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Cultural tour - Educational tours - Musical tour - Winter tour
Alexander Palace - Novgorod - Pavlovsk - Peterhof - Tsarskoye Selo
Novgorod - one of the most ancient cities of Russia located in its
North-West, near the site where the Volkhov river takes its waters
from Lake Ilmen, emerged as a political center of Slavic and
Fino-Ugric tribes in the mid-9th century, while as a town it was
formed in the middle of the 10th century.
The history of Novgorod is closely connected with all major stages
in the life of Russian state. In the times, when the statehood of
Rus was just in the making, the Novgorodians invited Scandinavian
prince Rurik to keep law and order, thus giving birth to the prince
Rurik dynasty that ruled over all Russian lands throughout more than
750 years.
In the early 10th century, war campaigns of the Novgorodians against
Constantinopol to secure equal trade with Bizantine resulted in the
integration of East Slavic tribes into the ancient Kievan Russian
state.
The adoption of Christianity at the close of the tenth century
turned Novgorod into a powerful ecclesiastical center. The efforts
of Novgorod Bishops in spreading and promoting the Orthodoxy were
given high credit in the mid-12th century when they were elevated
to the ranks of Archbishops which made the Bishops Chair of Novgorod
the most powerful in the Russian Orthodoxy.
The right of Novgorod to select its own princes, that was granted
in the middle of the 12th century, attracted princes to the
Novgorod throne, and that provided favorable conditions to maintain
the unity of Russian lands which tended to be feudally divided.
The annexation of the Novgorod republic to the Moscow Principality at the
end of the 15th century resulted in the united Russian State with
Moscow as its capital.
Throughout many centuries, Novgorod was a political center of vast
territories stretching up from Baltic lands and Finland in the West
to the northern Urals in the East. It was also one of the greatest
international trade centers on the Baltic-Volga commercial route
that tied northern Europe to Asia as early as in the mid - 8th
century.
Novgorod is the cradle of Russian republican and democratic traditions.
In the course of over 600 years, up till 1478, all vital decisions
on its life and foreign policy were taken by the "veche" - an ancient
parliament comprising the representatives of the town aristocratic
families. At the most crucial times of Novgorod history, all people took part
in the veche.
The republic's special political structure, spiritual freedom and
territorial independence were highly favorable to evolve culture
and art.
Medieval Novgorod was one of the greatest art centers of Europe.
Its architectural traditions, school of icon-painting, jeweler's
and decorative applied art became famous all over the world.
The town's military power, and remoteness from dangerous southern
borders, its successful campaigns against clergical reforms and heresies
enabled it to preserve a unique complex of architectural monuments
with frescoes of the 11th - 17th centuries. The oldest Russian
manuscripts, chronicles, acts, icons are found in Novgorod. The only time in its
history when Novgorod suffered military damage was in the course
of World War II: for over two years the city, being at the
front line, was bombed and shelled by both combating armies.
Turned into ruins, this city on the Volkhov River was brought
to life again by the restorers who managed to revive its old architecture from the
11th - 17th centuries.
First of all you will be fascinated by the cathedral of St. Sophia,
the Holy Wisdom of God - the oldest surviving Russian stone church.
It was built in 1045. The powerful monolithic massive structure of the
monument still dominates not only the Kremlin, but the whole historic
downtown of Novgorod. In the interior of this cathedral your
attention will be drawn to the unique historically formed
iconostases, ancient mural paintings, and icons which are national relics of
Russia (including the famous icon of the 12th century - Virgin of
the Sign, that was returned back to the cathedral in 1991, when
divine services were resumed here), as well as other relics of Bizantine,
Western Europe and Russian art. In the course of hundreds of years
the Cathedral of St. Sophia was a center of clergical, political
and cultural life of ancient Novgorod.
Many experts of Russian art justly believe Novgorod to be the Russian
Florence; no other old Russian cities have managed to preserve
so many ancient architectural monuments adorned with wall murals.
In the central square of the Kremlin you will find the monument
"The Millenium of Russia", designed by Mikhail Mikeshin and erected
in 1862. It is a unique document in bronze immortalizing alongside
with outstanding politicians of Russia all those who greatly
contributed to the development of the country: its culture, science,
art, literacy, literature.
The open-air architectural-ethnographic museum "Vitoslavlitsy"
provides a whole complex of genuine folk wooden architecture,
including ancient churches of the 16th - 18th centuries and peasant
houses of the 19th - early 20th centuries, exhibitions of folk art
and everyday life items of Novgorod peasants of the same period.
Novgorod Photo gallery
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Russian Tours - Details and Prices - Essential Information -
Russian Newsletter Archive
Site Map
Address: 907 Bradwell St., Hinesville, GA 31313-2204
Phone: +1 (912) 368-0668, Fax: +1 (912) 877-4897
e-mail: info@mmarttravel.com
www.mmarttravel.com
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