Photo:
rg.EN
President meets Christmas in the Saviour Cathedral of St. George monastery, near lake Ilmen.
In the Church many parishioners, among them Novgorod fishermen, with whom the head of state met last fall while walking around the lake together with the Prime Minister.
One of the oldest in Russia, according to legend, the monastery was founded by Prince Yaroslav the Wise in 1030. First mentioned in Chronicles in 1119, was laid the stone Church – St. George’s Cathedral. It was built 11 years old.
Once the spiritual center of the Novgorod Republic, now the monastery is five kilometres from Novgorod on the Volkhov river near lake Ilmen.
In the 1770’s monastery lost a considerable part of the holdings, and desolate. In the nineteenth century, it began restoration and construction work (and the course was destroyed the original frescoes of St. George’s Cathedral). In 1841 was built the bell tower by the famous architect Karl Rossi.
After the revolution the monastery was destined for a sad fate: in 1921 it was decided to expropriate his property. And during the great Patriotic war on the territory of the monastery was occupied by the Nazis, and buildings suffered serious damage. Until the late 1980s there was different secular institutions – post office, school, Museum, grocery store, art gallery and etc. At the end of December 1991, the complex was transferred to Novgorod diocese.
We will remind that Vladimir Putin meets Christmas outside Moscow.