In the small Volga town of Yuryevets, in the Ivanovo region, there is one of the farmsteads of the famous Nikolo-Shartomsky monastery. The slender bell tower standing next to the Forerunner Mountain is considered one of the best monuments of late classicism. Tier by tier, it rises so high that it seems to reach the very sky. Even the famous Russian photographer S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky could not pass by, and captured this bell tower in one of his photos in 1910.
The history of the bell tower
The bell tower is part of a picturesque temple complex consisting of the five-domed Cathedral of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem and the Assumption Cathedral. The graceful two-pillar summer Cathedral of the Entry into Jerusalem appeared in the city between 1733 and 1806. The author of the project for the reconstruction of this temple was the provincial architect N.I. Metlin. It is believed that the Kostroma architect Pyotr Ivanovich Fursov also participated in the design, who embodied the characteristic features of the Kostroma school of architecture in the summer cathedral.
View of the bell tower
According to Russian tradition, there is a winter church next to the summer church. This is a cathedral, consecrated in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos and erected in the period from 1825 to 1833. There is a third church nearby. It was built in 1815 in honor of the victory over Napoleon, and consecrated in honor of the Nativity of Christ.
The bell tower appeared in Yuryevets in 1840. It was also built according to the design of P.I. Fursov and immediately became the architectural dominant of the Volga town. A noticeable building could be seen from everywhere - from any street in Yuryevets, from the Forerunner years and from the opposite bank of the Volga.
During the years of the struggle of Soviet power with religion, the St. George Bell Tower escaped the sad fate of many churches, and it was preserved. For a long time, the building was empty and destroyed, but in the 70s of the last century it was thoroughly restored, and in 1997 it was transferred to the Orthodox community.
The silhouette of the bell tower and the surrounding churches can be seen on the ten-ruble Yuryevets coin issued in the Ancient Cities of Russia series.
View of the bell tower from the Volga
Architectural features
The high bell tower is a rather rare example of a five-tiered religious building. The lower tiers are composed of quadrangles decreasing in plan, and the uppermost, the fifth, is built in the form of a rotunda. The lower massive quadrangle performs a load-bearing function for the entire structure. The rest of the tiers are cut by rather wide arches of bells. Below, under a closed vault, there is a two-story church.
In accordance with the traditions of classicism, the facades of the quadrangles are decorated like porticoes with triangular pediments and columns. Each portico above has smaller columns. On the portico of the lower tier, there are six columns, on the rest - two each, which gives the structure proportionality and lightness. In addition, to facilitate the construction, the transitions between the tiers are connected by wooden stairs.
View of the bell tower from Sovetskaya street
On the upper rotunda, the pediment is not triangular, but arched. This is done on purpose, for a harmonious transition to the rounded shape of the dome.
The building measures 64 m without a spire. With a spire, its height is 70 m. Today, the bell tower in Yuryevets is one of the five tallest bell towers that have survived along the Volga.
Current state and visiting regime
On the lower tier is the Church of St. George the Victorious, which has the status of a courtyard for the male Nikolo-Shartomsky monastery. Even if the building of the bell tower is closed, you can always find someone from the attendants who can let pilgrims or tourists inside. Climbing the upper tiers is allowed in rare cases, since the old wooden floors and stairs are in a semi-emergency condition. The steps are rotten in places, and the railings are torn off. From the top of the bell tower and through the arches of the upper tiers, there are wonderful views of the streets of the town, the nearby temples, the market and the Volga. The width of the river in this place due to the built in 1957 Gorky reservoir reaches 7 km.
The lowest floor of the building is given over to a small church, where services are regularly held. The room above the temple is designed like a small exhibition hall. On the glazed stands you can see icons, reproductions and information about the history of Yuryevets. This town was founded in 1225 and is considered the oldest town in the Ivanovo region.
How to get to the church
The bell tower, like the entire surrounding temple complex, is located in the center of the city of Yuryevets. The tall building stands on a large square, at st. Soviet, 39.
Yuryevets is slightly removed from the traditional routes of the Golden Ring of Russia, but getting to this town, which stands on the banks of the Gorky Reservoir, is not difficult.
By car. The city is located on the P81 highway connecting Kineshma and Purekh. Access to it is possible both from Kineshma (through Reshma) and from Nizhny Novgorod (through the Volga and Puchezh).
Church of St. George the Victorious in the first tier of the bell tower
By bus. Regular buses and minibuses go to Yuryevets from Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Ivanovo, Kineshma and Puchezh. The bus station is located next to the main city square, at the beginning of Sovetskaya Street.
Attraction rating:
