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THE
CHURCH OF THE INTERCESSION ON THE RIVER NERL
 The church of the Intercession
on the Nerl is one of the most poetic creations ever to come down to us out of
the past.
The church was built in1165 in a
single summer. Andrei Bogolyubsky chose the location.
The mouth of the river Nerl provided
an outlet via the Klyazma to the Oka and the Volga, major trade routes in
those times.
The church was consecrated to
the Intercession of the Virgin, a festival unknown in Byzantium, which is
thought to have been introduced by Andrei to strengthen the prestige of the
Vladimir-Suzdal Principality.
There is also a legend that
Prince Andrei built this church in the meadows not far from his Bogolyubovo
palace after the death of his favourite son, Izyaslav, in memory of him and to
assuage his own sorrow.
The church is serene and
majestic in its radiant whiteness. One cannot help being enchanted by its
clarity and beauty. It is hard to believe that this fine building nearly
disappeared in1784, when orders were given to dismantle it and use the
material for one of the monastery buildings. It was pure chance it survived –
fortunately the contractors quoted too high a price for dismantling it.
According to archaeologists it
was much bigger in the 12-th century when it was built. In about 800 years of
its existence it has undergone several changes.The old belfry is gone, the
helmet-shaped dome has been replaced by a bulbous cupola.
It is not a large church, simple
in plan, with a cubical basic structure. But its familiar shapes are not so
austere as in other churches. It is light and graceful. Each façade is made
up of three sections divided vertically by slender columns, and horizontally
connected by a belt of blind arches of the same white stone as the wall
itself. Each vertical section ends in a gable (zakomara) with a long narrow
window and a small sculptured figure to break the monotony of the smooth
white surface. In keeping the medieval tradition the facades are decorated
with stone carving which is of symbolic nature. At the very top is the Old
Testament King David with a psaltery. Impressed by his playing, the wild
animals and birds have grown quiet. For people of that day this scene could
easily be related to real life. It contained a kind of parallel between King
David and Andrei Bogolyubsky, who had much in common in their struggle for
power to create a strong state.
Lower down, over the windows, is
a gallery of female masks. They are considered to be symbols of the church’s
dedication to the God’s Mother. On each façade, by the arch of the middle
window, are lions, symbols of princely power and the custodians of the church.
The church’s interior is at
first somewhat disappointing. It has no wall painting ( the last traces
disappeared at the end of the 19-th c.), no iconostasis, no church plate. But
your attention is attracted by the extraordinary soaring effect of the airy
white-stone construction.
The church stands alone amid the
meadows, an integral part of the surrounding landscape, like the sky and the
drifting clouds.
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