Tver. Cathedral of the Ascension
On the banks of the Moscow River in the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve there is a miracle of medieval architecture: the Church of the Ascension of the Lord.
The temple took 4 years to build. From 1528 to 1532. As rumor says, it was erected in honor of the birth of the son of Vasily III, Ivan the Terrible. But this is rather fiction, given that Ivan the Terrible was born in 1530, because it would have been problematic to complete a project of such scale in two years. Most likely, Vasily started the construction back in 1528, as a tribute to God, so that God would send him a long-awaited heir. After all, for a long time the tsar and his wife remained a childless couple, which was a big problem during the times of autocracy and continuity of power.
In September 1532, its consecration took place, the entire royal family took part in this ceremony - Grand Duke Vasily III himself, his young wife Elena Glinskaya and baby Ioan.
Who built the temple
The name of the talented architect who built the temple has not yet been established. It can be assumed that the architect was an Italian. Most historians believe that the church was built by the then little-known architect Petro Annibale. In Russia he had many names - Petrok Maloy, Pyotr Fryazin. And Vasily III’s invitation to Moscow in 1528 makes this version the most convincing. It was the surname Fryazin that convinced many that this was a certain Pskov architect who built many masterpieces of architecture in the Mother See. It's actually a nickname. All Italians in Rus' were called this way.
Characteristics of style and construction features
The building is simply a collection of several architectural styles. There are pilasters with capitals in the style of the Early Renaissance, and Gothic vimpergs, and classic Russian kokoshniks. Understand, what architectural style did the architect adhere to is difficult.
Among the elements of the Renaissance are the following:
- order;
- portals with straight architrave ceilings of openings;
- drawing of Gothic vampires.
The height of the temple tower is as much as 62 meters. By the standards of those times, this was an impressive figure. The building was the tallest Orthodox building. And due to the flying architectonics, it feels like the building is floating above the ground.
The building has no internal supports, as well as the usual altar apse. It is installed on a basement surrounded by a walkway, and although the thickness of the walls is from 2 to 4 meters, from the outside the church looks very light. On the eastern side, the stone throne survived. The legs are made in the shape of lion paws, and the armrests are decorated with intricate arabesques. From here the Moscow rulers admired the immense expanse opening beyond the Moscow River.
The interior space of the building is not large, because it was the prince’s home temple. Only members of the sovereign's family and the closest, trusted servants could pray here.
The temple was built as a summer temple, unheated. There has never been a stove or any heating here. This is how he remains to this day. The Temple of the Ascension is considered the first tented temple made of stone. In addition, the church had the function of a watchtower. In the thickness of one of the walls there is a narrow staircase leading up straight to the tent. There is a special observation deck used for signaling. If a watchman stationed there saw suspicious movements or movements of troops, then a fire would immediately light up. At night it was a bright flame. During the day, the signal was given by smoke.
Gradually, with the loss of the village of Kolomenskoye of the official status of the current royal residence, the temple lost its “house” status and became a parish. It was a summer church, where services were held from Easter to the Intercession. And in Soviet times, concerts of sacred and classical music were held here, if it was interesting from a historical point of view. Now the temple has come to life: services are held here.
At the bottom of the temple there is a composition dedicated to the history and restoration of the church. From the street, the visitor enters the western tent. This room arose in the 17th century, when the space between the supporting pillars of the bypass gallery was filled with bricks. Here you can get acquainted with some of the design features of the temple and the materials used in its construction, as well as old photographs.
The next room is the church basement or sub-church. The thickness of the walls here reaches five meters. Usually they kept the most valuable things. Perhaps the treasury of Ivan the Terrible was once located there.
The internal volume of the temple is open to 42 meters, so that a feeling of ascension is created inside. The decoration of that time has not been preserved, only the form of the galleries has its original appearance. One can only guess what everything looked like here back in 1532, but according to historians, the situation was colorful and rich. And this is not surprising, because the temple was a house of worship for the royal family.
The most interesting thing is that, according to legend, somewhere in the temple there is the great library of Ivan the Terrible, which he inherited from his Byzantine grandmother.
Changes after repairs and restorations
During its existence the following changes were made to the building:
This is only a small part of the renovation work. Over the course of its history, the building has undergone significant transformations.
Since 1994, the site has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and is protected by this organization. This indicates that even the world cultural community highly values this architectural structure.
The Church of the Ascension is an undeniable masterpiece of world architecture. Even after centuries, it never ceases to amaze with its perfect harmony and wonderful energy that permeates everything around.
Photo: Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord Orshina Monastery
Photo and description
The Cathedral in honor of the Ascension of the Lord was built in the 15th century. during the reign of Boris Alexandrovich. It was originally made of wood. In the middle of the 16th century. under Archimandrite Gennady, a stone, five-domed majestic cathedral church of the Ascension of the Lord was built, consecrated on November 2, 1567 by Barsanuphius of Tver.
The monastery was twice attacked by Polish-Lithuanian invaders - in 1603. And then - in 1611, after which the cathedral was consecrated again in 1610 and 1613. respectively. At the end of the 18th century. four side chapters of the cathedral were lost, the roof covering was replaced with a hipped one.
In 1846, the brick floor in the cathedral was replaced with wood, and a new iconostasis was made. In 1854-1862. On the western side of the cathedral, a refectory with two chapels was added, which, together with the bell tower, were consecrated in 1862. The cathedral was plastered and painted in 1887-1893.
In 1903, a new chapter was installed on the drum of the cathedral. In 1910, the architect A.P. Fedorov completed a project for the small chapters of the Ascension Cathedral, but the Moscow Archaeological Society rejected it for this reason. that such an architectural solution would distort the ancient temple.
After the monastery was closed in 1919, a granary was built in the cathedral. In 1941, the headquarters of the Soviet troops was located in the monastery; the monastery was constantly shelled and was heavily damaged by shells.
In the middle of the 20th century. The cathedral has survived with significant losses. In 1968, research and then restoration work began under the leadership of architect B.L. Altshuller. A fragment of a fresco depicting St. Onuphrius, located on the wall of the main altar, was dismantled and then transferred to TOKG.
After the opening of the monastery in 1992, restoration and investigative work continued under the leadership of the architect N.G. Zachesova. In 2001, services began in the ancient part of the cathedral.
The Ascension Cathedral is a magnificent monument of Tver temple architecture of the mid-16th century. and one of the most ancient surviving monastery cathedrals in the Tver region. The cathedral was built of brick with individual white stone parts; the outside was covered with thin plaster and then whitewashed. The refectory is made of brick, externally lined with white stone. The bell tower is brick, plastered with predominant features of the Russian style.
The main cubic volume of the cathedral has two lights, lowered and flattened apses, slightly protruding from the eastern side. The temple looks monumental and impressive, despite its rather small size. The cathedral is crowned with a large cylindrical drum with a large onion dome. Adjacent to the temple from the west is a lowered and almost square gable refectory.
The hipped two-tier bell tower, standing on the longitudinal axis next to the western facade of the refectory, is expanded with lateral volumes from the south and north. The lower tier of the bell tower is in the form of a quadrangle; it carries an octagon with diagonal narrow edges. The structure is crowned by a slender wooden tent with a dome on a thin neck.
According to tradition, the facades of the temple are divided into three sections of varying widths by blades and end with semicircular zakomaras. There is a profiled belt above the plinth; the walls are separated from the archivolts by a double profiled cornice. A simpler cornice runs along the top of the apses. All facades of the building, except the eastern one, in the middle of the middle sections had arched entrances with perspective portals. Only the southern portal has survived to this day in its original form, the northern one was restored during restoration, the western one was hewn down when the refectory was added. The decor of the bell tower and refectory is rather sparse. At the corners, the volumes are secured with blades. The arched windows of the refectory are decorated with framed frames, and there is an arcature belt under the cornice. The facades of the bell tower are decorated with rectangular panels.
Inside the Ascension Cathedral there are four massive, widely spaced pillars that carry box vaults connected to girth arches. The apses are covered with box vaults with conchs. In the northern room of the refectory there is a staircase leading to the bell tier.
The dome of the cathedral depicts Hosts, on the walls of the drum are the archangels, and under the windows of the drum are Christ, John the Baptist, the apostles, and the evangelists on the sails. Fragments of ornamentation have been preserved on the girth arches.
Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist.
(Katedrála Nanebevzetí Panny Marie a Svatého Jana Křtitele).
Czech Republic, Central Bohemian region (Středočeský kraj). Kutná Hora district.
Kutna Hora, Sedlec district (Kutná Hora-Sedlec), Vítězná street 1.
In the Czech Republic, a remarkable architectural monument of the late 13th - early 14th centuries has been preserved to this day - Monastic, which was one of the most powerful structures of that time.
Start of construction Sedlec Monastery, the oldest Cistercian monastery founded in the Czech Republic, dates back to 1142, during the era of its greatest prosperity Order of the Cistercians.
Cistercians (lat. Ordo Cisterciensis, OCist), white monks, Bernardines - a Catholic monastic order that branched off from the Benedictine order in the 11th century. Due to the outstanding role played by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in the formation of the order, in some countries it is customary to call the Cistercians Bernardines.
The first community of monks came to the Czech Republic from the Waldsassen monastery in Bavaria. Information about the first 150 years of existence Siedlce community, with the exception of the names of the abbots, has not been preserved.
Around this time, the first monastery church was built, the foundation of which was exposed under the stone tiled floor of the current church building.
Founded as an alternative to the Romanesque church. The temple was built in 1280-1320. The cathedral is the most massive surviving structure of that era; the length of the temple is 87 meters. 
The building, in plan form of a Latin cross, with an elevated main nave, initially with two side naves, in its general structure continued the tradition of large cathedrals in the north of France, and at the same time borrowed some elements of German cathedral Gothic. This is explained by the fact that the cradle of the Cistercian Order is France.
The temple is also interesting because, for the first time in the Czech Republic, the cathedral end of the cathedral with an ensemble of chapels next to the presbytery was used. Thus, a compromise was reached between the requirements of the Cistercians - simplicity and luxury.
The second half of the 14th century passed in conditions of economic decline, although Sedlec Monastery and subsequently continued to enjoy the reputation of the leading monastic institution in the country. The Hussite wars became fatal for the monastery. In 1421 it was taken by the Hussites and burned. The monastic brethren were executed. A modest resumption of monastic life took place only in 1454.
Sedlec Monastery It gained new strength only after the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), when it was gradually possible to strengthen the economic situation, stabilize the number of monks and strengthen monastic discipline. The abbots (abbots) developed extensive restoration activities in the ruins of the monastery, depending on the economic capabilities of the monastery, until, finally, Jindřich Snopek was elected abbot of the monastery in 1685 (Jan Snopek, 1685-1709). Jindřich Snopek was born in 1651, and at the age of 20 he joined the Cistercian Order. At the age of 35, he was already elected abbot of Siedlce. The name of Jindřich Snopek is associated primarily with the great work of restoring the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which stood in ruins for 279 years. 
Restoration Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist began around 1700. The work was entrusted to the Prague architect Pavel Ignatius Bayer (Pavel Ignac Bayer), who strengthened the Gothic torso, repaired and laid the missing parts of the walls, built the second south nave and designed Tuscan order columns for the side naves and behind the altar. In 1703, Jan Blazej Santini Eichel became the architect. (Jan Blažej Santini Aichel). The replacement led to a fundamental change in the project. The general medieval character was retained, but the building was decorated with completely unique Gothic elements. Most of all, Santini's concept was manifested in the construction of the barrel vault of the main nave, choir and transept with a decorative network of twisted ribs. In the side naves, the portico and four portico chapels there are sail vaults, distinguished by their significant flatness. Self-supporting spiral staircases are also a unique contribution of Santini. A portico with three canopies was placed in front of the front portal, and the top of the pediment was finished with a four-petal rosette with pinkals on the sides. The so-called Baroque Gothic, which first found its place in the Siedlce Cathedral, quickly became the inspiration for this kind of work. 
Prague artist Jan Jakob Steinfels was invited to create the frescoes; the canvases are works by Michael Wilman and Peter Brandl. The sculptures and artistic carvings were produced by the workshop of the Prague carver Matej Vaclav Jekel. The last important decorative work was carried out towards the end of the 1850s, when the frescoes located opposite the Chapel of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and the Virgin Mary were transformed. The work was carried out by Judas Tadeas Supper. 
Refurbished Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist was consecrated in 1708. The period of renewed economic prosperity did not last long. As part of the reforms of the Austrian Emperor Joseph 2 (Joseph 2) The monastery was liquidated in 1784, the consecration of the monastery church was removed and it was closed, and a significant number of artistic objects were sold at auction.
For some time the temple was a flour warehouse, but in 1806 it was returned to the Church. In 1806 Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist began to play the role of a parish church for the city of Sedlec and the nearby town of Malin, which it still plays. A tobacco factory was founded in the monastery building in 1812, which operates there to this day. The villages and estates that belonged to the Sedlec monastery were bought by Prince Schwarzenberg in 1819.
Since 1995 Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. After a major renovation, which was partly financed from its own funds and partly from the Architectural Heritage Rescue program of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, it was reopened to the public in the spring of 2009.
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| Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary | central nave |
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| view from the facade of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary | main entrance portico |
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| main entrance sculpture | Central nave | altar of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary |
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| fragment of the altar of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary | organ of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary |
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| organ balcony | balcony with crucifix | painting of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary |
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| side altar | side altar | confessional |
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| relics of the cathedral saints Assumption of the Virgin Mary | painting of Saint Benedict and reliquary of Saint Felix | painting of Saint Bernard and reliquary of Saint Ikentius |
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| relics of Saint Felix in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary | relics of Saint Ikentius in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary |
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| sculpture of the western facade | at the statue of a saint | sculpture of the western facade |
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| picture of the 5th station of the path of Christ | picture of the 10th station of the path of Christ | painting of the founding of the order |
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According to the status of the diocese - cathedral, Bishop's Compound. Consecrated in 1838, 3 altars: the Ascension of the Lord (main), the Epiphany, St. Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk. The stone temple was built in 1749-1760. on the site of the one that burned down on April 27, 1747. wooden Ascension Church. In 1826-1836. at the expense of merchants I.F. Tatarintsev and F.N. Bobrov's temple was rebuilt according to the design of the architect I.F. Lvov in the style of late classicism.
The main altar of the cathedral gave the name to the cathedral itself. The southern aisle is dedicated to the Epiphany (or Baptism) of the Lord, and the northern aisle is dedicated to St. Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk. It was built later (1831). It is known that the Tver merchant I.D. designed it. Podsypanin donated 5,000 rubles. In order for the northern façade of the church to be organically included in the development of the “solid façade” of the former Millionnaya Street, it was given a distinctly ceremonial character. The main entrance is equipped with a podium with steps. According to Lvov's design, the staircase was to be decorated with statues.
The temple was closed in the 1930s. and was used as a warehouse. A special commission for the confiscation of church valuables confiscated precious church utensils and icons from the cathedral. In 1936, the building was transferred to the regional museum of local lore, and from 1972-73. it was used as an exhibition hall.
In 1993, the church was returned to the diocese and became a cathedral. Restoration work was carried out in the 1970s and 1990s. On January 7, 1993, on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the first service was held in the cathedral, and in July 1994 the procession with the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God from the Nativity of Christ Monastery to the Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord was resumed. Nowadays in the cathedral there are the newly painted Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God and the “Fat Mountain” icon of the Mother of God, especially revered in Tver, painted anew in 1994, since the ancient icons were lost. Among the shrines, the relics of St. are especially revered in the cathedral. svm. Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, killed on December 31, 1937
At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. at the intersection of Millionnaya (Sovetskaya) street and Ilyinsky lane (Tverskaya pr.) there were residential buildings built in the 1760s. The two-story house on the right originally belonged to the clergy of the Voznesenskaya, “on Prospect” church. It was built when the stone temple already existed. The construction of the Church of the Ascension began in 1749 with the construction of the Epiphany chapel. In 1751 it was completed and consecrated. By 1761, construction of the main part of the temple complex - the Church of the Ascension of the Lord - was completed. A refectory adjoined the temple from the west, and a bell tower from the north. The church was badly damaged in a fire in 1763, but was restored by 1768.
In 1805, the bell tower was dismantled because it “obstructed both the church itself and the light in it, and besides, due to the cramped space, the bell ringing could not be heard in the parish.” A new bell tower was installed on the western side. At the beginning of the 19th century, parishioners of the Ascension Church decided to replace it with a larger building. The old building was dismantled, and on April 30, 1826, construction of a new temple began. The author of the project was the provincial architect Ivan Fedorovich Lvov. The consecration of the temple took place in 1833 with a “stunted” old bell tower, and only in 1902-1903. the third tier of ringing appeared.
At the beginning of the 20th century, in the house of the clergy of the Church of the Ascension there was a Blinov store, where hunting accessories, musical instruments and household goods were traded. The house opposite in 1803-1804. The city authorities purchased it for the City Duma and Magistrate. When in the 1860s. The city police were transferred here, and a high wooden tower was erected above the building. At the very beginning of our century (around 1907), the tower was dismantled. At the same time, a private secondary school was opened on the third floor of the house, and the first floor housed Petronelli Osipovna Ozerova’s store, which sold Singer sewing machines.
Both the church clergy house and the city Duma building were lost in Soviet times during the expansion of Cooperative (formerly Ilyinsky) Lane and its transformation into Tverskoy Avenue.
http://history-tver.ru/7-31.htm
The Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord is located in the Central administrative district of Tver, at the intersection of Tverskoy Prospect and st. Soviet.
The history of the cathedral goes back centuries. It is known that until 1612, near the present church there was a wooden one with the same name. Nearby there was also a wooden church in the name of the Epiphany of the Lord. These were small parish cathedrals (warm and cold). Both were burned during the Polish-Lithuanian intervention. In 1624, the Church of the Ascension was rebuilt, and in 1709, two churches stood here again - the Ascension and the Epiphany. But in 1725, the Epiphany Church burned down and was never rebuilt. Later, a wooden church in the name of the Ascension of the Lord with the throne of the Epiphany was built on this site. But this temple did not last long. It burned to the ground during a huge fire. After some time, the parishioners asked for permission to build a new church on this site, already made of stone, with the same name and the same chapel. A deed of temple deed was given. In 1751, the chapel of the Epiphany was completed by the builders “with clean images and all church vestments removed” and consecrated.
Construction of the cathedral itself continued for almost another 9 years, and in 1760 the main chapel was consecrated. But this cathedral did not last long. On May 19, 1763, a devastating fire occurred in Tver. The newly built church also burned down. But the parishioners were able to quickly restore the chapel of the Epiphany, which was consecrated in September. Worship services have resumed there. The cathedral itself took a long time to be restored. Finally, in 1768, the interior decoration was restored. The temple was completely built and consecrated. In 1805, a new bell tower was erected near the cathedral.
Time passed. Extensive stone construction was carried out in the center of Tver. Such wonderful masters as K. Rossi, N. Legrand and I. Lvov worked in the city. The cathedral, located in the center of the city, with its already unfashionable “baroque” decoration, ceased to satisfy the illustrious owners and parishioners. The question arose about its restructuring. In 1818, parishioners and priests asked permission to dismantle the cathedral and build a new, more spacious one in its place, with the chapels of Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk and the Epiphany. The petition was accompanied by a design for the church, signed by the provincial architect N. Legrand. But there were no funds for this work. They decided to expand the cathedral by constructing a new chapel. In 1831, the chapel of Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk was completed and consecrated. In 1833, on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the entire temple was consecrated with a new gilded iconostasis and walls covered with paintings. And only in 1836 the chapel of the Epiphany of the Lord was consecrated.
The cathedral became a true decoration of the city. During construction, white stone was widely used, from which the columns, cornices, base, steps of the temple and bell tower were made. The cathedral was painted ocher, the decorative details were whitewashed. Painting was used both inside and outside. With the help of painting in the portico, a unique imitation of volumetric reliefs using the grisaille technique was created. The dome and crosses on the cathedral and bell tower were gilded. The roof and dome were covered with tinned iron. Wrought iron was widely used to make bars on windows and doors. The window frames and doors were tinted to look like stained oak.
Everything about the structure was thought out to the smallest detail. The cathedral looked majestic. Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely trace the chronology of the reconstruction - the archival fund of the temple has not completely survived. These are mainly minor repair alterations.
After the revolution in 1922, utensils and icons were confiscated from the Ascension Cathedral by the commission for the confiscation of church valuables. And in 1935 the temple was closed. Since 1936, the building housed an exposition of the regional museum of local lore. In the fall of 1941, Divine services were temporarily resumed. In 1972, the building was transferred to the exhibition hall of the Regional Industrial Exhibition. At the same time, its significant reconstruction was carried out: interfloor ceilings were made, the heating system was replaced, and a ramp was added on the eastern side.
In 1991, at the request of believers, work began on transferring the cathedral to the Church. On January 7, 1993, the first service took place in the church.
http://vosnesenie.ru/about/history/
Tver Cathedral in honor of the Ascension of the Lord, bishop's metochion of the Tver dioceseThe Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord is located in the Central administrative district of the regional center at the intersection of Tverskoy Avenue and Sovetskaya Street.
The history of the cathedral goes back centuries. It is known that until a year ago there stood a wooden church with the same name near the real church. Nearby there was also a wooden Epiphany Church - these were small parish cathedrals, warm and cold, both were burned during the Polish-Lithuanian intervention.
Architecture
During the construction of the cathedral, white stone was very widely used: white stone columns, cornices, plinth, temple steps and bell towers. The temple was painted ocher, the decorative details were whitewashed. Painting was used both inside and outside. With the help of painting in the portico, a skillful composition of volumetric reliefs using the grisaille technique was created.
The dome and cross on the temple were gilded. The cross on the spire of the bell tower was also gilded. The roof and dome were covered with tinned iron. Wrought iron was widely used (bars on windows and doors). The window frames and doors were tinted to look like stained oak. Everything about the structure was thought out to the smallest detail.