Orlova Maria

Decor of the facade of Nativity Cathedral in Suzdal: the problem of reconstruction

Abstract

There is no suff ucient data for tenable judgments about the exterior decoration of the upper part of Nativity Cathedral in Suzdal. The long-established opinion about the rich carved decor of this part of the cathedral can hardly be considered convincing. The process of development of carved exterior adornment in churches of Vladimir and Suzdal could be not as straightforwardly linear as it is traditionally thought. It cannot be excluded that the line of evolution of stone carving in Vladimir and Suzdal slightly “curved” after a sui generis pinnacle, i.e. the decor of the facade of Dmitrievskiy Cathedral. It cannot be excluded that the Suzdal cathedral represented a diff erent type, a different conception of the exterior adornment. It was characterised by a laconic structure, a diff erent expressiveness — the expressiveness of simplicity, — exquisite yet modest ornamental stone carving, meaningful accents. A whole range of specifi c features allow us to suppose that in the creation of its exterior decoration participated new-coming masters of the new wave. They used specifi c Romance examples and attempted to adjust them to local conditions. The colour of the facades could also be specific in this case. The spaces between the columns in the blind arcade of the Nativity Cathedral were probably not left empty. They were designed for fresco painting. Images of saints and prophets could be situated in them, just like in the Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir.

Keywords

pre-Mongolian period, Nativity Cathedral in Suzdal, facade decoration, stone carving, ornament, Romance art, theme of lions

References

1. Gabrieli F., Scerrato U. (1979) Gliarabi in Italia. Milano.
2. Gladkaia M. (2033) “Katalog belokamennoi rez'by Dmitrievskogo sobora vo Vladimire: tsentral'noe priaslo severnogo fasada” [Catalogue of White-Stone Carving of Dmitrievskiy Cathedral in Vladimir: Central Section of Northern Facade], in: Dmitrievskii sobor vo Vladimire: materialy i issledovaniia [Dmitrievskiy Cathedral in Vladimir: Materials and Studies], 3. Vladimir (in Russian).
3. Glazov V., Ioannisian O., Zykov P., Torshin E. (1997) “Arkhitekturno-arkheologicheskie issledovaniia u Rozhdestvenskogo sobora v Suzdale” [Architectural and Archaeological Research near Nativity Cathedral in Suzdal], in: Arkhitekturnye otkrytiia 1996 g. [Discoveries in Architecture in 1996]. Moscow (in Russian).
4. Ioannisian O. (2005) “Romanskie istoki zodchestva Vladimiro-Suzdal'skoi Rusi vremeni Andreia Bogoliubskogo (Germaniia ili Italiia?)” [Romance Origins of Architecture of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus’ of the Time of Andrey Bogolyubskiy (Germany or Italy?), in: Drevnerusskoe iskusstvo: Vizantiiskii mir: iskusstvo Konstantinopolia i natsional'nye traditsii. K 2000-letiiu khristianstva [Old Russian Art. Byzantine World: Art of Constantinople and National Traditions. The 2000th Anniversary of Christianity]. Moscow. Pp. 31‒70 (in Russian).
5. Lelekov L. (1978) Iskusstvo Drevnei Rusi i Vostok [Art of Ancient Rus’ and the East]. Moscow (in Russian).
6. Lifshits L. (2015) “Belokamennaia rez'ba Severo-Vostochnoi Rusi” [White-Stone Carving of North-Eastern Rus’], in: Istoriia russkogo iskusstva [History of Russian Art]. Vol. 2/2. Moscow (in Russian).
7. Romanov K. (1931) “Vnov' otkrytye rel'efy Suzdal'skogo sobora” [Rediscovered Reliefs of the Suzdal Cathedral]. Soobshcheniia Gosudarstvennoi akademii istorii material'noi kul'tury, 3. Leningrad (in Russian).
8. Vagner G. (1975) Belokamennaia rez'ba drevnego Suzdalia. Rozhdestvenskii sobor. XIII v. [White-Stone Carving of Ancient Suzdal. Nativity Cathedral. 13th Century]. Moscow (in Russian).
9. Vakhtanov S. (2014) “Belokamennoe reznoe ubranstvo” [White-Stone Carved Adornment], in: Sobor Rozhdestva Bogoroditsy v Suzdale [Cathedral of Nativity of Theotokos in Suzdal]. Vladimir (in Russian).
10. Varganov A. (1960) “Eshche raz o suzdal'skom sobore” [Once Again on the Suzdal Cathedral]. Sovetskaia arkheologiia, 4, pp. 249‒255 (in Russian).
11. Voronin N. (1962) Zodchestvo Severo-Vostochnoi Rusi XII–XV vekov [Architecture of North-Eastern Rus’ of the 12th — 15th Centuries]. Vol. 2: XIII–XV stoletiia [13th — 15th Centuries]. Moscow (in Russian).

Information about the author

Orlova Maria

Academic Degree: Doctor of Sciences* in Art Criticism;
Academic Rank: Senior Research Fellow;
Place of work: State Institute for Art Studies of Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation; Kozitskiy Pereulok 5, Moscow 125009, Russian Federation;
Post: Leading Researcher;
ORCID: 0000-0001-6177-8818;
Email: maria-orlova@mail.ru.

*According to ISCED 2011, a post-doctoral degree called Doctor of Sciences (D.Sc.) is given to reflect second advanced research qualifications or higher doctorates.