FEATURE - Undiscovered Russia: Outskirts Of Ancient Russian Capital, Now Known As Veliky Novgorod

MOSCOW/VELIKY NOVGOROD (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2021) OSCOW/VELIKY NOVGOROD, Russia, January 18 (Sputnik), Denis Chernyshenko - A Sputnik correspondent has visited several breathtaking sites around the ancient Russian capital of Novgorod, currently known as Veliky Novgorod.

Novgorod, which was first mentioned in historic documents in the 9th century, is one of the main Russian sights listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.

While Novgorod is a well-known part of tourist routes, there are also many interesting places linked to the medieval history of the Novgorod Republic around the city.

Rurikovo Gorodische, known in the medieval Scandinavian sources as Holmgard, is the place where the 8th-century Novgorod, which was built by Ilmen Slavs, was originally located.

The word "Rurikovo," which means "belonging to Rurik," was given to the ruins on the shore of the Volkhov River in the 19th century to commemorate legendary ruler Rurik, who was invited by ancient Slavic tribes from Scandinavia to govern the aborning Russian state. Rurik is believed to have founded the dynasty that ruled the country until the end of the 16th century.

Rurikovo Gorodische is a rich archaeological site that is attractive for Russian and foreign scientists who study the medieval history of Russia.

To reach this place, tourists need to use a narrow road, which is rough at its last stage. However, on the way to Rurikovo Gorodische, we saw two magnificent ancient churches: the Savior Church on Nereditsa Hill (12th century) and the Transfiguration Church in Kovalyovo (14th century). There are only a few of such ancient churches in Russia and most of them are located in Veliky Novgorod and its outskirts!

Near Rurikovo Gorodische one can also see pillars of the bridge across the Volkhov River, which was never built. The construction of the bridge began before the 1917 Revolution and was a part of building the Novgorod-Valday railway. Because World War I and the Revolution changed the infrastructural development strategy, the railway was not completed.

The main building of Rurikovo Gorodische is the Church of the Annunciation, built in the 14th century and ruined by German artillery fire during World War II. In 2019, it was reopened for visitors after a massive renovation.

One can also admire the picturesque view of the Volkhov River from here, see a memorial dedicated to the ancient history of this place, as well as visit a replica of a Viking village recently built for tourists.

On the opposite shore of the Volkhov River, tourists can enjoy the pearl of Novgorod's outskirts and Russian Orthodox architecture: of course, referring to the Yuriev Monastery, known to be one of the oldest monasteries in Russia.

While the monastery was first mentioned in 1119, legends link its foundation to Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise, whose patron saint was Yury.

The main building of the monastery is the St.

George Cathedral, built from 1119-1130 by ancient Russian architect Pyotr, who also constructed one of the churches in Novgorod itself.

The monastery was actively developed in the following centuries: for example, famous Russian-Italian architect Carlo Rossi built a bell tower here in 1841.

Like most of the other historical sights of Veliky Novgorod, the Yuriev Monastery was heavily damaged during World War II. The monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church after years of Soviet devastation in 1991 and has undergone renovation since then.

Along with the monastery, tourists also can visit the open-air history museum of folk wooden architecture called Vitoslavlitsy.

Close to the Yuriev Monastery, tourists should also visit another remarkable place called Peryn. In the pre-Christian era, this site was a spiritual center for the pagans of Novgorod.

The name Peryn is related to the name of the main Slavic god, Perun, whose shrine was located here in the 10th century. Before Christianizing Russia, Grand Prince Vladimir the Great tried to unite the pantheons of the Russian pagan gods around Perun and as part of this policy sent his uncle, Dobrynya, to Novgorod, who set up a huge wooden anthropomorphic idol of Perun in Peryn in 980.

Several years later, when Vladimir revised his plans and decided to make Rus a Christian state, the idol of Perun was dismantled. The Christianization of Novgorod faced massive opposition among local residents, which urged Dobrynya to resort to military force.

Soon after the fall of paganism, a Christian monastery was established in Peryn, currently known as the Peryn Skete. The oldest stone building of the monastery - the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos on Peryn, founded in the 1220s - has survived until today despite multiple wars and decades of oblivion.

The monastery was heavily damaged during the 1611-1617 occupation of Novgorod by Sweden and during World War II, when the city was held by German Nazi troops from 1941-1944.

Another place worth visiting near Novgorod is the village of Khutyn, where the Khutyn Monastery of Saviour's Transfiguration and of St. Varlaam lies. The monastery was founded in the 12th century at the place of the Evil Spirit, and the word "Khutyn" means "a bad place."

The Evil Spirit failed to prevent the monastery from developing into one of the main Christian sites of the Medieval Novgorod. The monastery was so prosperous that it was even used as a residence of the Swedish occupation administration from 1611-1617.

In the early 19th century, Great Russian poet Gavrila Derzhavin and his wife were buried in the Khutyn Monastery. Like almost all other Orthodox sights of Novgorod, the monastery was heavily damaged in World War II,� as well as faced decay in the Soviet era but was reconstructed after the dissolution of the USSR.