St. Nicholas Cathedral

St. Nicholas Cathedral was built in the 12th century by Prince Mstislav, son of Vladimir Monomakh, on the opposite bank of the Volkhov River from St. Sophia Cathedral. From the 13th century it became the city’s principal veche church: Novgorod’s famous popular assembly met outside one of its entrances, and archimandrites and boyars sometimes sought refuge inside from angry crowds. Visitors can see surviving fragments of medieval frescoes, including scenes of the Last Judgment, three hierarchs and “Job on the Dung Heap.” A 360° multimedia panorama presents films about the medieval history of Yaroslav's Court and St. Nicholas Cathedral. The cathedral was originally a princely palace church. Prince Mstislav (1075–1132) belonged through his father Vladimir Monomakh to the lineage of Byzantine emperors and through his mother, Princess Gytha, to that of Anglo-Saxon King Harold. Tradition links the cathedral’s foundation with Mstislav’s miraculous healing after prayers to St. Nicholas of Myra. An embassy sent to Kyiv for an icon was caught in a violent storm on Lake Ilmen and driven to Lipno Island; on the fourth day they found the icon floating on the water. Mstislav recovered and dedicated the new Novgorod cathedral to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It is the oldest surviving church in Rus dedicated to St. Nicholas. Its architecture follows the Kyiv tradition: a massive four-pier structure with a western narthex and four tiers of windows and niches. A major restoration began in 1994 with support from the Union of Hanseatic Cities of Northern Europe, restoring the curved gable line and five domes. The cathedral was painted in 1117, though only fragments survive, including what is described as the oldest surviving depiction of the Last Judgment in Rus and part of “Job on the Dung Heap.” During the occupation the cathedral was used as a barracks. It is now open to visitors, with its interior and surviving frescoes, an exhibition on the restoration, a virtual panorama of Yaroslav's Court and the Great Volkhov Bridge, and temporary exhibitions.