The Znamenskaya Church in Pereslavl-Zalessky is a memory of the salvation of Princess Evdokia. Pereslavl-Zalessky. Temples Pereslavl Zalessky temples cathedrals churches monasteries
Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral (Pereslavl-Zalessky) is one of the oldest Orthodox churches that can still be seen today. It is located in the Yaroslavl region. In the 12th century, the temple was founded by the famous Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Today it is part of the municipal museum-reserve. You can only get inside during certain hours.
Temple architecture
The Transfiguration Cathedral (Pereslavl-Zalessky) is located in the center of the ancient city and belongs to the Pereslavl Kremlin. Along with the Church of Boris and Gleb in the Vladimir region, this is the oldest white-stone architectural monument in the north-east of Rus'.
The walls of the temple were made of white stone blocks using semi-rubble technology. This is a special construction technique that existed in the Middle Ages. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that first two parallel walls of stone blocks are erected, the void between them is filled with fragments of bricks and rubble, and only after that they are filled with lime mortar.
The thickness of the temple walls ranges from one to one and a half meters. Its original height is 22 meters. At the base of the temple there is a strip foundation made of cobblestones held together with lime. The depth of the foundation is more than a meter, it reaches the layer of clay. Moreover, the foundation itself is much wider than the walls. Today the temple, in fact, has “grown” into the ground by about a meter.
The decor is very simple inside and outside. The Transfiguration Cathedral (Pereslavl-Zalessky), whose architecture resembles the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, is an example of a strict church style in Orthodoxy that does not tolerate anything superfluous.
No extensions to the cathedral have survived to this day; moreover, traces of them have not yet been discovered even by archaeologists. So it is not a fact that stone porches or other outbuildings existed at all. Most likely, from the outside, it was not a stone, but a wooden staircase that led to the entrance to the choir (the upper gallery inside the church).
Large-scale archaeological excavations were carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. Then multi-colored majolica tiles were discovered that decorated the floor. The Transfiguration Cathedral (Pereslavl-Zalessky) is a striking example of an Orthodox church of the pre-Mongol period.
Cathedral icons
Everyone who goes to Pereslavl-Zalessky dreams of visiting this temple. The Transfiguration Cathedral, a photo of which is in most guidebooks, is extremely popular among tourists. Largely thanks to its frescoes.
Famous icons and frescoes date back to the 12th century. Extremely significant works of art were discovered by the famous Russian architect and local historian Nikolai Artleben in the mid-19th century. These are the frescoes “Our Lady on the Throne” and “The Last Judgment”.
At the end of the 19th century, a large-scale restoration was carried out in the cathedral. At the same time, the frescoes were treated carelessly. They were removed in small parts and placed in boxes in complete disarray.
One of the parts of the painting that has been well preserved is the image of the Apostle Simon.
Today, the interior walls of the cathedral are clean; the frescoes painted in the 19th century were removed as being of no value.
In addition, the Transfiguration Monastery is the place where one of the most famous temple icons, the Transfiguration, comes from. Its authorship is attributed to Theophanes the Greek.
Unique graffiti
The cathedral is also famous for its unique graffiti that was discovered during restoration. On its walls are ancient Russian inscriptions of various contents.
The most amazing wall recording contains information about the murder of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, committed in the 12th century. This was the Grand Duke of Vladimir, who ascended the throne after Yuri Dolgoruky. He died as a result of a conspiracy organized due to the defeat of the prince's troops during the assault on Kyiv and Vyshgorod in 1173. Angered by constant failures, the boyars stabbed the prince to death.
On the wall of the cathedral in Pereslavl-Zalessky there is even a list of the names of the boyars involved in this murder.
Significance of the cathedral
Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral (Pereslavl-Zalessky) is the only white-stone temple in the northeast of Rus', which can still be visited today.
Many famous Pereslavl princes were baptized here, who later left their mark on history. The most famous of them is Alexander Nevsky. He was born in Pereslavl in 1221.
A little later, the cathedral becomes the tomb of the princes. During excavations in the 20th century, a sarcophagus lid from the grave of Pereslavl Prince Ivan Dmitrievich was found. It was discovered by Soviet archaeologist Nikolai Voronin. Prince Ivan was buried here in 1302.
At the end of the 40s, a museum of Alexander Nevsky was opened in the cathedral, whose name was cultivated at that time with the aim of raising the patriotic spirit. However, the museum was soon closed, and its work has not yet been resumed.
Pereslavl Monastery
Next to the cathedral is the famous Pereslavl-Zalessky Monastery. This is another unique architectural monument. It is named after Nikita the Great Martyr.
The year of its foundation is considered to be 1010. It was then that the Suzdal region passed from Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich to Boris. Prince Boris, together with Bishop Hilarion, began to spread Christianity everywhere in the pagan land. Then the Zalessky Monastery was built.
Pereslavl Kremlin
The monastery and cathedral are located on the territory of the Pereslavl Kremlin, in the very center of the city. The Kremlin was founded in the 12th century. In those years, the fortress was surrounded on all sides by water. Shafts were built over a distance of two kilometers. They have survived to this day. Their height varies from 10 to 12 meters.
In the Middle Ages, wooden fortress walls were built on the crest of the rampart, on which towers were located. Such defensive structures were built already in 1194 by the son of the Kremlin founder Yuri Dolgoruky, Vsevolod the Big Nest.
In the 13th century it was one of the most powerful fortresses in the entire Vladimir-Suzdal land. Only the Vladimir Kremlin surpassed it. The towers in which the gates were built were approached by a bridge over a moat with water. True, how many towers there were in the Pereslavl Kremlin is still unknown. Most of the structures have not survived.
For many years, the Transfiguration Cathedral was the only stone building in the Kremlin. Everything else was wooden. In the pre-Mongol era, princely mansions, also wooden, adjoined the cathedral, from which staircases led to the cathedral and towers.
Preserved monuments of the Kremlin
Very few monuments of the Pereslavl Kremlin have survived to this day. The most famous is, of course, the Transfiguration Cathedral.
Also, tourists today can see earthen ramparts from the 12th century. 16th century building - Church of Peter the Metropolitan. This is an Orthodox church built in the form of a tent, unconventional for its time. Therefore, this architectural monument is considered unique. True, you can’t get into the church now; it is closed for restoration.
Part of the buildings of the Bogoroditsko-Sretensky Monastery has been preserved from the 18th century. If you come to Pereslavl, this monastery is a must-visit. It was founded in 1659. However, already in the middle of the 18th century it was abolished, turning all the churches into parish ones. The monastery suffered severe destruction during Soviet times. In 1933, the fence and bell tower were practically destroyed.
City of Temples
All these wonders of pre-Mongol architecture are located in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky. This is the regional center of the Yaroslavl region with a permanent population of less than 40 thousand people. Moreover, there are 7 times more tourists in the city every year than its residents.
This is facilitated by its convenient location. Pereslavl-Zalessky is part of the Golden Ring of Russia, and is located only 140 kilometers from Moscow.
City `s history
The unique city was founded by Yuri Dolgoruky. According to his plan, here from now on there was to be the main city of north-eastern Rus'.
Pereslavl-Zalessky was founded on a plain, swampy in places. By the middle of the 12th century it was the largest settlement in the northeast of Rus'. It especially stood out for its impressive defensive fortifications. The length of the shafts was about two and a half kilometers. And by the standards of all of Rus', the city at that time was second only to Kyiv, where Prince Yaroslav settled, and Smolensk, where Prince Rostislav ruled.
The construction of such a city practically out of nowhere, and even in a swamp, is compared by many historians with the founding of St. Petersburg by Peter I.
True, the city did not remain the capital for long. He soon lost this status. At the same time, remaining one of the key settlements in this direction.
Pereslavl-Zalessky is an ancient Russian Orthodox city. In this article we will take a photo walk through the monasteries of this blessed land.
The first impression is, of course, the lake. Life on the shore of a large expanse of water - although not the sea - is still special.
A peculiar climate - a constant wind from the lake.
View of the city and Lake Pleshcheyevo from the bell tower of the Goritsky Monastery.
The lake is large - up to 9 kilometers wide and up to 25 meters deep. In general, in the city there is a constant feeling of the proximity of a large expanse of water. This is how you always feel next to some unusual and large-scale element - mountains, sea...
Old and new are side by side. Patina of time.
Burnt and rickety houses. New hotels and newly built mansions.
Street of old Pereslavl.
Flowers in pots on the windows and flowers growing on the roofs.
An old house.
Temples sparkling with newness and neglected temples. On the quiet streets there are many children and grandmothers in bathrobes and slippers.
The cafe has somewhat forgotten Soviet service. To the very insinuatingly asked question - “Excuse me, will there be a third glass?” received the answer from the young waitress: “Well, I have two hands!”
However, the second waitress, unlike the first, was more polite: “Please take this.”
In a small city (a little more than 40 thousand inhabitants) there are 4 active monasteries (two for men and two for women) and 7 (I counted that many) active parish churches.
The monasteries are open for the veneration of Sts. the relics of the ascetics who became famous there.
Znamensky Temple
There may be an illusion that Pereslavl suffered little in the 20th century. But no, during the years of persecution, 17 Pereslavl parish churches were destroyed by the godless authorities - i.e. almost 2/3.
Znamensky Temple.
Now on the site of the destroyed churches there are worship crosses. But the Znamensky Church was built anew.
And the recovery continues.
New bell at the Church of the Forty Martyrs.
Transfiguration Cathedral
Transfiguration Cathedral. St. was baptized in it. Alexander Nevsky. The inside is cool, tidy, high, deserted; the vault and walls are without paintings. They are allowed in with tickets. The attendant says that the temple is consecrated, but belongs to the museum and only sometimes they serve there.
Transfiguration Cathedral.
However, they even let you into the famous Greek monasteries in Meteora for money... You have to pay for something.
A large number of teenagers aged 10-13 are striking on the city streets. Right on the lawn near the Transfiguration Cathedral, these kids staged a football match, in which my 12-year-old Ivan (a big football fan) immediately took an active part.
St. Vladimir's Cathedral
St. Vladimir's Cathedral. This temple has a rich and not very happy history.
St. Vladimir's Cathedral.
It was built as a cathedral of the Sretensky Monastery, then it became a parish one, then it began to serve as a city cathedral - after all, the ancient Preobrazhensky Cathedral is very small... Well, then the temple was closed, the slender bell tower was destroyed and the cathedral began to serve the new government... as a bakery. Now it houses an exhibition and sale of works by local artists. Roughly whitewashed walls. It’s uncomfortable in a damaged temple. And only in one small chapel has prayer already resumed...
The Church of Metropolitan Peter is an elegant, ancient, tent-roofed church from the mid-16th century.
Church of Peter the Metropolitan.
Alas, locked and neglected. Trees sprout on the roof.
Church of Peter the Metropolitan. Desolation.
But the church has its own new martyr - in 1918 its rector, priest Konstantin Snyatinovsky, was killed by rebel atheists.
It is noticeable that now in the city a considerable proportion of the population is Orthodox. Even in the cafe where we had a snack, at the next table there was a large Orthodox family (or rather, apparently several related families) - with children of different ages. Joyful, simple modern Russian people...
Monastic Pereslavl mostly survived. In the Goritsky Monastery, St. was once a monk and priest. Dimitry Prilutsky. In the 17th-18th centuries, the monastery became the largest and even most magnificent city monastery.
Goritsky Monastery. Entrance gate.
It, which has never been destroyed, is now, alas, in a rather neglected state.
Goritsky Monastery. General view from the bell tower.
In the monastery since the 1920s. there is an art and local history museum. However, here and there trees appear on the roofs and the paint on the walls is peeling off.
Assumption Cathedral of the Goritsky Monastery.
Carved iconostases are deteriorating, the cathedral's paintings are crumbling. In general, the sight of an unconsecrated temple, where people are allowed in for money, causes sadness. The state of incompleteness, ruin, orphanhood.
Interior of the Assumption Cathedral
The museum is, of course, wonderful. Several halls of large, magnificent 16th-century icons from Pereslavl monasteries and churches. A separate, very interesting exhibition of carved images and rustic homespun clothes.
The only great loss of the monastic Pereslavl was the Cathedral of the St. Nicholas Monastery.
This monastery in the lowland part of the city was founded in the 14th century by St. Dmitry Prilutsky. I visited him once, etc. Sergius of Radonezh. From the beginning of the 20th century, the monastery became a convent.
During the years of persecution, the entire monastery complex was thoroughly polluted and damaged. However, now this is the most comfortable place in the city. The cathedral (in the style of Rostov architecture of the 16th-17th centuries) was completely rebuilt just a few years ago.
It is a rare case when a new church fits so well into the silhouette of an ancient city, into the monastery ensemble.
Cathedral of the St. Nicholas Monastery.
Since June 12 of this year, in the cathedral near the pulpit there has been a precious Korsun Cross - an ancient shrine of the St. Nicholas Monastery, a two-meter-tall work of ancient Russian jewelers. The cross was made at the end of the 17th century, covered with gold plates, and decorated with silver stamps depicting the Twelve Holidays. It contains the relics of many saints: John the Baptist, Apostle. Paul, St. Vasily Ankirsky, martyr. Victor, mchch. Demetrius of Thessalonica and St. George the Victorious, mts. Christina, Marina, Russian saints - St. Ignatius of Rostov, Blgv. Book Vasily Yaroslavsky and others.
The museum staff carefully inspects how the Cross is protected - just in front of us, a nun showed two museum employees the safety of the seals on the glass ark-case.
Also, in the monastery cathedral there are the discovered relics of Sts. St. Cornelia and the blessed book Andrey Smolensky. The entire territory of the monastery is a large garden.
Nikolsky Monastery. Yard
Nikitsky Monastery is the oldest, according to legend, dating back to the beginning of the 11th century. It is older than the city and was built next to the Kleschin settlement, the predecessor of Pereslavl.
Kleshchino settlement - here stood an ancient city, the predecessor of Pereslavl (now the village of Gorodishche).
The monastery greeted us with festive ringing - the evening service was soon to begin.
The monastery is for men, not everything is as tidy as in Nikolskoye. But there is something contemplative, unhurried and very real here... Detachment from the world. Silence and splendor of nature.
They don’t drive you out with cameras - they just ask you not to take pictures of the inhabitants.
Capes and skirts have been prepared for women.
The cave of St. Nikita Stolpnik, a famous ascetic of the 12th century, a former “tax inspector” during the time of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky.
We came to the temple, in some side room the priest was talking with a parishioner.
In the temple are the relics of St. Nikita, ancient icon and chains of the saint. They are attached to them, the temple is not empty.
Nikitsky Monastery. Chapel over the cave of St. Nikita Stylite.
You can feel the concern for the pilgrims. A public refectory is open. There you can refresh yourself with tea, kvass, pies and the very tasty Nikitsky gingerbread, and if you wish, buy monastery sour cream and honey.
I clearly didn’t want to leave...
Last October, I made a short pilgrimage to two monasteries of the holy Russian city - Pereslavl-Zalessky, in the Yaroslavl province.
On the shore of the sacred Lake Pleshcheevo, near the ramparts of the ancient city of Kleshchina, I visited the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The date of birth of this church in the village. The ancient settlement is shrouded in mystery, but chronicles say that it was definitely already delighting parishioners at the beginning of the 17th century. In the scribe books of 1628-1629. it is said: “In the village of Gorodishche, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is made of wood, the roof is tented, and in the church there are images of candles and books, and bells, etc. a secular building, next to the church is a courtyard of priests.”
In 1737, a warm wooden holy monastery was built near this temple under the blessing of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
And only in 1791, on the site of two simple wooden churches, they began to erect a reliable stone church. At the end of the 18th century it was consecrated. Since then, we have been admiring the five-domed temple with small turquoise onion domes. And the number of thrones has also been preserved to this day: in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Next, I made my way through the centuries-old church traditions of Pereslavl to the mysterious Orthodox monastery, the grayest of all that have been preserved within the city of Pereslavl - Nikitsky, founded back in 1010.
In those terrible years for the Slavs, Christianity in Rus' spread at the speed of light. The white-stone buildings of the monastery, surrounded by thick walls, have been preserved almost in their original form, although they were built, according to historical chronicles, in the 15th-19th centuries.
The Nikitsky Monastery is located at the address: Zaprudnaya street, 20.
The appearance of the monastery is connected with one intriguing story. For the construction of the monastery, funds were collected from local residents. And by force. One of the main moneylenders was a certain Nikita. A terrible covetous man, he robbed people not only in the name of those in power, but also put a lot of stolen money into his personal wallet. Somehow, by chance, his wife saw bloody foam and parts of a human body in the pan. Of course, the woman thought that her mind was clouded and called her husband. But Nikita also saw the same terrifying picture. And his conscience seemed to awaken in his heart... The good fellow was frightened. He went to the abbot of the monastery and told about his sinful deeds. The priest called him to repentance and humbly atone for his crimes in the following way: he ordered Nikita to go to the monastery gates and for three days acquaint people with his atrocities. Nikita did just that. Three days later, poor Nikita was found in a nearby swamp in mournful repentance and self-torture.
And Nikita became a monk, put on the heaviest chains, and placed a stone cap on his head until the end of his days. It was kept in this monastery for a long time after his death. The pilgrims pulled it over their sinful heads and walked three times around the chapel erected on the site of Nikitin’s exploits. In 1735, during the period of struggle against obscurantism, this hat was appropriated by the Synodal Board and lost. It turned out that he needed the hat the most. But since then, prayer books have walked around the chapel with an ordinary stone on their heads. I personally saw several such sinners on this trip. These were three employees of the local tax office. Apparently, the stone in their souls does not allow them to live in peace. But this is understandable...
And next to the Nikitsky Monastery, in a ravine, flows the healing spring of St. Nikita, which is also considered the ancient pagan spring of Tomina Kupalich. This is my second time here. The water is truly miraculous and very tasty. And here you can plunge into the font and feel like a reborn, sinless being.
The spring of Nikita Stolpnik is located at 40 Kuznechnaya Street.
Pereslavl-Zalessky. TemplesPereslavl-Zalessky. Temples
Panorama of Pereslavl-Zalessky. Church of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. The church, also called Fourties, stands on the shore of Lake Pleshcheevo at the mouth of the river. Trubezh. It existed already at the beginning of the 17th century. There are two thrones: in the cold one in honor of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, in the warm chapel in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
If you are exhausted in life,
And the work is beyond your strength,
If your soul suffers heavily,
You are languishing in an unequal struggle.
If your faith leaves you.
And hope will begin to leave,
If your heart is crying in pain,
Then you will begin to grumble about fate.
If sometimes you don’t have enough strength,
Hurry quickly to God's temple,
Fall down before the holy icon
Pray, pray from your heart.
There you will find solace
Take a break from hard work
All your doubts will be resolved,
When you pour out your soul in tears.
You with holy love and faith,
You will walk the path of life,
If you stand in the temple with a prayer
Find consolation for yourself.
St. Nicholas Convent. The monastery was supposedly founded in 1348 by Dmitry Prilutsky, a disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh. The main buildings of the monastery: the 18th-century fence, the hipped bell tower of 1693 and St. Nicholas Cathedral of 1721 were destroyed in the first decades of Soviet power. Since 1994, the monastery has been revived. In 2003, the construction of the new St. Nicholas Cathedral and bell tower was completed
Goritsky Assumption Monastery was founded in the first half of the 14th century under Ivan Kalita. It received its most famous name from its location on a hill - “goritsa”. The Assumption Cathedral - the main building of the Goritsky Monastery - began to be built in the mid-1750s. A massive, but at the same time elegant quadrangle is surrounded on the sides by covered galleries with wide arched windows; from the east it is adjoined by a large apse, on the sides of which there are two octagonal aisles. The aisles end with separate domes with lucarnes and light drums. The cathedral itself is crowned with a five-domed church with widely spaced domes. Some of the windows are placed in drums. Gethsemane was to be added to the cathedral from the west, connecting it with the refectory. This building was never completed. On the sides of the apses of the refectory church, extensions have been preserved - traces of the failed grandiose architectural complex. Traces of this plan are also visible on the western facade of the Assumption Cathedral - a high arch, which was supposed to connect the cathedral with Gethsemane. Instead of an arch, there is a small door in its background, now closed; Even the steps leading to it have been lost. The interior of the cathedral is also striking in its scope. It is richly decorated with stucco and Baroque paintings; The best craftsmen from New Jerusalem worked on its decoration. The unique multi-tiered gilded iconostasis was made under the direction of the famous Moscow master Yakov Zhukov and decorated with Baroque columns, figures and floral patterns. The icons for it were also painted by masters from New Jerusalem. The interiors of the temple suffered greatly due to the fact that the room was “summer”, that is, it was not heated, and the winter cold annually caused considerable damage to the stucco moldings and wall paintings. And yet the cathedral was maintained in the greatest order compared to other buildings of the monastery. After the abolition of the diocese, the Goritsky Monastery was closed, and the Assumption Cathedral served for some time as the main city cathedral, until local residents, who had a long way to get here for services, asked to return this status to the cathedral in the city center.
The iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral The interior of the cathedral is also striking in its scope. It is richly decorated with stucco and Baroque paintings; The best craftsmen from New Jerusalem worked on its decoration. The unique multi-tiered gilded iconostasis was made under the direction of the famous Moscow master Yakov Zhukov and decorated with Baroque columns, figures and floral patterns. The icons for it were also painted by masters from New Jerusalem.
Church of All Saints in the Goritsky Assumption Monastery All Saints Church, 2nd half of the 17th century. A five-domed brick church with refectory chambers on the basement. The main volume is a high pillarless three-apse quadrangle. Built in the 2nd half. XVII century instead of a stone building from the 16th century, it was later rebuilt. From the 1780s to the 1880s it was empty, in 1883 it was renovated and from that time until 1918 it served as a house church at the religious school.
Temple of John Chrysostom. In the very center of Russia, in the Yaroslavl region, near Pereslavl-Zalessky, there is one of these relics - the Life-Giving Cross. Godenovo is a small village in which the St. Nicholas convent has long existed. In his courtyard there is a temple built in honor of John Chrysostom. It was this church that became the place where in the 30s of the last century the great Life-Giving Cross found its refuge. Godenovo has seen a lot in his time. Since 1794, the domes of its five-domed temple have sparkled in the sky, and the sonorous bells have filled the entire area with crimson bells. From the day it opened, the church did not close, as if invisible forces preserved it in the era of godlessness and difficult days of revolution, wars, repressions, famine, persecution for faith and belief. Signs of antiquity are visible everywhere in the temple. Its walls were painted at the beginning of the 19th century. The skillfully made iconostasis dates back to the same time. The left side chapel of the church is consecrated with the Bogolyubskaya Icon of the Mother of God. On the right on the wall, in a special icon case, fireproof, the Life-Giving Cross is placed. Godenovo has always been very popular among pilgrims. Thanks to the relics kept here, the village is visited annually by thousands of believers and sufferers.
Dormition Goritsky Monastery is a former Orthodox monastery in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, abolished in 1744. On the territory of the monastery there is the Pereslavl-Zalessky State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve. Assumption Cathedral (1750s), now an exhibition and storage facility
Monogram of Catherine II. Fragment of Elizabeth's monogram The seven-domed Assumption Cathedral, unusual in composition, was erected in the middle of the 18th century. A prominent role in its construction and decoration was played by one of the prominent church figures of that time, Ambrose Zertis-Kamensky, who headed the Pereslavl diocese from 1753 to 1761 and invited craftsmen from the New Jerusalem Monastery to Goritsy. The exterior decoration of the cathedral is simple, but the interiors are lavishly decorated with various stucco details, Baroque sculpture and wall paintings. On the vault are the monograms of Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine II, during the years during whose reign the cathedral was built and decorated. The carved baroque iconostasis made by the Moscow master Yakov Zhukov is very interesting.
Cathedral of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, 1740. The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God has been revered as miraculous for several centuries. Before her, they prayerfully ask the Mother of God for healing from bodily ailments, in particular, diseases of the heart and cardiovascular system. People turn to her for help during disasters, when they need protection from enemies. In front of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in all centuries they prayed for the preservation of Russia. Every home should have this icon, because it reconciles those at war, softens people’s hearts, and helps strengthen faith.
Church of the Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign Founded in the 21st century (2001). Active church. The elegant Church of the Sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located away from the noisy highway - at the western gate of the city rampart, in close proximity to the St. Nicholas Monastery. According to legend, in this corner of Pereslavl in the 14th century, the wife of Dmitry Donskoy, Evdokia, was able to escape the persecution of Khan Tokhtamysh, and subsequently founded a wooden church here. In such a remarkable place, the Znamensky Church, after a fire or due to disrepair, was repeatedly restored, but in stone. Nearby, on the banks of the Trubezh River, in the 18th century there were Peter’s amusements that burned in a city fire. The current church, decorated with mosaics on the outside, was built quite recently according to architectural motifs of the 17th century.
Berendey's House Legends about the Berendeys who lived on the land of Pereslavl go back to ancient times. The Russian language has the word “berendeyka” - these are painted wooden, carved or turned figurines of people and animals that were sold in ancient times at fairs. Later, these products became the basis for the creation of separate crafts near established trading centers. In Pereslavl-Zalessky, the Center for the Preservation and Development of Folk Traditions and Folk Art Crafts “Berendey’s House” has been created, which is a venue for folk festivals and meetings of folk craftsmen, a place where artists, carefully preserving the rich artistic heritage of the masters of the Yaroslavl region, make exclusively by hand, using ancient and traditional technology, folk art products in a wide variety. The unusual tower is built of stone and wood based on ancient Russian architecture with richly decorated platbands and other decorative elements. Those interested can visit the chamber of Tsar Berendey, see his throne and hear from him a story about the ancient Berendeys who lived on Pereslavl land in the 12th century.
Church of Peter the Metropolitan The tented church of Peter the Metropolitan was erected not far from the Transfiguration Cathedral in Pereslavl in the middle of the 14th century. The temple was built in memory of the cathedral of the Russian church, which took place there in 1310. The reason for it was the accusation brought against the Kyiv Metropolitan Peter by the Tver Archbishop Andrei. At that time, there was a stubborn struggle between the Tver and Moscow principalities for the possession of Pereslavl, in which even the Orthodox Church was involved. Unfairly accused of embezzlement and money-grubbing, Peter was acquitted. Soon after this, the Metropolitan moved his see to Moscow. The temple became a monument not only to the clergyman, but also to the victory of the Moscow principality over the Tver principality. Even after the death of Metropolitan Peter, who supported the Muscovites, he remained the most revered for them for a long time. Peter traveled for a long time to the cities of neighboring principalities, trying to reconcile the princes, which earned him great respect. His relics were kept in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, founded by the Metropolitan shortly before his death. There, over his coffin, Russian princes and tsars took the oath of allegiance to the state. Many Russian churches have chapels in honor of Metropolitan Peter. One of these is St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow. The first church was built with funds allocated by the Moscow prince. In the 16th century, a new one was erected on the site of the old church. The architecture of the church displays the characteristic features of similar structures of that time. At the same time, the cruciform plan of the temple is quite unusual for churches of the 16th century. The dimensions and decoration of the temple, quite impressive for that time, give reason to assume that it was built not by locals, but by builders sent from Moscow.
The Church of Simeon the Stylite (1771), built around the same time as another outstanding Pereslavl church - the Forty Martyrs - belongs to the Baroque style. The current brick church was built on the site of one that burned down in 1724, from which only the utensils remained. The tall two-story temple connects two churches - a “warm” winter one (below) and a summer one (above). The elongated dome is topped with five domes on thin elegant drums and with openwork crosses. Under the side chapters there are, as it were, separate small domes, “growing” from the main one. There are lucarnes - light holes - cut into the dome on four sides. A small tent-roofed bell tower was placed on top of the temple, on the western side facing the street. The tent - low, with auditory openings in one row - is the first to be seen from the street, and only when you come closer you can see the entire church. The most interesting thing in the decor of the Simeon Church is the luxurious window frames, to which the Baroque style generally paid a lot of attention. They are not only beautiful, but also vary in tiers. The windows on the second floor are the most decorated, but the upper, third row of windows is also richly decorated. In addition to platbands, the walls are decorated with pilasters, belts between floors, and thin cornices. They stand out brightly against the red background of painted brick walls. A one-story gatehouse is attached to the side of the church, connected to the main building by an arched gateway. In July 1929, the church was first banned from ringing bells, under the pretext that it would interfere with the work of the telegraph office located next door, and then it was closed completely. In the temple building there was a builders' club, then a red corner was built in the upper part, and a warehouse in the lower part. In the 1980s, a folk theater operated there. In the early 1990s, the temple was returned to the church and restored. Now one of the most elegant churches in Pereslavl flaunts on the central street of the city, pleasing the eye.
The domes of the Simeon Church 1771, the elongated dome is topped with five domes on thin elegant drums and with openwork crosses. Under the side chapters there are, as it were, separate small domes, “growing” from the main one.
Church of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, founded in 1775.