You can admire Orthodox churches in almost every city in Russia. And here is one of the most ancient temples - St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral. Nizhny Novgorod is a beautiful old Russian city, which was founded by Prince George Vsevolodovich in 1221. The cathedral became the tomb of the Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod princes. The temple operates today, services are held every day - morning at 8.00 and evening at 17.00, the rest of the time it is open for excursions.
A bit of history
Since the foundation of the city, the cathedral in all its glory has been located in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, built in the period from 1500 to 1518. Throughout history, no one has been able to conquer it. Residents of the city under its walls, led by Prince Dimitry Pozharsky and their headman of the Zemstvo Council Kuzma Minin, raised funds and organized a militia in 1611 against the Polish invaders who captured Moscow. The city has become an important trading hub in Russia since 1817. In Soviet times, it was renamed Gorky (in honor of the writer M. Gorky). During the Great Patriotic War he was subjected to mass bombing, as he supplied the front with military equipment and ammunition most of all.
How was built Michael the Archangel Cathedral (Nizhny Novgorod)
The history of the temple has several centuries. At first it was a wooden building in honor of the voivode of the Heavenly Forces of the Archangel Michael, who in Russia was considered the patron saint of the Russian army. It was consecrated in 1221, but four years later, in 1227, on the same foundation a white-stone four-pillar and three-apse white-stone cathedral was built, in which there were three vestibules.
The cathedral building was once again rebuilt in 1359, and after another three centuries, new construction was resumed by decree of the Russian Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. It was erected on an ancient foundation in memory of the feat of Minin and Pozharsky and the Nizhny Novgorod militia. The cathedral was completely ready in 1631, and it has survived to this day.
After the coronation, almost every representative of the royal Romanov dynasty came to Minin’s grave, since they believed that they owed their accession to him and Pozharsky, and if they had not saved Moscow, their ancestor Mikhail Romanov would not have received the royal throne.
Great architects
The Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Cathedral (Nizhny Novgorod) was created under the leadership of architects Lavrentiy Semenovich Vozulin, his stepson Antipa and A. Konstantinov in a style quite rare for Russia, which was called tent. Its height reached 39 meters, and the shape of the structure resembled an obelisk monument with a tetrahedral volume, the walls ended with three decorative vaults with kokoshniks zakomaras. A tent of faces with a long drum and a small head was erected directly on top of the sides called zakomar. The windows of the cathedral are slit-like. The bell tower and the cupola still have preserved ancient crosses and their scaly robes from curly tiles. The cathedral has quite good acoustics, thanks to clay jugs - voices (they were specially mounted in the thickness of the walls).
Test time
During the fire in the Kremlin that arose in 1704, the Archangel Cathedral was completely damaged, and services were restored only in March 1732, and Archbishop Pitirim consecrated it again.
In Soviet times, the cathedral was closed, the building was turned into a branch of the historical museum. In 1962, the tomb of Minin was brought into the building, which was taken from the destroyed Transfiguration Church.
St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral (Nizhny Novgorod), the photographs of which are presented above, in 2008 in the square was decorated with a monument to Bishop Simon of Suzdal and Prince George Vsevolodovich. On February 17, a lot of people and guests gathered for the grand opening and the festive liturgy, which was served in all the churches of Nizhny Novgorod , the archbishop of Nizhny Novgorod George consecrated the monument.
In February 2006, President Vladimir Putin visited the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Cathedral (Nizhny Novgorod). In the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, he laid flowers at the tomb of the cathedral, where now the remains of Minin Kuzma are buried.
St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral (Nizhny Novgorod, Avtozavodsky district)
In the middle of spring 2009, nine bells were presented to the cathedral as a gift from Nizhny Novgorod deputies, of which the largest - Lawyer - weighed 530 kg, and he began to decorate the belfry. Icon with a particle of relics of St. Prince George Vsevolodovich - this is the main shrine of the ancient cathedral.
In September 2009, in September the Archangel Michael Cathedral (Nizhny Novgorod) was visited by Patriarch Kirill, who performed a memorial service, paid tribute to Kuzma Minin and presented the icon of the Virgin called “Kazan”.