The St George Cathedral
Although the chronicles do not record the founding of the St
George (Yuriev) Monastery, it probably took place long before the
monastery was first mentioned in the entry for 1119. The largest
Novgorodian cloister, it played an outstanding part in the
ecclesiastic, political and cultural life of the city. Several
scholars think that the oldest of all known icons of St George
(1030, the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow) stems from this monastery.
Of exceptional historic and artistic value is another icon of the
saint painted in the 12th century for the Dormition Cathedral of
the Moscow Kremlin. The famous Ustiug Annunciation (the Tretyakov
Gallery, Moscow) bears this name only by tradition; it would be
more proper to call it the Yuriev Annunciation since the icon was
painted for the St George Cathedral of the monastery in the
1130s. Also for it, the Yuriev Lectionary, one of the ancient
illuminated manuscript books of this type, was written between
1120 and 1228 (now in the Historical Museum, Moscow). Today, the
monastery is dominated by structures of the 19th century, but
none can stand comparison with the St George Cathedral located at
its centre. A supreme manifestation of early Russian
architectural thought the church was founded in 1119. One
chronicle names its creator: 'and built by Master Peter', which
is actually the first mention of an architect to be found in old
Russian chronicles. The name of Master Peter is associated with
the construction of other Novgorodian churches of the early 12th
century, including the Cathedral of St Nicholas in Yaroslav's
Court and the Church of the Annunciation in the Rurik-Fortress.
The St George Cathedral is perceived as a triumph of artistry
over stone. This is the key feature that unites all Novgorodian
architecture of the 11th to 15th century. The crystal clarity and
unity of the volumes is emphasized by tiers of windows and
double-stepped niches. In spite of the thick cultural layers
burying the lower parts of the walls and in spite of the cornice
seemingly extinguishing the energy of the dynamic wall surfaces,
the height of the building and its impetuous surge upward produce
an indelible impression. The character of the architectural
masses as if modelled by hand, the spontaneous composition with a
tower and an asymmetric three-cupola top ä a composition that
accentuates the harmony of whole and detail ä everything is
imbued with a special sense of majesty inherent in Novgorodian
architecture. The architectural scheme of the interior, resolved
in an energetic and dynamic manner, is notable for the
well-thought-out relationship of space and volumes. It looks as
if the architect aspired to convey here his idea of a harmonious
world. Such buildings could have only been constructed by people
who keenly felt the harmony of the spiritual and the material.
Most of the murals were lost in the 19th century (knocked down
during a restoration).