Cathedral of Saint Demetrius

Vladimir, Russia

The Cathedral of St Demetrius (1194-97) is a royal church, built to the order of Grand Prince Vsevolod III. It is cubic in form, with three internal naves and a helmet dome. The cathedral is one-domed and four-pillared. Originally it was surrounded by galleries with towers that connected it to the prince's palace. They were demolished during the restoration in the 19th century.

The church is famous for its white-stone carvings - its walls are decorated with ca. 600 reliefs, depicting saints, mythical and real animals. Most of the reliefs are preserved in their original form, some have been replaced during the restoration of the 19th century. Out of the internal decoration a few fragments of frescoes of the 12th century have survived, particularly fragments of the Last Judgement composition. Currently, the cathedral is a part of the Vladimir-Suzdal open-air museum.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1194-1197
Category: Religious sites in Russia

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Oleg Naumov (5 years ago)
Saint Dmitry of Thessaloniki Cathedral was founded in 1191 by Grand Duke Vsevolod III of Vladimir, Suzdal and Kiev (1154-1212). Construction was accomplished in 1197. There are some frescoes painted in XII century still inside. Visitors are allowed to take non commercial photo without flash light and tripod.
Sauryadeep Pal (6 years ago)
A beautifully constructed cathedral just beside the iconic Assumption Church. Worth a visit simply because of the views from the cathedral grounds.
Konstantin B (6 years ago)
Old, authentic, unparallel example of old bysantium architecture style. Awesome experience.
Elena Kurilenko (6 years ago)
Must-visit in Vladimir.
Francesco Fantoni (6 years ago)
Patrimonio Unesco, la Cattedrale è posizionata su un'altura, nel pieno centro di Vladimir, e dalla quale con uno sguardo si domina tutta la vallata circostante. Costruita in pietra bianca, è tipica architettura russa, molto scenografica. L'interno funge da museo che è possibile visitare pagando un modesto biglietto.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Argos Theater

The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.