceva Pyatnitsa (1772).

Opposite, on the north-east side of the square, are two more interesting architectural monuments: the Church of the Mother of Clod of Compassion, with its typical Suzdal bell tower and tent roof with slightly concave sides (1787), and the Church of the Emperor Constantine (1707) with a small rotunda in the neo-classical style subsequently added to the west facade.

The Church of the Emperor Constantine, with its south facade looking on to the square, is elegant and monumental. Like an embroidered border on the smooth white wall, there is a wide cornice of small, deep-cut horseshoe-shaped motifs and a band of skittle-like ornaments and baluster-shaped tiles. Contrasting with the graceful simplicity of the wall, five slender and highly ornate domes rise over the roof. These shaped summits create an atmosphere of festivity and emphasize the church's importance in the square as a whole. A bell tower helps the Church of the Emperor Constantino to blend with its 'subordinate', the Church of the Mother of God of Compassion, into a complete composition.

Liberally adorned with different colored domes on their tall drums, the church buildings all over Suzdal give the town a magic of its own. The tent roofs of the many bell towers are slightly concave and richly decorated--another architectural feature typical of Suzdal. All this blends organically with the old dwelling houses which are not to be demolished but are being improved and carefully restored.

In adapting Suzdal to the needs of the present times, the planners are thinking well ahead. It has been decided not to put up new buildings in the old part of the town. And if this should be unavoidable in certain cases, special designs must be used, with the height of a typical old building as a limiting factor. Only under these conditions will it be possible to preserve the uniqueness of an architectural ensemble that has taken centuries to form.

The architects planned and unsuccessfully carrying out new housing projects outside the old part of Suzdal, but here, too, with a view to the local landscape. A housing estate has grown up on the outskirts with well-appointed houses, a kindergarten-cum-nursery to accommodate 140 infants, a school for 1,200 children, a shopping centre and public catering establishments.

Our route runs from Sovietskaya Square in the centre along Lenin Street, the town's main thoroughfare, to an impressive historical and architectural complex, the Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius (Spaso-Yevfimiyevsky). There are several sights to be seen on the way. There is, for instance, the imposing sixty-meter-high bell tower of the Deposition of the Robe (Rizopolozhensky) Monastery. It was put up in the Russian neo classical style of the first half of the l9th century. The bell tower dominates the whole of Suzdal. The monastery's cathedral, built in 1560. is also worthy of attention. But the true gem of the Deposition of the Robe Monastery is the famous Holy Gates (16S.S) flanked by the two octagonal tent-roofed towers decorated with pilasters and colored glazed tiles-- the work of Suzdal builders Mamin, Shmakov and Gryaznov.

The Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius is the biggest architectural ensemble in Suzdal. Situated on the high bank of the Kamenka it dominates the landscape beyond the river.

The high stone walls, over a kilometer long, with twelve mighty towers, give the monastery the outlines of a formidable citadel which, indeed, is exactly what it was for centuries. The walls are 7.5 to 8.5 meters high and over 6 meters thick. All along the walls there are battlements and loopholes which once ensured the all-round defense of this monastery-fortress.The most interesting of the towers is the Vkhodnaya (Entrance), situated on the south side. Now the entrance to the museum in the Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius, the tower is 23 meters high, and because of this it was used as a watch tower. The smooth walls over the low archway are so richly ornamented that they resemble lacework in stone.

The Vkhodnaya Tower adjoins the 17th-century Church or the Annunciation-over-the-Gales. It is decorated with shaped window frames and a sumptuous cornice. After going through the church, we find ourselves inside the monastery. Here is the centerpiece of the composition--the Transfiguration of the Savior Cathedral (1594) whose walls were painted with frescoes in the 17lh century.

Of special interest is the monastery bell cote, which combines elements of the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 16th century the bell cote was in the form of a column, but when it became necessary to increase the number of bells, a gallery was added to it with three arches on top.

Of the other monastery buildings, notice should be taken of the 16th-century Refectory Church of the Dormition added to the Chambers of the Archimandrite whose private church it was.

The first storey of the building of the Brothers' Cells (17th century) is impressive. It is now a unique muse urn of contemporary folk art. Sculptors, painters, potters, embroideresses, glassblowers and tinsmiths from all over Russia are represented here by their best work.

In the 18th-century Prison Block the atmosphere of confinement has been reproduced. 1 he prison in the Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius was founded on the orders of Catherine II in 1766. It was used to lock up freethinkers and insurgents--the enemies of the church and the autocracy. One of the cells was earmarked for Leo Tolstoy who was excommunicated by the church and who was to have been sent here.

When you come out of the Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius, be sure to go to the viewing platform nearby. From here, on the high, steep bank of the Kamenka, you can see one more remarkable Suzdal ensemble as if it were on the palm of your hand--the Intercession Convent, founded in 1364.

It would be possible to say much more about Suzdal, but it is best for visitors to see for themselves.

After coming to Suzdal and breathing the atmosphere of the genuine Russian past, do not be in a hurry to leave the town. Visit one of its comfortable restaurants. You can dine at the Trapeznaya (Refectory) where you can try the ancient monastic cooking.

If you happen to be in Suzdal during winter, you can visit the cosy and cheerful Pogrebok (Cellar). For lovers of comfort in the modern style we recommend the restaurant of the Main Tourist Complex.

The problems of tourism and the provision of the necessary facilities are being worked on by Suzdal's Scientific Research and Design Institute, the head organization for the conversion of the town into a model international tourist centre. In 1978 the designers and specialists who have been working out and implementing the plans were awarded the USSR State Prize for Architecture and Construction. In 1983 the town of Suzdal received the Golden Apple Prize from the International Federation of Journalists and Writers.

A new housing estate has grown up in a picturesque bend of the river Kamenka not far from the former Intercession Convent. The architects call it the Main Tourist Complex. It has been incorporated into the landscape with a view to the rhythms, shapes, volumes and salient features of the 16th-18th-century monastery buildings.

Everything necessary is already there: an up-to-date hotel to accommodate 430, with a cinema-cum-concert-hall for 500, a restaurant seating 500, a swimming-pool and a complex of motels for 300 guests, together with a car-servicing station.

The book of comments on Suzdal's facilities is full of grateful entries in many languages. Not far from the Main Tourist Complex, a small but very comfortable hotel is being fitted out in the Intercession Convent. Many tourists will certainly enjoy staying in the log-built houses which are to be put up in the convent grounds. There will also be a restaurant, a cafe and a concert hall.

The glory of Suzdal, heir to the Kiev of the great princes, 'mother of the Russian cities', the centre of all North-East Russia, is long past. The town is now a quiet district centre in the Vladimir Region. Even so, it is widely known at home and abroad as a protected town-museum, rightfully considered the shrine and pride of the nation.

The history of restoration work in Suzdal goes back to the first years of Soviet power. This noble cause has been served by such outstanding restorers and scientists as A. Varganov, G. Vagner, and Lenin Prize winner N. Voronin. It is thanks to the generous concern of the Soviet state and the dedicated work of the scientists and their assistants that Suzdal has become a unique laboratory for the most advanced methods in the restoration and preservation of architectural monuments and will never lose its enchanting beauty.

Vladimir

As you travel round the Golden Ring, you will probably notice that the ancient Russian towns follow one another at intervals of 60-70 kilometers from Moscow, and it is much the same distance from Zagorsk to Pereslavl-Zalessky, from Pereslavl to Rostov Veliky, and from Rostov to Yaroslavl. In this way it would be possible to measure the whole of Russia--to the north as far as Arkhangelsk and to the east as far as Vladimir One unit of measurement, in the times when these towns were being founded, was the average distance covered in 24 hours by a team of coachmen's horses.

By the old system of measurement the distance from Moscow to Vladimir was three post stages, but by modern standards it is not far--a mere 200 kilometers.

We are crossing the flood plain of the river Klyazma. We shall soon see the suburbs of Vladimir. The scenery round here is beautiful, and by a special decree of the Executive Committee of the Vladimir Soviet of People's Deputies this has been declared a recreational zone. Many people come even from other towns to spend their weekends here.

Ancient Vladimir recently celebrated its 850th anniversary. Before the revolution it was a small provincia town. During the years of Soviet power it rapidly grew into a major industrial and cultural centre. In 1914 then were less than half a thousand workers in the town. Today, Vladimir has over 50 industrial plants producing tractor engines, electric motors, car instruments and programmed lathes. The all-purpose Vladimirets tractor has successfully been shown at many international exhibitions. It is bought by dozens of countries. The was awarded a Gold Medal and a First-Class Diploma at the Brussels Exhibition.

Education and culture have made tremendous progress here. Vladimir has about a hundred schools, vocational training colleges and technical schools. Thousands of students take courses at Vladimir's institutes. Many have come here from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. The citizens are proud of their philharmonia and drama theatre. The theatre's repertoire is not confined to Russian and Soviet classics, but includes works by Shakespeare Schiller, Lope de Vega, Moliere, and Brecht. Every evening the People's Theatre and universities of culture with faculties of cinema, music and graphic arts open their doors to the public. Over 60 libraries are visited daily by thousands of readers.

As everywhere, the centre of Vladimir is the busiest part of the town. Here are the administrative institutions big shops, museums and the oldest buildings. It is with them that we begin to learn about the town's history and see the sights.

Vladimir was founded in 1108 by the great Kievan Prince Vladimir Monomakh who gave the town its name This was the time when the power and might of Kievan Russia were going into a decline, since the land was ton by internecine strife. Monomakh's grandson, Andrei Bogolyubsky, succeeded for a time in subordinating the feudal nobility to the great prince's authority and in creating a strong state nucleus. In 1157 Bogolyubsk) transferred the capital from Suzdal to Vladimir. He later organized a campaign against Kiev and took the city, but did not remain there. He ruled South Russia from the banks of the faraway Klyazma. In his efforts to aggrandize Vladimir, he extended it and put up many buildings, sending for craftsmen and merchants from outside to settle there.

Andrei's brother,Vsevolod Ш Big Nest, so called because of his numerous progeny, achieved the final recognition of his dynasty as ' the senior in Russia at the end ofthe 12th century. Under him, the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality reached its peak. Europe and Asia had to reckor with the 'autocrat' of Vladimir. Buglers from the Volga, Greeks from Constantinople, merchants from the Nortl Caucasus, from Central Asia and even from the Arab countries, all came to the capital of his principality to trade The Volga trade route was now almost as important as the Dnepr route 'from the Varangians to the Greeks'.

The years of internecine strife, raids by nomads and devastating fires have long disappeared. Time has no spared much, but there are still witnesses to the past in the architectural monuments which might be described at the glorious pages of a chronicle in stone.

The most ancient of Vladimir's surviving buildings is the Cathedral of the Dormition. It was begun in 1158 a t the same time as the new capital's defence ring, of which only the Golden Gates remain. The chronicle tells us that for this grandiose project craftsmen came from all over the country. Among them were Europeans from the Roman West, allegedly sent to Prince Andrei by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa; but there were no skilled craftsmen from Kiev. This was no accident, but rather a demonstrative rejection of Kievan assistance and the Kievan artistic tradition. Completed in 1160, the Dormition Cathedral rivalled Kiev's St. Sophia in monumentality and elegance.

The importance of this cathedral in Russia's history is shown by the fact that, beginning with Yury Dolgoruky's son Mikhalka, all the Vladimir and Moscow princes ascended the throne there, including suet powerful Russian military leaders and statesmen as Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoi and Ivan III. Up to the end of the first quarter of the 14th century the cathedral was the most important church in Russia.

The Cathedral of the Dormition has come down to our own times with extensions, hi 1185 the cathedral was; badly damaged by fire, and in 1185-9 it was surrounded with mighty walls and was thus boxed, as it were, inside the new building. Four more domes were mounted on the corners, making a total of five. Describing the building work of that period, the chronicler wrote with pride that this time there was no need to fetch craftsmen from abroad.

From the very beginning the cathedral was rightly considered an architectural masterpiece and well worthy оr imitation. The Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin was built at the end of the 15th century by the Italian architect Aristotle Fiora-vanti who modelled it on the cathedral in Vladimir. As a treasure of the Russian and world art, it has now been taken under the protection of the state. Work done by Soviet restorers inside the cathedral has disclosed fragments of unique frescoes from several periods--1161, 1189, the 13th century, and authentic work by Andrei Rublev, Russia's painter of genius who, with Daniil Cherny and others, worked on the cathedral interior in 1408, painting the frescoes and icons.

Most of the surviving Rublev frescoes are under the choir and depict The Last Judgement. Rublev's images are impressive for their intense humanity and depth of characterization. In the faces of the saints and believers, which suggest the faces of ordinary Russian people, the artist has embodied the moral ideal of spiritual purity, humility, and yet at the same time a rare strength and determination. Andrei Rublev's icons for the iconostas in the Cathedral of the Dormition are now preserved in the Leningrad Russian Museum and in the Tretyakov Gallery.

Another world-famous painting that was once in the Cathedral of the Dormition is The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. This work of genius by a Byzantine master is now in the Tretyakov Gallery.

In the grounds of the ancient Kremlin founded by Vladimir Monomakh are two of the city's most remarkable monuments. We have already seen one of them, the Cathedral of the Dormition. As we go a little closer to the limestone Cathedral of St. Demetrius (1194-7), we notice that the dome on the high drum is topped with a golden 'helmet'.

The helmet-shaped covering of the domes is one sign of ancient architecture up to and including the 16tr century. In the 17th century 'onion' domes had already become widespread in Russia. Seen from a distance, the suggested lit candles held up to the sky. Later, in the 18th century, during the spread of the Baroque style, the appearance of the domes changed. The 'onion' domes became two-staged, fantastically girdled round the upper part. If you remember this small detail, you will find it easy in future, as you get to know the monuments, to determine roughly to what period they belonged.

The Cathedral of St. Demetrius was part of the prince's palace complex. It is one of the most perfect specimens of work by the Vladimir-Suzdal architects. Built during the years of North-East Russia's power and prosperity solemn, calm, richly decorated with bas-reliefs, it seems to personify the power and wealth of the Vladimir Principality. Together with the columns of the blind arcade, each of which ends in a sculpture, there are over 1,300 bas-reliefs on the cathedral walls. All three portals and the cathedral drum, with its narrow slit-shaped windows, are cunningly decorated with carvings. Even the five corner columns are in the form of animal claw; digging into the ground.

The Cathedral of St. Demetrius was built with blocks of white limestone. Since, at the time, this soft, easily worked stone was the main building material for churches and princes' palaces, all the Vladimir-Suzdal architecture of the 12th-13th centuries is known as whitestone. By the time the cathedral was built, the local craftsmen had many such structures to their credit. Working with white stone, the architects and master stonemasons accumulated valuable experience. They could build high walls and steep vaults with ease.

No less skillfully did the Vladimir builders handle stone when decorating it with reliefs which were undoubtedly carved by local craftsmen. In style, the stone 'patterns' of the Cathedral of St. Demetrius are a unique blend incorporating heathen Slavonic interpolations with their roots going back to folk carving in wood, and elements of Byzantine, Roman and even proto-Renaissance art. And yet the carved decorations and the architecture image of the cathedral as a whole are national in spirit, techniques, methods, and plasticity.

After viewing the Cathedral of St. Demetrius, note the 18rh-19th-century civic buildings in the ancient centre of Vladimir. Between the Cathedral of St. Demetrius and the Cathedral of the Dormition are the former offices (Prisutstvennyie Mesta), an 18th-century administrative building in the Russian neo-classical style. Particularly beautifiil are its side facades, decorated with columns of the Corinthian order. No far from the monument in honor of the 850th anniversary of Vladimir stands the building of the former Nobles' Assembly (Dvoryanskoye Sobraniye), 1826. I bears marked traces of the enthusiasm among the architects at that time for ancient Greek culture and art. Directly adjoining the building of the Nobles Assembly is another Russian neo-classical monument--the former boys' high school. It is decorated with an eight-columned Doric portico that gives the whole structure a ceremonial appearance.

After viewing the Russian neoclassical monuments we come out on to Moscow Street, the town's mail thoroughfare, and at its far end we see the famous Golden Gates.

The Golden Gates of Vladimir were built in 1158-64 and, like the Golden Gates of Kiev, were the main entrance way to the town. They were called golden because the massive oak leaves were originally covered with gilded sheet copper. As you look round the monuments in Vladimir, you cannot possibly miss the Golden Gates Their well-proportioned mass can be seen from a distance. On the way you can go shopping for souvenirs, book; on Russian and Soviet art, and guidebooks.

The Golden Gates were the main defence bastion of the west part of the town and also served as a triumphal arch. The conquerors of the Teutonic Knights in the famous Battle on Ice on Lake Chudskoye passed through these gates in 1242. The victorious troops returning from the Battle of Kulikovo marched through them in 1380 After Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812 it was from those gates that detachments of the Vladimir People's Militia left on the long march to take part in the historic Battle of Borodino near Moscow:

The Golden Gates were surmounted with a gilt-domed church, round which there was a battle platform reached by a staircase leading into the five-meter-thick south wall.

Today the Golden Gates house a military historical museum exhibition and a gallery of heroes of the Soviet Union who were natives of the Vladimir Region. The heroes' portraits, documents and personal belongings are 01 display. A portrait of Nikolai Kamanin is there, he was one of the first awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star for his part in the rescue of the Chelyuskin Expedition in 1934. Kamanin was an active participant in the Great Patriotic War. In the post-war years he became the first head of the Cosmonauts' Training-Centre. Under his guidance Yury Gagarin trained for and carried out his flight in 1961.

As in any ancient Russian town, the new is cheek by jowl with the old in Vladimir. Near the Golden Gates, in the red brick building of the former town church, there is a museum exhibition of works by contemporary artists caskets by miniaturists, embroidery from the world-famous village of Mstyora in the Vladimir Region, articles by the glassblowers of Gus-Khrustalny, and jewellery.

The distant past can be seen in the ramparts, all that remains of the 12th-century defence works. They can still be viewed from the south side of the Golden Gates. Near the rampart, on the premises of the former fin observation tower, a Museum of Ancient Town Life was recently opened. Take a look round: you will find much to interest you there.

Our route takes us from the Golden Gates back to the centre. On the way, we recommend you to have a look at the drama theatre,-named after A. Lunacharsky, the first People's Commissar for Education. The theatre bills will give you some idea of the company's range. The theatre has successfully toured Moscow, Leningrad and man) other big cities. If you have time, visit the Taneyev Concert Hall. The distinguished Russian composer, Serge; Taneyev, was a native of Vladimir. A fine teacher, he raised a whole galaxy of brilliant musicians, including Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitry Shostakovich--two great 20th-century composers.

In the centre of Vladimir, near the obelisk commemorating the 850th anniversary of the town, is the local Regional Studies Museum in which the past of the Vladimir land is interestingly illustrated by a wealth of archaeological material. Conspicuous among the exhibits are unique 12th-century fabrics, the whitestone tomb оf Alexander Nevsky, and the personal belongings of the military commander Dmitry Pozharsky.

Here, too, in the town centre, is the complex of the Knyaginin (Princess's) Convent near the remains of the north-west ramparts. It was founded at the turn of the 12th century by the wife of Vsevolod Ш, hence the monastery's name. Its main church was the Cathedral of the Dormition. The present cathedral building was put up at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries on the ruins of the ancient church. In the first half of the 17th century, when the convent was at its most prosperous, the1 Cathedral of the Dormition was decorated (1647-8) by a cartel of 'the sovereign's icon-painters' under Mark Matveyev. Two centuries later the frescoes were redone, and the former pictures were buried under the new paint. For many years Soviet restorers, architects and painters worked to bring back its original appearance to this unique relic. Their efforts were entirely successful and the wall paintings in the Cathedral of the Dormition--the most important monument of Russian monumental painting in the first half of the 17th century-- can be seen by the visitor in all their original beauty.

The creative work of the restorers is absorbing, interesting and extremely difficult. Physics, chemistry and modern technology come to their aid in our times. The fine precision work of the restorer is like that of the surgeon. Incidentally, the restorer often uses the same tool--a scalpel. True, the operation done by the restore sometimes takes months, as is convincingly shown at the exhibition by a series of photographs, the "history of a disease', taken at various stages during the restoration process.

Vladimir is impressive for the variety and number of its museums.

The Sungir Archaeological Museum was opened recently on the east fringe of the town. Sungir, the northernmost settlement in Europe of the Upper Paleolithic Period (Stone Age), was discovered by archaeologist; in 1957. The site of the excavations has been declared a protected zone, and the Sungir Museum-Pavilion has been built there. It is a low building of brick and bright concrete. Four meters below are the main exhibits: a geological cross-section of the spot has been reproduced with traces of the various epochs and cultures.

The Sungir Museum is not far from Bogolyubovo. Once the country residence of the Vladimir princes, this is now a favourite beauty spot for the townsfolk and for tourists.

Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky's Palace was built in 1158-65. By this, the prince gained control over the estuary of the Nerl which flows into the Klyazma, and over the whole waterway to the Volga on the territory of the principality. The palace was surrounded with limestone walls. Inside were the prince's chambers, the Cathedral о the Nativity and various service buildings.

The surviving towers and the passage leading to the prince's chambers are a unique example of ancient Russia: architecture. Time has changed them considerably. The staircase tower, square in plan, together with the passage and the cathedral, have subsided almost two meters into the ground. A remarkable triple window with two columns has been preserved on the upper platform of the staircase tower; it gives a wonderful view of the Ner and its water-meadows.

The exterior of the staircase tower and the passage are decorated with bands of light arches and columns blending with the arcade frieze of the Cathedral of the Nativity which was rebuilt in the mid-18th century. The. mighty ramparts, raised eight centuries ago, revive for us the bygone majesty of this prince's town of Bogolyubovo.

A kilometer away from Bogolyubovo, reflected in the tranquil and clear waters left by the river Klyazma, are white walls and the dome of a solitary church. This is the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (1165). It is famous for its ideal proportions and the soft outlines of the whitestone carvings. The church stands on a man made hill. In ancient times this was paved with white stone and had a drainage system. The church foundation! are exceptionally deep (530 centimeters).

The facades of the Church of the Intercession are vertically divided into three parts. Approximately half-way up, there * is a blind arcade on graceful columns resting on console-masks carved in limestone. The wall decorations are interesting for the various figures of animals and human beings. Interesting, too, is the composition, with the beasts savaging one another: this expresses in allegorical form the need for a united Russia.

Our tour of Vladimir ends with a view of the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl. We can rest in the comfortable Vladimir Hotel with its Beriozka Shop and a restaurant serving Russian dishes. Refreshed in the morning, we can continue our journey round the Golden Ring. Our next stop will be Suzdal.

Yaroslavl

From early spring right into the depths of autumn, Russia's main 'street', the Volga, is very busy. From Yaroslavl, a big industrial and cultural centre on the Upper Volga, self-propelled barges head up and down the river loaded with car tyres, diesel engines, machine tools and synthetic rubber. The city manufactures a variety of products and sends them all over the country, but car tyres and diesel engines are the main contribution to the common Tatty of the Soviet Union's general output. The city has great labour traditions. Here, in Yaroslavl, the first Soviet heavy automobile was assembled back in 1925. Later, the first Soviet tip-up lorry was made, as were the first trolleybus, the first Soviet diesel engine, and the world's first artificial rubber car tyre. On August 1985 by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, timed to coincide with the 975th anniversary of the city, Yaroslavl was awarded the Order of the October Revolution.

In order to see for yourself the monuments of Yaroslavl's nine Hundred years of history and to learn about the traditions of remote antiquity, walk along the Volzhskaya Embankment from the monument to the роеt Nikolai Nekrasov as far as the Strelka, the spot where the river Kotorosl flows into the Volga. It is here that Yaroslavl's recorded history began. In 1010 Rostov Prince Yaroslav the Wise founded a town here and gave it his own name. The prince thus gained control of the entire waterway from Rostov to the Volga across Lake Nero and along the Kotorosl that flows from the lake.

Not far from the Strelka stands the majestic ensemble of the former Transfiguration of the Saviour (Spaso Preobrazhensky) Monastery. The mighty walls with their defence towers enclose a large area in which there is ample space for the cathedral, the churches, the terems and the chambers. It is now the site of the State Histon and Architecture Museum-Preserve, the biggest in Yaroslavl. Before entering the museum rooms, note the Transfiguration of the Saviour Cathedral, Yaroslavl's oldest, built in the 16th century. The cathedral is easily distinguished from the other buildings by its gilded central dome. As Soviet archaeological excavations have shown, it was built on the site of an even older cathedral which was destroyed by fire in 1501 and which, in the 13th century, was one of the most revered and wealthy churches in the Rostov- Yaroslavl lands.

The sacristy of the Transfiguration of the Saviour Monastery was continually replenished by rich donation; from the princes and the boyars. There were thousands of rare books, presentation letters, and manuscripts ii the monastery library, with over a thousand volumes of Greek manuscript books alone. At the end of the 1811 century an ancient copy of The Lay of Igor's Host, a 12th-century Russian literary work of genius was found in the monastery library. The Lay is on a par with such masterpieces as the Iliad or the Chanson de Roland; it ha: been the subject of hundreds of research studies by scholars of many countries and has been translated into al the world's principal languages.

After looking round the restored cathedral and the unique Kith-century frescoes, we walk along its covered galleries. Here-history speaks to us. The Transfiguration of the Saviour Monastery was visited by Ivan IV, b] the Nizhny Novgorod merchant Kosma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, who together liberated Moscov from the interventionists in 1612, and by Peter 1. We go past the monastery's Holy Gates with their lofty Chasobitnaya (Clock) Tower, walking along well tended paths and admiring the buildings around us. We come to the museum-preserve. Its rich collection is housed in what used to be the monastery's Seminary and Cell blocks. The exhibition begins with ancient Russian paintings. Among the examples on display are many masterpieces -- The Transfiguration (1516), The Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God (mid-16th c.), St. John the Baptist the Winged (16th c.). The Yaroslavl Art Museum also has a fine collection of icons, which would be the glory of any icon collection in the world, sue! as The Mother of God of Tolga (14th. c.). The icon came from the Tolga Monastery beyond the Volga. When viewing the folk applied art in the museum-preserve, attention should be paid to the rich collection о distaffs, hi olden times these were indispensable in town and country household alike. Among the people the work of the spinner was given especially poetic treatment. She was celebrated in songs and ditties. Her image is reflected in the illustrations for broadsides and in toys. Distaffs were the most prized gifts. They were present» by the father to his daughters, by the bridegroom to his betrothed, and by the husband to his wife. They were decorated with bright colours, intricate carving and presentation inscriptions.

Each department of the History and Architecture Museum-Preserve contains many exhibits that vividly recreate the history of the town. A particularly vivid impression is given of the period during the 17th century when trade, the arts and crafts were at their peak in Yaroslavl. The art and architecture of 17th-centurj Yaroslavl vastly influenced all of Russia's contemporary artistic trends. The city's advantageous trade and economic position on the intersection of the main Russian trade routes facilitated building on a hitherto unprecedented scale.

Of great interest is the museum's section on the Socialist Revolution, Civil War, and Great Patriotic War о 1941-45. At all the critical moments in their history, the people of Yaroslavl were in the vanguard of the fighters for the freedom and independence of this country. They are rightly proud of their renowned fellow townsmen--Vasily Blyukher, the legendary Civil War hero, and Marshal of the Soviet Union Fyodor Tolbukhin, outstanding military leader in the Great Patriotic War. Very much loved and respected by the citizens of Yaroslavl is the world's first woman-cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova. The museum exhibition tell; of the main stages in the development of Soviet cosmonautics and about the life of Tereshkova herself. Also о interest is the museum founded in the village of Nikulskoye, where she was born.

Yaroslavl is a traditional centre of Russian livestock farming. All the world knows the Romanovskaya biced of sheep. Untanned sheepskin jackets have long been made in Russia from the skins of animals bred in the Yaroslavl Region. No less famous is the Yaroslavl breed of the cattle raised in the last century by long-term selection of the most productive local animals.

Yaroslavl butter and cheeses are highly recommended. The craftsmen of Yaroslavl won six of the thirty-three awards at one of the competitions at which the cheese-makers of socialist countries took part. This is also described in the museum exhibition.

After going round the museum, we come out through the gates of the Transfiguration of the Savioui Monastery on to a wide square named in 1920 after Vadim Podbelsky, a revolutionary and a follower of Lenin.

Notice the red Church of the Epiphany, with its five pale-blue domes and graceful bell tower. Going up a little closer, we see that it is richly decorated with glazed tiles. A broad band of tiles graces the main cube of the building, another runs under the cornice of the covered gallery. Decorative ceramic bands are also to be seen or the drums of the cupolas, and they frame the windows and doors. The red of the walls blends successfully with the green of the tiles, giving the whole structure a cheerful, festive air. This church was built in 1684-93.

The Church of the Epiphany is by no means the only one of Yaroslavl's architectural monuments on which decorative tiles were used. In the 17th and 18th centuries the application of glazed tiles became widespread in the town. Tiles were freely used on the Church of St. John Chrysostom at Korovniki, 1649-54, and on the Church of St. Nicholas-on-the-Waters (Nikola Mokry), 1665-72, and others. Yaroslavl builders particularly liked to decorate the main altar apse and its central window. The window frames in the Church of St. Johi Chrysostom at Korovniki arc three meters high. Thanks to the golden-green area of the window the entire altar wall is particularly graceful and solemn. The domes of churches in Yaroslavl are also ornamented with colored tiles. Later the people of Yaroslavl began roofing the church domes with iron. Many of them to this day are still covered with iron tiles in imitation of the old roofs. In our own time, the Yaroslavl Scientific Restoratior Studio, using the ancient formulae, has organized the production or coloured tiles which arc being used in the restoration of architectural monuments all the way along the Volga.

Like many other ancient towns in Russia, Yaroslavl was once surrounded by mighty walls and towers. It then gradually spread outwards. Suburbs grew up populated with artisans, small tradesmen, coachmen fishermen. The walls lost their meaning as defence works. Their remains and two watch towers can be seen in the centre of the town. One tower is on the Volzhskaya Embankment; the other, the Znamenskaya, is not far from the Yaroslavl Hotel.

On the way from the Epiphany Church to the Znamenskaya Tower you can sec the Arcade (Gostinny Dvor). It was built in 1813-18 to a design by the architect Pankov. It has been suggested that advice on the project was given by Rossi, the famous designer of many historic buildings in Leningrad. Owing to a fire and repairs in 1911, only the rotunda and part of the north block have survived. But even in this form, the Empire-style ensemble is comparable with the most outstanding buildings of that period. With the austere beauty of its portico and colonnade, it sets the tone of the street, giving it a particularly ceremonial air.

As you go past the Arcade you will sec on your right the tall Znamenskaya Tower--one of the few relics о the 17th-century fortifications. The earth rampart, the 20 stone and timber towers, the deep moat--all these once made the town virtually impregnable. The Znamenskaya Tower was built in 1660-2 on the site of the fire gutted Vlasyevskaya Tower. A special niche over the entrance archway once contained an icon, The Sign of the Mother of God, with the help of which, it was claimed, an epidemic was miraculously averted in 1612, when I could have attacked the volunteer forces of Minin and Pozharsky on their way to liberate Moscow from the interventionists. The tower came to he called the Znamenskaya after the icon (Znameniye is the Russian word for *sign*).

At the end of the 17th century Russia's tsar and reformer, Peter the Great, ordered samples of the new European style Russian clothing to he hung next to the Ho1у icon. Going through the Znamenskaya Tower Gates, we see directly in front of us the Yaroslavl Hotel, with a view of the Volkov Theatre in all its splendor on the right. Volkov, founder of Russia's first professional theatre open to the general public, was horn in 1729 in Kostroma. Volkov received a many-sided education. His interest in the theatre was stimulated by impressions of Russian wedding ceremonies, fairy-tales, folk epics and travelling mummers shows. Visits to the Italian opera and theatre productions in St. Petersburg finally convinced him that it was necessary to found a Russian theatre. And so, returning in 1748, he formed a dram, company. In the summer of 1750, he and his colleagues staged a production of Racine's Esther. Thanks to Volkov's own talent and to the youth and enthusiasm of the whole company, the show was a hit. They subsequently put (in Sumatokov's tragedies and plays by Volkov himself on folk themes. And now Russia hat its first professional actor, producer director, and artist (he painted the scenery himself). The present theatre building was put up in . The acoustics in the auditorium are magnificent and the stage is finished with up-to-date theatrical equipment. There is an interesting museum exhibition in the foyer. For outstanding services in the development of dramatic art the Volkov Theatre was awarded the Order of the Red Manner of Labour on the occasion of its 200th anniversary in 1950. The theatre runs a college that trains artists in the Volkov Theatre tradition.

After looking round the theatre you can dine in the restaurant of the Yaroslavl Hotel where you are sure to be offered samples of the local cuisine. After dinner go through the gates of the Znamenskaya Tower once again and stroll down Kirov and Komitetskaya streets. Although they are both small, you will see the Regiona Philharmonia, the Puppet Theatre, the Art Fund's Exhibition Hall, Book House, and the Souvenir and Yakhon shops.

Going from the Znamenskaya Tower along Kirov Street, notice the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet which is worth a closer look. Built in 1647-50, it embodied the salient features of Yaroslavl 17th century architecture. The main cube of the church is surrounded by a gallery with chapels and porches and there is a graceful bell tower nearby. The plan of the church is essentially asymmetrical, but unity of style is preserved, as is the balance of the main architectural masses.

We enter the church through the main porch, which is on the west side, to admire its interior design and decoration. We climb tilt-sloping steps and go into the spacious gallery-parvis. Such covered galleries were a feature of most North Russian churches, whether log-built or of stone. Sheltered from inclement weather, the congregation could discuss matters of general interest.

The carved iconostas inside the church is truly breathtaking. This masterpiece of Russian Baroque was created at the beginning of the 18th century. The gilded vine branches with the clusters of grapes the flowers and the beautifully proportioned columns and cornices are reminiscent of an enormous and richly worked lace curtain dividing the altar from the main body of the church. The icons date back to an earlier period, the seventies of the 17th century. When viewing the interior of the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet, be sure to look at the tsar's and patriarch's carved prayer seats. These unusual ecclesiastical thrones were, according to tradition commissioned in the 1 660s for Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and the Patriarch Nikon (they were originally in the Church of St. Nicholas-on-the-Waters (Nikola Mokry). Attention should be paid to one more work of Russian decorative applied art -- the carved wooden throne canopy. It is behind the iconostas or the altar and can clearly be seen through the open Tsar Gates. This unique work by 17th-century Yaroslav woodcarvers is in the form of a. tent-roofed church over the throne.

Even so, the chief adornment of the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet are the frescoes. They were painted in the summers of 1680 and 1681 by famous Kostroma artists Jury Nikitin, Sila Savin, 'and their mates'; among them there were also Yaroslavl craftsmen. We are already familiar with the work of Jury Nikitin and Sila Savir from the paintings in the Cathedral of the Trinity of the St. Daniel Monastery in Pereslavl-Zalessky and the Church of the Resurrection in the Rostov Kremlin. These artists also worked on the paintings in the cathedral and palaces of the Moscow Kremlin, in Kostroma and in other towns. And yet the peak of their work is rightly) considered to be the frescoes in the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet. It should be noted that, in spite of their religious subject matter, these frescoes are a unique encyclopaedia of Russian life in the 17th century. They have never been over painted during the whole three centuries of their existence. They were last cleaned and washed in 1955. Soviet restorers are taking special care of this unique monument of our national culture. After leaving the church, we go along the Volzhskaya Embankment. Notice that many houses overlooking the embankment are marked with special preservation hoards. This means that they arc all under state protection. In Yaroslavl, as everywhere in the USSR, serious attention is paid to the problems of protecting and popularizing our historical and cultural heritage. Great work is being done by schools, technical schools and institutes. For example, a famous historical and architectural monument, the Tolga Monastery, in the part of the city, on the other bank of the Volga, has been under restoration for several years by a special student team.