The legend of the dove at the St. Sophia Cathedral. Hagia Sophia in Novgorod. The Legend of the Sofia Dove

The main dome of the most ancient temple in Russia - the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral - has an extraordinary completion since ancient times: a cross crowned with a lead figure of a dove - a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Tradition traces its appearance to the time of Ivan the Terrible, when the sovereign of All Russia, suspecting a conspiracy against himself in the free city, committed massacre over its inhabitants. A dove hovering over the land of Novgorod, having seen the cruel picture of the death of thousands of innocent people, descended on its main cross, overshadowing the dome with a golden glow and freezing there forever. Since then, Novgorodians have associated divine patronage with his presence. ancient city, saying: "As a dove flies off the cross, here the end will come to Novgorod."

During the years of the Great Patriotic War it so happened that during one of the air raids or shelling of the city, the cross with the dove was shot down and hung on metal fastening cables. The commandant of the city of Bayol ordered him to be removed. In Novgorod during the occupation, the engineering corps "Blue" of the Spanish division, which fought on the side Nazi Germany, and as one of the trophies testifying to the valor of the Spanish soldiers and the treasures of the culture of the occupied Slavic territories, the cross was taken to Spain. The story connected with the search for the relic says that in November 2002, the governor of the Novgorod region, M. M. Prusak, turned to the Russian Embassy in Spain with a request to establish the location of the shrine. The embassy managed to find out that the cross is in the chapel of the museum of the Military Engineering Academy of Spain. The rector of the Sophia Cathedral, Archbishop Lev of Novgorod and Staraya Russian, having received information about the current location of the domed Sophia Cross, at a meeting with Russian President V.V. Putin, inquired about the possibility of returning this historical relic to Novgorod. As a result of negotiations Russian President and the King of Spain, the Spanish side decided to transfer the cross of St. Sophia Cathedral to Russia.

The ceremony of handing over the cross took place on November 16, 2004 at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior at the opening of the First international festival Orthodox media. The act of transferring the Novgorod shrine to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II took place with the participation of the defense ministers of both sides. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov expressed his gratitude to Spanish Defense Minister José Bono for returning to Russia the cross from the main dome of St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod:

“For 56 years, this cross has been in Spain in one of the cathedrals on the territory of a military unit, and today it is returning to where it should be.”

The head of the Spanish Ministry of Defense said that for the Spanish military, the cross from the dome of St. Sophia Cathedral was a favorite religious symbol:

“Beautiful is what is before the cross Orthodox Church believing Catholics have been praying for over sixty years. The reason is simple: we all managed to see in him the image of Christ, who gave his life in the name of the life of all other people, Christ, who calmly erased all boundaries with his message of peace and universal love, who dared to say that God is love, who proclaimed absolute equality all people.

Your Holiness, a Christian is also speaking to you at the moment, who has come here as the Minister of Defense of Spain in order to convey with this cross the desire for sincere cooperation with Russian people and his government. Your Holiness, we return it with love, with big love to those who accept it, and with great love for the cross, which for a long time was revered by many Spanish soldiers as a great creed. The cross is now back where it belongs.”

In turn, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II said:

“I sincerely thank everyone who contributed to the return of the ancient cross from St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod.

This ancient city occupies a special place in the history of our country. It is distinguished by its original architecture and iconography, which is unique to the masters of this region. Sophia Cathedral was the center of spiritual and material culture Novgorod land. On the square near the walls of the cathedral, a people's assembly gathered, at which the most important issues were decided - from economic to military-political. Standards of measures and weights were kept in the altar of the temple. This testified to the fact that the Novgorodians from ancient times believed the truth of God to be the basis of their labors. From here ministers of the Church went to preach the Gospel to the northern borders of our country. For centuries, Veliky Novgorod was also the gate through which numerous contacts were made with European countries. People looking at the cross of St. Sophia Cathedral and at the icon Mother of God"Sign", carried with them to distant lands a particle of the Motherland and hope for the intercession of the All-Merciful God in military and trade affairs.

Soon the inhabitants of Veliky Novgorod will regain this Holy Cross, which for more than half a century, by the will of fate, was outside of Russia. Thanks to the joint efforts of the secular authorities, the President Russian Federation and the Minister of Defence, and thanks to the goodwill of the Spanish government, the return of this shrine to historical place. After all, in my opinion, the war cannot be considered over, not only until the last soldier is buried. Similarly, it cannot be considered complete while the shrines are in captivity. Today's event symbolizes that our peoples strive, atoning for the sins of their ancestors, to turn the tragic page of history forever in order to live in peace and cooperation.

The return of the domed cross of the Cathedral of Sophia the Wisdom of God testifies to the restoration of the succession of the historical fate of Veliky Novgorod, the return of Novgorodians under the saving shade of the Cross of the Lord, under the protection of His mercy and intercession. This year is not the first shrine to return to Russia. We witnessed the return from the United States of America Tikhvin icon Mother of God. The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which was in the prayer room of Pope John Paul II, was returned from the Vatican to Russia. And today we accept the domed cross of Hagia Sophia, which has been in Spain for many years. We consider this event as one of the most significant facts of the return of relics to their homeland. We pray that the cross of the Lord would keep us all in peace, good neighborliness and mutual understanding. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the implementation of this solemn and significant act.”

The cross of the main dome of the Hagia Sophia was handed over to the Archbishop of Veliky Novgorod and Starorussky Lion and on November 17 delivered to Veliky Novgorod on the eve of the feast of St. Varlaam Khutynsky, November 19. Therefore, the Sophia shrine originally resided in the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Khutyn Monastery. The cross was solemnly transferred to St. Sophia Cathedral on December 10 - for the celebration of the great Orthodox shrine, the icon of the Mother of God of the Sign. AT procession Sophia Cathedral was attended by representatives of the Spanish Association of the Missing in Russia, the Garrido brothers, nephews of the first Spanish soldier, whose remains were discovered and taken out of Russia after the war. The gilded cross of Sophia with a dove crowning it before the start of the festive liturgy, which Vladyka Leo performed, was installed on the salt at the main iconostasis, to the right of the icon of Our Lady of the Sign.

The main cross of St. Sophia Cathedral (its height is about 2 m, width 1.5 m) is an important historical relic, with which ancient legends are associated. It is known about his repeated repairs during the repairs of the temple. For example, it is known from the Pogodinsky chronicle that it was renovated under Metropolitan Isidore (1613), and in 1718 the domed cross was re-arranged and erected “under the power of the Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Peter Aleksievich of All Great and Small and White Russia autocrat” .

Probably in last time the cross was erected on the main dome in 1897. It was then that the capital work on the restoration of the cathedral was completed, which was led by academician V.V. Suslov. In the post-war period, after the restoration of the cathedral, in place of the lost cross, a new one, made according to pre-war photographs, was installed on the gilded helmet of the Sofia dome. The original cross, after a long return to its homeland in need of restoration, is supposed to be kept under the shadow of the temple and make this shrine available for worship by all Orthodox Christians who come to St. Sophia Cathedral.

T. TSAREVSKAYA
Velikiy Novgorod

Photos by E. Budzinskaya

Until now, the ancient city did not have its own official symbol. The coat of arms and the flag do not count - it's too boring and without interesting legends. After all, the talisman should become the main souvenir for tourists, especially on the eve of the 1150th anniversary, which Veliky Novgorod will celebrate next year.

Therefore, a decision was made a few months ago to announce a city-wide competition for the best symbol. Moreover, the competition among the main dreamers - children.

As a result, the City Administration received more than 70 works from children aged 10-12 from all educational institutions cities. In their opinion, a Russian bear, a veche bell, a golden feather fish, an owl, a horseshoe or a brownie could become the talisman of Novgorod. The competition included drawings, products from natural material, soft toys and even batik.

As a result of a long discussion today, May 29, the jury of the competition made a final decision. The main city symbol is a metal dove, which is forged on the cross of St. Sophia Cathedral. It was this image that contained most of the submitted works.

And the dove itself has long since become an unofficial symbol of the city. And you can see it almost everywhere. And the legend associated with him is very suitable not only for Novgorod, but for the whole of Russia.

The six best children's works will be awarded with diplomas and prizes. All of them will be sent to professional designers, who will have to work out the final version of the mascot of Veliky Novgorod.

The Legend of the Sofia Dove

The main dome of the oldest church in Russia has had this unusual finish for a very long time: a cross crowned with a lead figure of a dove - a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Tradition traces its appearance to the time of Ivan the Terrible, when the sovereign of All Russia, suspecting a conspiracy against himself in the free city, committed a massacre against its inhabitants. A dove hovering over the land of Novgorod, having seen the cruel picture of the death of thousands of innocent people, descended on its main cross, overshadowing the dome with a golden glow and freezing there forever. Since then, the Novgorodians associated with his presence the Divine patronage of the ancient city, saying: "As the dove flies from the cross, the end will come to Novgorod."

During the Great Patriotic War, it so happened that during one of the shelling of the city, a cross with a dove was shot down and hung on metal fastening cables. The commandant of the city of Bayol ordered him to be removed. In Novgorod during the occupation, the engineering corps of the "Blue" Spanish division, which fought on the side of Nazi Germany, was located. As one of the trophies testifying to the valor of the Spanish soldiers and the cultural treasures of the captured Slavic territories, the cross was taken to Spain.

In 2004, the old cross with a dove was returned to Novgorod. Currently, it stands near the altar of St. Sophia Cathedral. On the golden dome, after restoration, there is an exact copy of the cross with a dove, made by a modern Novgorod blacksmith Viktor Kornilov.

Valery RUBTSOV

"TVNZ"

Hagia Sophia is one of the oldest churches not only in Veliky Novgorod, but also in Russia. The majestic building has long been a monument of ancient Russian architecture. This is the main Orthodox church Novgorod region, its spiritual center.

History of St. Sophia Cathedral

The construction of the Novgorod temple was planned by Prince Vladimir. Its laying took place in 1046. The prince's parents arrived at the solemn event from Kyiv: his mother, Princess Irina, and his father, the great Yaroslav the Wise. Sophia Cathedral, it was decided to place a little north of the place, where there used to be a wooden oak temple "about 13 tops", destroyed by fire.

The end of construction in different sources is indicated in different ways: either in 1050 or in 1052. The consecration ceremony of the cathedral, conducted by Bishop Luka Zhidyata, immediately took place.

After the overthrow of the tsar and the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, a company began to close church parishes. In 1922, the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod was temporarily left to work, but some property was confiscated in favor of the state. Seven years later, it came to him: the parish was closed, and the building was transferred to the museum of anti-religious propaganda. Here, Soviet citizens were invited to get acquainted with the treasures of the cathedral on a living example and see how rich the church had, robbing the poor peasants.

During the invasion of the Nazis, the temple was looted and partially damaged. After the end of the war, the building was repaired and transferred to the museum-reserve of Novgorod. The cathedral was transferred to the possession of the Church Diocese in 1991. The consecration ceremony, which took place on August 16, was personally conducted by Alexy II, the Patriarch of All Russia at that time.

In 2005, the restoration and renovation of the domes of the cathedral began, which lasted two years.

Architecture

Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod is crowned with five domes, made in the form of heroic helmets. An additional sixth chapter crowns the stair tower located in the western gallery. Asps and wide galleries on two floors adjoin the temple on three sides.

Initially, only the apses and drums were whitewashed, the main outer and inner walls had natural color stone. The vaults of the cathedral were plastered with lime mortar and covered with paintings. This design was borrowed from Constantinople architects.

Approximately in the 18th century, three buttresses were added to the facade on the south and north sides. This was done to strengthen the walls. During the restoration work in 1893-1900, carried out by the architect N. S. Kurdyakov, the buttresses on the south side were removed, returning the former cover to the cathedral.

Technical features of the cathedral

Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod is one of the few five-nave cross-domed churches built in the 11th century. Later, the construction of churches of this type was not practiced in Russia. The temple is made in the Byzantine style. The lateral apses of the temple are made in the form of a pentahedron, the central one is round. Wide galleries of two floors encircle the building on three sides. Historians believe that the galleries were built simultaneously with the building of the temple. The structure of the building is pyramidal, with 6 domes.

Together with the galleries, the cathedral has a rectangular shape (34.5 × 39.3 m). The height of the building in the place of the central dome is 38 m (without the cross). During the construction of the temple, massive walls were laid out. Their thickness is 1.2 meters. Limestone was used for the walls. different color. To fasten the stones, a solution of lime was used with the addition of crushed bricks. The stones were trimmed only on the side facing the surface of the facade.

Brick was chosen as the material for arched openings and vaults. The inner walls in the area of ​​the main apse and in the sails are lined with ceramic round-shaped vessels (golosniks). During construction, some golosniks were specially made open to the interior. Thus, Russian craftsmen got rid of the unwanted echo for the temple. Another advantage of the presence of hollow objects in the masonry was the reduction in the load from the gravity of the drum on the girth arches.

The interior of the St. Sophia Cathedral is very similar to the Kyiv temple, only there are slight differences in proportions.

Frescoes in St. Sophia Cathedral

The first paintings in St. Sophia Cathedral appeared in 1109. Some parts of the frescoes on the central dome have survived to this day. The paintings depict figures of archangels and prophets. The image of Christ Pantocrator, located in the center of the dome, was destroyed during the Great Patriotic War by a shell.

Also on the Martirier porch, a painting has been preserved late XIX century, which depicts the Equal-to-the-Apostles Helena and Constantine. Some restorers believe that this mural was originally intended to be the basis for a mosaic. This is evidenced by the artistic layer, written with too diluted paints.

Miraculous icons of St. Sophia Cathedral

There are three iconostases in the St. Sophia Cathedral in the city of Novgorod. The most ancient icons are located on the main one. Images of the 16th-17th centuries are exhibited constantly, in holidays you can see a number of icons dating from the 15th century. On weekdays, they are stored in the museum's exposition.

The Christmas iconostasis is decorated icons XVI century, including the famous image of the "Savior on the Throne" of the XIV century.

In the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral, the following images are especially revered:

• "The Sign", the icon of the Mother of God;

• Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God. Novgorodians took this icon with them at the conclusion of the Pillar Peace. Princess Sophia ordered a riza for this image from the best masters. The icon is installed in the Nativity iconostasis. Dated to the 16th century.
• Face of Savva the Sanctified;
• In the central iconostasis is Sophia, the Wisdom of God. This image is one level higher than the icons of such a tick, as it symbolizes the sacrifice of Christ. Dated to the 15th century.
• Icons of Anthony and Euthymius the Great.

• The cathedral has the famous ancient Magdeburg or Korsun gates, which are opened only on great holidays. Once it was the main gate through which Christians entered the temple. At one time, the bronze gates were restored by the craftsman Abraham and installed in the western portal.
• On the walls of the cathedral in the 19th century, graffiti dating from the 11th to the beginning of the 12th century was discovered.
• Sophia Cathedral was depicted on the Russian banknote of 5 rubles, issued in 1997.

The cross of the main dome and the legend of the dove

During the Great Patriotic War, Novgorod was occupied, and the building of St. Sophia Cathedral was shelled Soviet troops. Five shells hit the temple building. The walls and vault were heavily damaged. One shell pierced the central dome of the cathedral and destroyed the painting of 1109 depicting the Almighty Savior.

The main cross of the cathedral remained hanging on chains after the bombing. The German command ordered to remove it. The cross was taken by Spanish soldiers fighting on the side of Germany to their homeland. In 2002, the governor of Novgorod applied to the Spanish embassy with an inquiry about the whereabouts of the cross. It turned out that he is in the military museum of the city of Madrid. Having learned about the exact location of the shrine, the rector of the cathedral, Archbishop Lev, turned to the head of state, V.V. Putin, with a request for help. As a result of negotiations with the Spanish government, the cross of St. Sophia Cathedral was transferred to our country. On November 16, 2004, the Minister of Defense of Spain handed over the Orthodox relic to Patriarch of All Russia Alexy II.

Currently, the cross is kept inside the cathedral. An exact copy was made for the central dome in 2006. It was installed on January 24, 2007. The same copy was made by order of the Novgorod administration and sent to the Spanish side.

The history of Hagia Sophia is inextricably linked with the bird-symbol of the Holy Spirit - the dove. Legend has it that in 1570, on the orders of Ivan the Terrible, the inhabitants of Veliky Novgorod were brutally massacred. During a terrible battle, a dove flew by. He sat down to rest on the main cross of St. Sophia Cathedral. Seeing terrible picture, the bird petrified with horror. Subsequently, one monk had a vision in which the Mother of God appeared to him and told that while the dove was on the cross, nothing threatened Veliky Novgorod. People believe that the frozen bird is the "guardian" of the city.

How to get to Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia can be reached by buses No. 17,17A, 26, 7, 7A. Need to go out to Sennaya Square. From the side of the Kremlin park we go to the Novgorod Kremlin and walk about 50 m. The temple is opposite the monument to the Millennium of Russia on the left side.

Sophia Cathedral on the territory of the Novgorod Kremlin, built in 1045-1050. the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Prince Vladimir of Novgorod, is one of the most outstanding monuments of ancient Russian architecture. Sophia is already in the 30s. XII century. ceased to be only a princely temple, turning into main temple Novgorod veche republic, a symbol of Veliky Novgorod, its power and independence. It is no coincidence that the ancient Novgorodians, going into battle with the enemy, swore "to stand and die for Hagia Sophia" and said: "Where Saint Sophia is, here is Novgorod."

The construction of the cathedral was an outstanding event in the history of ancient Russian architecture and a serious technical achievement of that time. Six domes crown the cathedral, the middle dome was gilded in the 15th century, the outlines of this dome clearly resemble the helmet of a Russian heroic warrior. For many centuries there has been a lead figure of a dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, on the gilded cross of the Novgorod Sophia…

The legend says: “A dove flew over Novgorod and Novgorodians and sat down on the cross of Sophia to rest. The dove saw the atrocities of the guardsmen, the fierce torments to which Tsar Ivan the Terrible condemned the Novgorodians and ... turned to stone with horror. And when the dove flies off the cross, that’s the end of Novgorod.” So Novgorodians from time immemorial believe that this dove was sent to console the city, and until it flies off the cross, the city will be protected by it.

Another curiosity of the Novgorod Cathedral of St. Sophia and, accordingly, the Novgorod Kremlin, are the Magdeburg (Korsun, Plotsk, Sigtunsky) gates - the main bronze gates of the St. Sophia Cathedral. They are located on its western facade and open the passage to the temple through the Korsun porch. Currently, they are open only during the holidays, when the Archbishop of Novgorod and Starorussky leads the service. Made in the 12th century. by German craftsmen from Magdeburg.

The gates are covered with multi-figure relief with scenes biblical history, everyday scenes. Explanatory Latin inscriptions are carved above the figures, and below them - their translation into Russian. At the bottom of the left wing of the doors are the figures of two foundry masters, Riquin and Weissmuth. In the hands of masters - a hammer and tongs. The Latin inscription "Riquin made me" shows that these are the masters who made the gates. Among the images of people on the wings are the figures of Magdeburg Bishop Wichman (1152-1192) and Plotsk (Poland) Bishop Alexander (1129-1156). Apparently, the gates were made by their order, in 1152-1156. According to the place of manufacture, the gates are called Magdeburg, or Plock.

In the middle part of the left wing, in place of the decorative column, there is soldered a plate with the image of the third master. The Russian inscription above the head of the figure: "Master Abraham" - allows us to consider this third master a Novgorod caster who assembled the gate after delivery to Novgorod, and supplemented their decor with new elements (figures and Old Russian inscriptions).

Door handles, according to the medieval tradition, look like animal masks with two-headed snakes attached to their jaws, serving as an instructive image of hell and reminding the incoming about the future. the Last Judgment. In the mouth of the masks are the heads of sinners. In the lower right corner of the left wing there is a rare depiction of the creation of Eve. A centaur (Kitovras), aiming a bow, is the personification of the duality of human nature.

There are several versions of how the gates got to Novgorod. The most famous of them claims that the gates were captured by the Novgorodians during a sea campaign against the largest trading city of Sweden, Sigtuna in 1187. One of the names of the gates (Sigtuna) comes from this version.

But! According to V.N. Tatishchev, in 1336 some “copper doors” were installed in Hagia Sophia, which Archbishop Vasily “brought from the Germans, buy at a great price.” This message could well refer to the Magdeburg Gates. Finally, from the middle of the XV century. there was a legend that the gates from Byzantium brought Grand Duke Vladimir, and before the appearance of the new version they were called Korsunsky.