One of the latest preserved monuments of white-stone architecture of the pre-Horde invasion in the Vladimir land. Part of the walls, covered with elegant stone carvings, have been preserved unchanged. Against the background of a flat carpet pattern, images of fantastic animals and monsters, beasts, birds, and people stand out in high relief. Here are lions, centaurs, and birds of paradise-Sirins. Their purely decorative figures are usually mirrored, naturally combined with the curls of the ornamental pattern. Along with them, images of gospel scenes, holy warriors, the Mother of God, and St. George are introduced into the decor.
In 1238, the cathedral suffered from a Mongol-Tatar raid. In the 15th century, it collapsed and was restored in 1471 by the Moscow architect V.D. Ermolin, sent especially for this purpose by Ivan III. Seeing only a pile of white stone blocks and the remains of the walls, Yermolin could only cover the facades with carved stones, placing them as God would have it, turning the cathedral into a stone mystery. There are many historical monuments in the cathedral. Among others, the tomb of Grand Duke Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, who died in 1252.
Translated by Google •
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