The Church of St Procopius
Two more buildings located near the St Nicholas cathedral ä the
Church of the Holy Women (1508 ä 1511) and the Church of St
Procopius (1529) ä were erected on the sites of the wooden
churches that were destroyed by the fire of 1508. They furnish a
clue to the changes that took place in Novgorodian architecture
after the city's unification with Moscow. It is worth mentioning
that the construction of both was financed by the Moscow merchant
Ivan Syrkov (the Church of the Holy Women) and his son Dmitry
(St Procopius). The Syrkovs were among the fairly great number of
families that settled in Novgorod by order of Ivan III to replace
the deported boyars and merchants suspected of anti-Moscow
sentiments.
St Procopius was undoubtedly modeled on the Church of the Holy
Women and repeated, its composition and inner structure. The
building is notable for its well-thought-out proportions and
clear-cut, seemingly weightless drum.