The medieval state of Kievan Rus' incorporated parts of what is now Belarus, Russia and Ukraine and was centered around Kiev and Novgorod. Its architectural style quickly established itself after the adoption of Christianity in 988 and was strongly influenced by the Byzantine. After the disintegration of Kievan Rus' followed by Mongol invasion in the first half of 13th century, the architectural tradition continued in the principalities of Novgorod, Vladimir-Suzdal, Halych-Volhynia and eventually had direct influence on the Russian Architecture that became prominent in Muscovy and the Russian Empire. Trydent of Yaroslav I Map of the Kievan Rus′, 11th century Capital Kiev Religion Orthodox Christianity Government Monarchy Historical era Middle Ages  - Established 9th century  - Disestablished 12th century Currency Hryvnia Kievan Rus′ was the early, predominantly East Slavic[1] medieval state of Rurikid dynasty dominated by the city of Kiev... Map of Ukraine with Kiev highlighted Coordinates: , Country Ukraine Oblast Kiev City Municipality Raion Municipality Government  - Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi Elevation 179 m (587 ft) Population (2006)  - City 4,450,968  - Density 3,299/km² (8,544. ... Velikiy Novgorod (Russian: ) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia, situated on the M10(E95) federal highway connecting Moscow and St. ... Clandestine Christian communities existed in Kiev for decades before the official baptism. ... Events Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev marries Anna, sister of Byzantine emperor Basil II and converts to Christianity. ... Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. ... Trydent of Yaroslav I Map of the Kievan Rus′, 11th century Capital Kiev Religion Orthodox Christianity Government Monarchy Historical era Middle Ages  - Established 9th century  - Disestablished 12th century Currency Hryvnia Kievan Rus′ was the early, predominantly East Slavic[1] medieval state of Rurikid dynasty dominated by the city of Kiev... The Mongol Invasion of Rus was heralded by the Battle of the Kalka River (1223) between Subutais reconnaissance unit and the combined force of several princes of Rus. After fifteen years of peace, it was followed by Batu Khans full-scale invasion in 1237-40. ... Medieval walls of Novgorod City The Novgorod Feudal Republic (Новгородская феодальная республика or Novgorodskaya feodalnaya respublika in Russian) was a powerful medieval state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th century. ... Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, Vladimir-Suzdal Grand Duchy (Russian: , tr. ... Coat of arms The Halych-Volhynian Kingdom. ... Saint Basils Cathedral (1555-61) is a showcase of medieval Russian architecture. ... Muscovy (Moscow principality (княжество Московское) to Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое Княжество Московское) to Russian Tsardom (Царство Русское)) is a traditional Western name for the Russian state that existed from the 14th century to the late 17th century. ... The subject of this article was previously also known as Russia. ...

Church architecture

As early as 12th century, Halychian churches conspicuously resemble the Romanesque temples of Central Europe.

The city of Novgorod and its dependencies boast the largest number of pre-Mongolian churches.

The great churches of Kievan Rus', built after the adoption of Christianity in 988, were the first examples of monumental architecture in the East Slavic lands. The architectural style of the Kievan state which quickly established itself was strongly influenced by the Byzantine. Early Eastern Orthodox churches were mainly made of wood with the simplest form of church becoming known as a cell church. Major cathedrals often featured scores of small domes, which led some art historians to take this as an indication of what the pagan Slavic temples should have looked like. Image File history File linksMetadata Pantelei. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Pantelei. ... South transept of Tournai Cathedral, Belgium, 12th century. ... Central Europe The Alpine Countries and the Visegrád Group (Political map, 2004) Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... Image File history File links Photo of the Saviour church at Nereditsa near Novgorod (1198), as taken in the 1960s. ... Image File history File links Photo of the Saviour church at Nereditsa near Novgorod (1198), as taken in the 1960s. ... Velikiy Novgorod (Russian: ) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia, situated on the M10(E95) federal highway connecting Moscow and St. ... Clandestine Christian communities existed in Kiev for decades before the official baptism. ... Events Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev marries Anna, sister of Byzantine emperor Basil II and converts to Christianity. ... Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... A cell church is a Christian church structure centering on the regular gathering of cell groups. ...

The tenth-century Church of the Tithes in Kiev was the first cult building to be made of stone. The earliest Kievan churches were built and decorated with frescoes and mosaics by Byzantine masters. The ruined Church of the Tithes in the 1650s, drawn by Abraham van Westerfeld. ... For other uses, see Fresco (disambiguation). ... Mosaic is the art of decoration with small pieces of colored glass, stone or other material. ...

Another great example of an early church of Kievan Rus' was the thirteen-domed Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev (1037-54), built by Yaroslav the Wise. Much of its exterior has been altered with time, extending ove the area and eventually acquiring 25 domes. Much of the original Byzantine interior remains intact. ... Yaroslav I the Wise (978?-1054) (Christian name: Yury, or George) was thrice prince of Novgorod and Kiev, uniting the two principalities for a time under his rule. ...

Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod (1044-52), on the other hand, expressed a new style that exerted a strong influence on Russian church architecture. Its austere thick walls, small narrow windows, and helmeted cupolas have much in common with the Romanesque architecture of Western Europe. The Cathedral of St Sophia in Novgorod is the oldest preserved church in Russia. ... South transept of Tournai Cathedral, Belgium, 12th century. ...

Even further departure from Byzantine models is evident in succeeding cathedrals of Novgorod: St Nicholas's (1113), St Anthony's (1117-19), and St George's (1119).

Along with cathedrals, of note was the architecture of monasteries of these times.

The 12th-13th centuries were the period of feudal division of Kievan Rus into princedoms which were in nearly permanent feud, with multipication of cathedrals in emerging princedoms and courts of local princes knyazes. Kniaz’ or knyaz is a word found in some Slavic languages, denoting a nobility rank. ...

By the end of the 12th century the centre of East Slavic political life had moved from Kiev to the northern principality of Vladimir-Suzdal. The local churches were built of white stone with help of Romanesque masters of Friedrich Barbarossa, whilst their wall statuary was elaborately carved by craftsmen from Georgia. The Suzdal style is also known as "white-stone architecture" ("белокаменное зодчество"). The first white-stone church was the St. Boris and Gleb Church commissioned by Yuri Dolgoruky, a church-fortress in Kideksha near Suzdal, at the supposed place of the stay of knyazes Boris and Gleb on their pilgrimage to Kiev. Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, Vladimir-Suzdal Grand Duchy (Russian: , tr. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Yury Dolgoruky, Dologoruky meaning of the long hands/arms (Юрий Долгорукий in Russian) (1091? - May 15, 1157), Prince of Suzdal, Grand Prince of Kiev, sixth son of Vladimir Monomakh, founder of Moscow. ...

the white-stone churches mark the highest point of pre-Mongolian Rus' architecture. The most important churches in Vladimir are the Assumption Cathedral (built 1158-60, enlarged 1185-98, frescoes 1408) and St Demetrios Cathedral (built 1194-97). Another miraculously preserved church is the graceful Intercession Church on the Nerl (1165), one of the most charming images of medieval Rus'. Population 315,954 (2002) Time zone Moscow (MSK/MSD), UTC +0300 (MSK)/+0400 (MSD) Latitude/Longitude Vladimir (Russian: ) is an old city in Russia. ... View of the cathedral in 1912. ... During the high waters of spring, the Intercession Church appears stranded on the desolate islet. ...

Celebrated as these structures are, the contemporaries were even more impressed by churches of Southern Rus', particularly the Svirskaya Church of Smolensk (1191-94). As southern structures were either ruined or rebuilt, restoration of their original outlook has been a source of contention between art historians. The most memorable reconstruction is the Pyatnitskaya Church (1196-99) in Chernigov(modern Chernihiv, Ukraine), by Peter Baranovsky. A view of Smolensk in 1912. ... Chernihiv (Чернігів in Ukrainian) is an ancient city in northern Ukraine, the central city of Chernihivska oblast. Some common historical spellings of the name are Polish: Czernichów, and Russian: Чернигов, Chernigov. ... ...

Secular architecture

There were very few examples of secular (non-religious) architecture in Kievan Rus. Until the 20th century, only the Golden Gates of Vladimir, despite much 18th-century restoration, could be regarded as an authentic monument of the pre-Mongolian period. Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Ру́сь, Kievskaya Rus in Russian; Київська Русь, Kyivs’ka Rus’ in Ukrainian) was the early, mostly East Slavic¹ state dominated by the... Golden Gate The Golden Gate of Vladimir (Zolotye Vorota, Russian Золотые ворота), originally a tower over the citys main gate, was built in 1158-64. ... Population 315,954 (2002) Time zone Moscow (MSK/MSD), UTC +0300 (MSK)/+0400 (MSD) Latitude/Longitude Vladimir (Russian: ) is an old city in Russia. ...

In the 1940s, the archaeologist Nikolai Voronin discovered the well-preserved remains of Andrei Bogolyubsky's palace in Bogolyubovo, dating from 1158-65. Andrei Bogolyubsky (Андрей Боголюбский) (ca. ... Bogolyubovo (Russian: Боголюбово) is an urban type settlement in the Vladimir Oblast in Russia, located some 10 km northeast of Vladimir. ...

See also

• Russian architecture
• Ukrainian Baroque

Saint Basils Cathedral (1555-61) is a showcase of medieval Russian architecture. ... The Vydubychi Monastery in Kiev is an example of Ukrainian Baroque architecture. ...

Reference

L.D. Lyubimov, The Art of the Ancient Rus (Любимов Л. Д. Искусство Древней Руси.), Moscow, 1996.

External links

• (Russian) Directory of Orthodox Architecture - contains many pictures