The temple was founded in 1113 by Mstislav the Great, who was the son of Vladimir Monomakh and the grandson of Harold II, the King of England. Since the 18th century, it was the main vecheral temple of the city. The famous Novgorod Veche, legal and seditious, gathered in front of one of the entrances. Archimandrites and boyars used to hide in the temple in hope to avoid a massacre from the crowd. Modern visitors can see here small fragments of ancient paintings: scenes of the Last Judgment, the figures of the three saints and the plot of «Job on the Gnosis», which form a part of the unique monumental heritage of Novgorod. There is also a multimedia 360° panorama with films about the medieval history of Yaroslav’s Courtyard and St. Nicholas Cathedral.
