Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych, also known as Vladimirthe Great or Volodymyr the Great, was Prince of Novgorod, Grand Prince of Kiev, and ruler of Kievan Rus' from 980 to 1015.
The Golden Ring of Russia unites old Russian cities of five Oblasts – usually excluding Moscow – as a well-known theme-route. The grouping is centred northeast of the capital. These were the north-eastern part of the ancient Rus'. The ring formerly comprised the region known as Zalesye. The idea of the route and the term was created in 1967 by Soviet historian and essayist Yuri Bychkov, who published in Sovetskaya Kultura in November–December 1967 a series of essays on the cities under the heading: "Golden Ring". Bychkov was one of the founders of ВООПИК: the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Monuments of History and Culture.
Vladimir-Suzdal, also Vladimir-Suzdalian Rus', formally known as the Grand Duchy of Vladimir (1157–1331), was one of the major principalities that succeeded Kievan Rus' in the late 12th century, centered in Vladimir-on-Klyazma. With time the principality grew into a grand duchy divided into several smaller principalities. After being conquered by the Mongol Empire, the principality became a self-governed state headed by its own nobility. A governorship of principality, however, was prescribed by a jarlig issued from the Golden Horde to a Rurikid sovereign.
Suzdal is a town and the administrative center of Suzdalsky District in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Kamenka River, 26 kilometers (16 mi) north of the city of Vladimir, the administrative center of the oblast. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 10,535.
Boris and Gleb, Christian names Roman and David, respectively, were the first saints canonized in Kievan Rus' after the Christianization of the country. Their feast day is observed on July 24.
Russian architecture follows a tradition whose roots lie in early Russian stone architecture and in the architecture of Kievan Rus' with its centers in Veliky Novgorod and Kiev. From the Rus' era, the Byzantine Empire and Islamic architecture influenced the architecture and people of Russia. In other phases of Russian history the architecture developed independently and was characterized by national and local features. After the Mongol invasion of Rus, Russian architectural history continued in the principalities of Vladimir-Suzdal, Novgorod, and the succeeding states of the Tsardom of Russia. The great churches of Kievan Rus', built after the adoption of Christianity in 988, were the first examples of monumental architecture in the East Slavic region. Early Eastern Orthodox churches were mainly built from hay, with their simplest form known as a cell church. Cathedrals often featured many small domes, which has led some art historians to infer how the pagan Slavic temples may have appeared.
The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is a Russian Orthodox church and a symbol of medieval Russia. Dedicated to the Intercession of the Theotokos, the church is situated at the confluence of the Nerl and the Klyazma in Bogolyubovo, Vladimir Oblast, 13 km (8.1 mi) north-east of the ancient capital of Vladimir.
The architecture of Kievan Rus' comes from the medieval state of Kievan Rus' which incorporated parts of what is now modern Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, and was centered on Kiev and Novgorod. Its architecture is the earliest period of Russian architecture, using the foundations of Byzantine culture but with great use of innovations and architectural features. Most remains are Russian Orthodox churches or parts of the gates and fortifications of cities.
The White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal in Russia have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The patrimony embraces eight medieval limestone monuments of Zalesye from the late 12th and early 13th centuries. They include Russian Orthodox churches and a monastery, as well as a castle and gate:
The Saviour Monastery of St. Euthymius is a monastery in Suzdal, Russia, founded in 1352.
The Church of the Saviour at Berestovo is a church located immediately north of the Monastery of the Caves in an area known as Berestove. Although it is situated outside the Lavra fortifications, the Saviour Church is part of the Lavra complex and the related World Heritage Site.
The Battle of the Novogorodians with the Suzdalians is a twelfth-century episode in which the city of Novgorod the Great was said to have been miraculously delivered from a besieging army from Suzdalia In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the episode became the basis for several hagiographic tales in the Russian church, as well as two large icons executed in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries
Kideksha is a village (selo) in Seletskoye Rural Settlement, Suzdalsky District of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kamenka and Nerl Rivers, 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) east of Suzdal.
The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Suzdal, Russia, is a World Heritage Site. It is one of the eight White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal and one of the most complex monuments of Russian medieval architecture. It was originally constructed during the reign of Vladimir II Monomakh in the late 11th century.
Veliky Novgorod, also known as just Novgorod (Новгород), is the largest city and administrative center of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the Volkhov River just downstream from its outflow from Lake Ilmen and is situated on the M10 federal highway connecting Moscow and Saint Petersburg. UNESCO recognized Novgorod as a World Heritage Site in 1992. The city has a population of 218,717 (2010 Census);.
The Suzdal Kremlin is the oldest part of the Russian city of Suzdal, dating from the 10th century. Like other Russian Kremlins, it was originally a fortress or citadel and was the religious and administrative center of the city. It is most notably the site of the Cathedral of the Nativity.
Saint George Cathedral in Yuryev-Polsky is one of a dozen surviving white-stone churches which were built in Vladimir-Suzdal Principality in the northeastern Rus prior to the Mongol invasion. Constructed between 1230 and 1234, the cathedral was also the last of these churches to be built, completed just three years before the invasion. Unlike most of the other pre-Mongol Vladimir-Suzdal churches, the St. George Cathedral was not designated as the World Heritage site.
The Lurji Monastery, that is the "Blue Monastery", is a 12th-century Georgian Orthodox church built in the name of Saint Andrew in the Vere neighborhood of Tbilisi, Georgia. The popular historical name lurji ("blue") is derived from its roof, adorned with glazed blue tile.
The Tsirkoli church of the Mother of God is an 8th–9th-century Georgian Orthodox church near the village of Tsirkoli in the Ksani river valley. It combines the features of domeless and domed church designs and is classified as belonging to the "transitional period" of medieval Georgian architecture. The area, part of the Akhalgori Municipality, came under the control of Russian and South Ossetian forces in the August 2008 Russo-Georgian War. As a result the Georgian clergy and parish lost access to the church, which is inscribed on Georgia's Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance.
The Dzveli Gavazi church of the Mother of God is an early medieval Christian church in the eastern Georgian region of Kakheti. It is a tetraconch with the dome positioned over the centre of the square. Exactly when Dzveli Gavazi was built is not known. The church is dated on typological grounds to the 6th century, but it was reworked with the addition of an ambulatory at a later date, probably in the 9th century, and substantially repaired in 1852. The church is inscribed on the list of the Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia.
