Monument of history and culture of federal significance of the Kirillovsky district Vologda region. In the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, paintings of Dionysius and his sons have been preserved. This is the only temple where such a voluminous (total area of ​​600 m2) documented painting of Dionysius has been preserved. Nowadays, within the walls of the Ferapontov Monastery there is a museum of frescoes by Dionysius. In 2000, the monastery was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The monastery was founded in 1397 by Saint Ferapont of Belozersky, a companion of Saint Cyril of Belozersky. In the 15th century, the monastery became widely known and was visited by many prominent political figures. IN early XVI century, the Nativity of the Mother of God Cathedral was painted by the famous Moscow master Dionysius and his sons. The cost of the icon painter’s work was approximately equal to the cost of building the monastery itself.

In the period from 1666 to 1676, former Patriarch Nikon, who was exiled there, stayed in the Ferapontov Monastery.

In 1798, the monastery was abolished by decree of the Synod as having fallen into disrepair, and only in 1904 was it restored as a women's monastery. However, it existed in this form for 20 years and was closed in 1924. The creation of the museum began in 1975.

Founding of the monastery

The lives of Saints Ferapont and Kirill tell us that the future founders of the northern monasteries, called by Andrei Nikolaevich Muravyov the Russian Thebaid in the North, were monks of the Moscow Simonov Monastery. Together they labored in labor and prayer, and often communicated with those who visited the monastery. Venerable Sergius Radonezh. When the Mother of God appeared to Cyril, indicating the location of the founding of a new monastery, it was Ferapont who was chosen by the ascetic as a companion. Having reached the shores of Lake Siverskoye, the elders excavated cells and gradually began the arrangement of the future Kirillo-Belozersky monastery. After a short time, Ferapont left Cyril and went further to the northeast, until at a distance of 15 versts (20 km) from Lake Siverskoye he discovered lakes Passkoye and Borodavskoye, connected by the small river Paska. “I have a desire, and it constantly attracts me, to go silently to a special place,” Ferapont said simply, and Cyril answered him just as sincerely: “If God’s will is for this, you can actually fulfill it.” On a hill between two lakes the elder founded his monastery. The years of foundation of the Kirillov and Ferapontov monasteries coincide - 1397. The monastery began to develop, but Ferapont was forced to leave it and, at the request of Prince Andrei Dmitrievich Donskoy, go to Mozhaisk to found a monastery on the banks of the Moscow River. This is how the Luzhetsky Monastery arose.

Monastery inXV- XVII centuries

In the Ferapontov Monastery itself, Martinian Belozersky, a student of Kirill Belozersky, became the hegumen. It was under Martinian in 1409 that the wooden Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary with a refectory was built. The monastery became widely known; in the second half of the 15th - early 16th centuries it became, along with the Kirillo-Belozersky and Spaso-Kamenny monasteries, the spiritual, cultural and ideological center of the northern lands. For a long time after the death of Martinian and the discovery of the relics, the monastery bore the name “Martemyanovsky”.

In 1490, the construction of the stone Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was completed, on which Rostov craftsmen, invited by Archbishop Joasaph of Rostov, who came from the monastery itself, worked. In 1502, Joasaph invited the famous Moscow artist Dionysius to paint the new cathedral. The inscription located on the surface of the arch of the northern entrance of the cathedral informs about the time of creation (1502) and the record time for completion (34 days) of the painting by the icon painter Dionysius “with his children.” A striking fact is that the paintings have survived to this day without renovation.

The monastery flourished in the 16th century. It was during this period that the monastery received many deposits and grants from the tsar and princes. People come to the monastery on pilgrimage Vasily III, Elena Glinskaya, Ivan IV. At the same time, the monumental Church of the Annunciation with a refectory, the state chamber, service buildings - a stone drying room, a guest chamber, a cook's chamber - were erected.

However, in 1614 the monastery was devastated by the Poles, the cells and gates were burned, and the surrounding villages were plundered. A quarter of a century later, the monastery recovered from the invasion of Polish-Lithuanian troops. In 1643, in the Martinian Church, built in 1495, a shrine containing the relics of the saint was installed. In 1645, a two-aisle gate church was built. In 1666, Patriarch Nikon was exiled to the Ferapontov Monastery. He spent 10 years in captivity in the monastery. There is a well-known worship cross, carved and installed by Nikon on a small island in the middle of Lake Borodavskoe.

Monastery inXVIII-XXI centuries

In the 18th century, the monastery gradually fell into disrepair, until in 1798 it was abolished by decree of the Synod. Monastic churches became parish churches.

In 1904, the monastery was reopened as a convent, but was closed again in 1924.

Since 1975, the formation began modern museum.

In 2000, the ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery with paintings by Dionysius was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Ferapontov Monastery

Ferapontov Monastery was founded in 1398 by the monk of the Moscow Simonov Monastery Ferapont.

The Monk Ferapont, known in the world as Fyodor, was born in Volokolamsk into a family of nobles, the Poskochins. From a young age, dreaming of a monastic life, he secretly left home and took monastic vows at the Simonov Monastery.

The abbot often gave him various assignments. One day he sent Ferapont to the distant Belozersk side. The harsh and brooding Russian North captivated the young monk. The thirst for desert solitude in the silence of the northern forests seized him. Returning to the Simonov Monastery, he shared his thoughts with Rev. Kirill, the future Yufill Belozersky. “Is there a place on White Lake where a monk can be silent?” - asked Kirill. “There are many of them,” answered Ferapont. The die was cast: Cyril and Ferapont decided to go into the desert.

Having chosen a place on the shore of Lake Siverskoye, (bfill and Ferapont erected a cross here and dug dugouts for themselves. After living for some time with Cyril, Ferapont went in search of solitude and settled on the shore of Lake Borodavskoye, in a “spacious and smooth” place. Soon people began to come here and other monks who wanted to share his desert life.In 1409, Ferapont built a wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God. This is how the Ferapont monastery arose.

The lands of Belozerye were part of the inheritance of Prince Andrei Dmitrievich Mozhaisky. Hearing about the new monastery, he sent gifts of utensils for the temple and granted land to the monastery. Soon the princely governor, having arrived from Beloozero to Mozhaisk, told the prince about the spiritual exploits of the Monk Ferapont. Having long wanted to build a monastery near Mozhaisk, Prince Andrey invited Ferapont to his place. Leaving the monastery, Ferapont went to Mozhaisk, where he founded the Luzhetsky Monastery, where he died at the age of 90 on May 27, 1426.


The successor of the Monk Ferapont was Hegumen Martinian, a prominent church figure of the 15th century. The Monk Martinian of Belozersky, in the world Mikhail Stomonakhov, was born around 1400 in the Vologda village of Syama. At a young age, he was tonsured a monk by Kirill Belozersky. He was a student of Ferapont. Around 1427, the Monk Martinian founded the Vozheezersk Spassky Monastery on Lake Vozhe, but soon became abbot of the Ferapontov Monastery. In 1447, he supported Vasily the Dark, who was exiled to Vologda, who subsequently invited Martinian Ferapontov to manage the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. In 1455, the monk left this monastery and moved to his beloved Ferapontov monastery, where he spent the rest of his life.


Through the works of the Monk Martinian, the monastery began to grow, becoming a major center of education. The Monk Martinian was especially fond of bookmaking and copied books himself. Under him, the beginning of an extensive monastery library was laid. The famous church writer Pachomius Logofet, who visited Ferapontovo in 1461, gave many property to the working brethren.”

Throughout the 15th century, the monastery was a major spiritual center. A whole galaxy of famous educators and scribes emerged from its walls.

The solitude and remoteness of the monastery made it a residence for exiles from high spiritual rank. The first of them was Archbishop Joasaph of Rostov. Archbishop Joasaph (Obolensky) in his youth took monastic vows at the Ferapontov Monastery. In 1488, after a quarrel with John III, he was exiled to Ferapontovo. Joasaph lived in the monastery for about twenty-five years, spending last years in complete silence. He died in 1513 and was buried next to the Monk Martinian, whom he considered his mentor.

Some time after the appearance of Archbishop Joasaph in Ferapontovo, there was a severe fire in the monastery, during which a holy fool named Galaktion saved the entire treasury of the archbishop. With these miraculously surviving funds, a new cathedral was built in 1490 in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. It became the second stone building in Belozero after the Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.

The Cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary of the Ferapontov Monastery is a strict one-domed church, traditional for Russian northern monasteries, in which the traditions of the Novgorod-Pskov school of stone architecture of the 15th century are felt. The cathedral is very sparsely decorated. A massive bell-shaped dome with a small dome at the end rises above the temple on a wide drum. The cathedral is surrounded by a covered stone gallery, which is adjoined on the western side by a square, single-tier bell tower, covered with a low tent.

Twelve years after the construction of the cathedral, in 1502, the famous painter Dionysius and his sons came to Ferapontovo to paint the cathedral. “In the summer of the 7010s (1502) of the month of August, on the 6th day of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, the signing of the church began quickly, and was completed on the second summer, on the 9th day of the month of September... And the scribes were Dionysius the iconographer with his children. O Lord Christ, King of all, deliver them, O Lord, from eternal torment,” reads ancient inscription on the northern wall of the cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin.

The cathedral church of the Ferapontov Monastery with frescoes of Dionysius has long been included in the treasury of domestic and world art. Numerous scientific works and photo albums published all over the world are devoted to the frescoes of Dionysius; information about them can be found in any publication devoted to ancient Russian painting.


The date of birth of Dionysius is considered to be 1440. The successor to Andrei Rublev’s work worked a lot in Moscow and monasteries near Moscow. In 1467-1476, he painted frescoes and icons in the Pafnutievo Borovsky Monastery, in 1481 he painted the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, then he worked in the Moscow Spaso-Chigasov Monastery and in the Kremlin Resurrection Monastery, after 1485 he painted icons for the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady of Joseph of Volokolamsk monastery, in 1500 - in the Pavlo-Obnorsky monastery. In 1502, Dionysius, together with his sons Theodosius, Vladimir and Andrei, created one of the most perfect ensembles of Russian medieval art - the frescoes of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in the Ferapontova Monastery.


Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Ferapontov of the Luzhetsky Mozhaisk Monastery



By a happy coincidence, these frescoes are the main work of Dionysius that has survived to this day.


Unlike Andrei Rublev, Dionysius was not a monk. There is practically no ascetic beginning in his art. From the master’s works one can judge that Dionysius was an educated man, knowledgeable in Russian history, who knew the chronicles and hagiographic literature. The influence of Byzantium is also felt in his art. The paintings of Dionysius are distinguished by light, spiritual drawings, richness of colors, and skillful composition of paintings.

Painting covers everything inner space temple from floor to ceiling. Festiveness and elegance - this is the main mood that determines the impression that the cathedral’s paintings make on the viewer. The Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery was painted, as recent research has proven, in just 34 days, and not in two years, as previously thought.

The main theme of the frescoes of the Ferapontovsky temple is the unity of the visible and invisible world, the world of people and the world of “incorporeal heavenly forces.” They are strictly in the spirit of the ancient rules: harmony, unity and nothing superfluous. Ferapontov Belozersky Monastery


The frescoes amaze with their color richness and nobility of tones - soft pink, golden yellow, lilac, greenish, lilac-brown and reddish-brown. Despite some muted color, they create the impression of tenderness and transparency of the colors. For many years it was believed that colored pebbles and clay were used as dyes for the Ferapont Belozersky Monastery frescoes different colors and shades that can be found on the shores of Borodavskoye and Paskoye lakes and in the beds of the streams flowing into them. These pebbles were crushed, ground and mixed with egg whites. A whole wave of pilgrims came to Ferapontovo from Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. They looked for similar pebbles and clays and prepared paints from them according to ancient recipes.


Adjacent to the Nativity Cathedral from the south is the Church of St. Martinian of Belozersky. It was built in 1640-1641 over the tomb of Abbot Martinian, the successor of the Monk Ferapont. In 1549, the Monk Martinian of Belozersky was canonized. A wooden carved gilded shrine over the coffin of the Monk Martinian has been preserved in the church.

The cathedral is connected by covered passages to the bell tower and refectory chamber to the Church of the Annunciation. The refectory was built in 1530-1534 with funds donated to the monastery by the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III, when he and Elena Glinskaya toured northern monasteries, begging God for an heir.

The gateway Church of the Epiphany with the chapel of St. Ferapont was erected in 1650.

At the end of the 15th century, the disgraced Kiev Metropolitan Spiridon served his exile in the monastery, where he wrote “The Life of Saints Zosima and Savvatius of Solovetsky” and “An Exposition on Our True Orthodox Faith.”

And from 1666 to 1676, the disgraced Patriarch Nikon lived in the monastery. Unable to accept the loss of his influence, he never ceased to hope for a quick return and demanded patriarchal honors and privileges from the monks. Monastic authorities, not entirely sure that former Patriarch will not end up in Moscow again, they obediently fulfilled all his demands. According to Nikon’s instructions, special mansions were built for him - “cells of many twenty-five lives,” and in the middle of Lake Borodavskoye an island in the shape of a cross was poured out of stones, where Nikon erected a wooden cross and spent a long time there in prayer and solitude. The inscription was carved on the cross: “ Life-giving cross Christ was installed by the humble Patriarch Nikon, the Patriarch by the grace of God, being imprisoned for the word of God and for the Holy Church on Beloozero in the Ferapontov Monastery.”


After the death of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1676, Nikon's position changed in the worst side. Patriarch Joachim, Nikon's longtime opponent, presented him with whole list new accusations, including even relations between the former Patriarch and Stepan Razin’s envoys. Nikon was transferred to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery to prison. Only in 1681, the former Patriarch received permission to return to New Jerusalem, but on the way, in Yaroslavl, Nikon, who had fallen ill, died.

After the contributions of Tsar Mikhail Romanov made in the 1640s, the Ferapontov monastery did not receive any other grants. By the end of the 17th century it fell into disrepair and was abolished in 1798, and its churches were converted into parish churches. But the glory of the ancient monastery never died, and at the beginning of the 20th century, in connection with the 500th anniversary of its founding, the Ferapontov monastery was revived as a women’s monastery. In 1908-1915, restoration work was carried out at the monastery. The initiator of the restoration of the Ferapontov Monastery was the abbess of the Leushinsky Monastery Taisiya. Thanks to her indomitable energy, an all-Russian fundraiser for this good cause was held twice. She also became the first abbess of the restored Ferapontov Monastery. Abbess Taisiya died in January 1915.

Ferapontov Monastery was closed in 1924, and its then abbess was shot by the communists. The monastery houses a museum. The monastery Church of the Epiphany has been used for worship since 1990.

Location: Vologda region, Kirillovsky district, village. Ferapontovo.

Ferapontov Belozersky Nativity of the Virgin Mary monastery was founded at the turn of the 14th – 15th centuries, during the period of expansion political influence Moscow Grand Duchy, for about 400 years was one of the prominent cultural and religious educational centers in the Belozersky region.

The history of the Ferapontov Monastery at some key points comes into contact with important historical events era of the formation of the Russian centralized state, is closely connected with the main historical events that took place in Moscow in the 15th – 17th centuries: the capture and blinding of Grand Duke Vasily II the Dark, the establishment of the power of the first “sovereign of all Rus'” Ivan III, the birth and reign of the first Russian Tsar Ivan IV , the formation of the Romanov dynasty, the exile of Patriarch Nikon.

Traditionally, the date of foundation of the Ferapont monastery is taken to be 1398. At this time, an associate of the Monk Ferapont settled separately on a hill between two lakes, Borodaevsky and Paskim. A few years later, obeying the insistence of the Belozersk prince Andrei Dmitrievich, he went near Moscow, to Mozhaisk, and founded his second monastery - Luzhetsky.

Ferapontov Monastery becomes widely known thanks to the activities of the disciple of Cyril of Belozersky, Venerable Martinian, confessor of Vasily II, who was in 1447 - 1455. abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.

In the second half of the 15th - early 16th centuries, the Ferapontov Monastery became a significant spiritual, cultural and ideological center of Belozerye, one of the famous Trans-Volga monasteries, whose elders had a serious influence on the politics of Moscow.

Along with the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, it becomes a traditional place of worship and contributions of many representatives of the Russian feudal nobility (Andrei and Mikhail Mozhaisky, Vasily III, Ivan IV and others). From its walls at the turn of the 15th – 16th centuries. prominent hierarchs of the Russian Church came out, actively participating in inner life countries - Archbishop of Rostov and Yaroslavl Joasaph (Obolensky), Bishop of Perm and Vologda Philotheus, Bishop of Suzdal Ferapont.

At the same time, major church figures who fought for the priority of church power in the state (Metropolitan Spiridon-Sava, Patriarch Nikon) were exiled here. Book writers Martinian, Spiridon, Philotheus, Paisius, Matthew, Efrosyn, and icon painter Dionysius worked here.

The entire 16th century was the heyday of the monastery. This is evidenced by the surviving deposits and letters of grant from the secular and spiritual authorities, primarily Ivan IV. Vasily III and Elena Glinskaya, Ivan IV come to the monastery on pilgrimage. The deposit book of the monastery, begun in 1534, names among the contributors “princes Staritsky, Kubensky, Lykov, Belsky, Shuisky, Vorotynsky... Godunov, Sheremetev” and others. The rulers of Siberia, Rostov, Vologda, Belozersk, and Novgorod are also mentioned here.

With the discovery of the relics of St. Martinian and his subsequent canonization, attention to the monastery increases, contributing to the growth of deposits and income.

To the richest patrimony of Belozerye - the Ferapontov Monastery at the beginning of the 17th century. belonged to several villages, about 60 villages, 100 wastelands, more than 300 peasants.

In 1490, with the construction of the first stone church of Belozerye, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, by Rostov craftsmen, the formation of the stone ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery of the 15th - 17th centuries began.

In the 16th century In the monastery, monumental buildings with a refectory and service buildings were built - a stone drying room, a guest chamber, a cook's chamber. Having recovered from the Lithuanian devastation, in the middle of the 17th century. the monastery is being built.

In 1798, the Ferapontov Monastery was abolished by decree of the Synod.

In the 19th century, during the parish period, the narrowed monastic territory was enclosed.

In 1904, the monastery was reopened as a convent and closed again in 1924.

Currently, the monuments of the Ferapontov Monastery house the Museum of Frescoes of Dionysius, which has the status of a historical, architectural and art museum-reserve. The museum, which arose at the beginning of the 20th century, protected the monuments with the help of only one guard throughout the 1930s-1960s. Since 1975, the formation of a modern museum began, which has turned into a research and educational center, disseminating knowledge about the unique monuments of the Ferapontov Monastery ensemble through various forms of museum work. At the end of 2000, the ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery with paintings by Dionysius was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery

The complex of monuments of the Ferapontov Monastery with paintings by Dionysius is a rare example of the preservation and stylistic unity of the Russian northern monastic ensemble of the 15th – 17th centuries, revealing the typical features of the architecture of the time of the formation of the Russian centralized state. The ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery is a striking example of harmonious unity with the natural surrounding landscape, practically unchanged since the 17th century, emphasizing the special spiritual structure of northern monasticism, while at the same time revealing the peculiarities of the economic structure of the northern peasantry.

The buildings of the monastery, perhaps the only ones in the Russian North, have preserved everything characteristics decor and interiors.

Frescoes of the Ferapontov Monastery

In one of the remote areas of the Vologda region, near the city of Kirillov, there is an ancient monastery founded in the 14th century by the Moscow monk Ferapont. More than 600 years ago it arose from small chopped cells. Over time, surrounding lands began to be transferred to the monastery. Money flowed into the monastery treasury, with which new lands and villages were purchased, and craftsmen were also invited to build stone fortress walls, temples and other buildings. Many books were also purchased: the Ferapontov Monastery started a huge library, books copied to order were sent from here throughout Rus'.

At the very beginning of the 16th century, a team of painters appeared within the walls of the Ferapontov Monastery, painting the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Four hundred plus years stone walls patiently preserved the colors of the frescoes, the inscriptions and the memory of the masters who created them. One of them is Dionysius, whose name was read by scientists at the beginning of the 20th century. Due to its geographical location, the cathedral was a wayside temple. At a time when, with the fall of Constantinople, a new trade route was established in Russian state, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in the Ferapontov Monastery was precisely on this great path that passed through the White Sea along Onega and Sheksna. It was the first stone cathedral on this route and was quite suitable for fresco painting. Kargopol, located on the same Onega, was still a completely logged city, and there were no stone churches yet in the Solovetsky Monastery. The team of masters and apprentices (carpenters, plasterers, gesso makers, etc.) completed all the work assigned to them in just over two years.

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary

The iconography of the frescoes of the Ferapont Cathedral in many ways has no precedent in the wall paintings of Russian churches. Never before, for example, has there been an image of John the Baptist on the altar, there have been no images Ecumenical Councils and much more. Some researchers (in particular, G. Chugunov) believe that the akathist to the Mother of God also first appeared in Ferapontovo. In Greek and South Slavic churches, the entire life of Mary was usually depicted, starting from the “Nativity of the Virgin Mary” and ending with her “Assumption.” If an akathist to the Mother of God was included in the painting, it usually occupied an insignificant place somewhere in the aisles of churches. Dionysius creates a painting glorifying Mary, a painting similar to the chants that were composed in her honor. Of course, Dionysius did not arbitrarily introduce into the frescoes many subjects that had not been depicted before him. To take such a bold step, he had to see the previous paintings, and not just hear about them, and he could only see them on Athos. But Dionysius’s solution to many gospel stories also differs from those at Athos. At that time there were no strict canons, and Dionysius could take advantage of this circumstance. For example, he independently tried to comprehend some of the provisions of Christianity, in particular, about the life of the Mother of God. What was the main goal for previous painters became a secondary goal for Dionysius. the main task for him - an akathist to the Mother of God, her glorification, therefore all big cycle The paintings of the Nativity Church seem to be a single hymn: “Rejoice!”

The frescoes created by Dionysius should be considered as an integral part of the architecture of the Nativity Cathedral itself. Its entire internal space - from the dome to the base - is filled with shining paintings. Dionysius willingly surrenders to the bright impressions of life; he can revel in the colorful patterns of precious brocade, bright colors overseas silks, the shine of semi-precious stones.

“The Marriage in Cana of Galilee,” for example, appears to him as a joyful feast. The cathedrals and towers that frame numerous painting scenes remind the viewer of the architectural monuments of Moscow and Vladimir. The rhythmic construction of scenes and the movement of figures speak of the artist’s powers of observation and genius, and Dionysius always translates his life impressions into the realm of beautiful and sublime poetry. Even the most ordinary characters - servants filling vessels with wine, or blind beggars feeding on meager alms - acquire a special nobility and dignity in the frescoes.

Marriage in Cana of Galilee

In the center of the cathedral, in the dome, Christ the Pantocrator is depicted.

According to many researchers, this image is reminiscent of the “Pantocrator” from the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod, but this connection is felt purely externally - in the arrangement of the hands and the Gospel. The essence of Ferapont's Christ the Pantocrator is very different from Novgorod's. In Ferapontovo, Christ the Pantocrator does not have that formidable and unyielding will, like the Novgorod Pantocrator.

On the north side of the cathedral, the Virgin Mary sits on a throne, surrounded by archangels, and at the foot of the throne crowds of mortals are crowded, chanting the “Queen of Peace.” On the southern side, a host of singers glorify Mary, as in her womb she bore deliverance to the captives.”

On the western side, instead of the “Assumption”, more usual for South Slavic churches, the composition “ Last Judgment", in which Mary is glorified as the intercessor of the entire human race. In the eastern lunette of the temple, the Mother of God is depicted in a purely Russian, national spirit - as the patroness and defender of the Russian state. She stands with a “veil” in her hands against the backdrop of the walls of ancient Vladimir, which in those years was a symbol of the religious and political unity of Rus'. Mary is no longer surrounded by singers or saints, but by Russian people.

Protection of Our Lady

The cathedral was painted by Dionysius and his comrades not only inside, but partly also outside. On the western facade there is a well-preserved fresco that greeted those entering the temple and gave the right direction to his thoughts and feelings (later a porch was built in this part of the cathedral, and the painting ended up inside the temple).

The painting is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and consists of three belts: the upper one is the Deesis, the middle one is the scenes of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and the Caress of Mary by Joachim and Anna, the lower one is the archangels. To the right of the portal is Gabriel holding a scroll on which is written “The angel of the Lord will write the names of those entering the temple.”

The portal fresco is a kind of prelude to the painting of the cathedral, because the akathist to the Virgin Mary begins here. Before Dionysius, other artists interpreted the plot of “The Nativity of the Virgin Mary” as a purely family scene in the house of Joachim and Anna, Mary’s parents. Dionysius also left genre details dictated by the very content of the painting, and at the same time, his frescoes differ sharply from the works of his predecessors. In the middle tier of the paintings, Dionysius placed not scenes from the life of Mary, but illustrations to the twenty-four songs of the akathist to the Mother of God. Here the artist was least bound by canons, and from under his brush came images that were completely original. He did not show the violent movements of the human soul; the artist is drawn to reflection, to an original interpretation of traditional gospel themes.

Caress and Mary

For example, Anna and the elderly Joachim, who learned that his wife was expecting a baby. Usually other masters portrayed this scene as full of dramatic explanations. Joachim rushed to his wife, and Anna responded to him with no less expressive gestures. Dionysius doesn’t even have anything similar. His Joachim already knows about the “immaculate” conception, he reverently bows before the newborn Mary, extending his hand to her and repeating the gesture usual for “immature”. Anna in Dionysius’s fresco makes no attempt to stand up or reaches for food. Filled with dignity and humble grace, she sits on the bed, and the woman standing behind the bed not only does not help Anna get up, but does not even dare to touch the cover of the one who gave birth to the future mother of Christ. The woman to the right of the bed does not just hand Anna a bowl of food, but solemnly offers it. And this golden cup, receiving special semantic meaning, becomes the center of the entire composition. Dionysius shows the viewer that what is before him is not the usual everyday vanity that accompanies the birth of a child, but the fulfillment of a sacred sacrament.

Nativity of the Virgin Mary

The images of all the characters from the life of Mary are filled by Dionysius with extraordinary spiritual delicacy. Their movements are smooth, gestures are only outlined, but not completed, participants in many scenes only indicate touching, but do not touch each other. This applies, for example, to the scene "Mary's Bathing". The compositional center of this part of the fresco is the golden font. Women bathing a newborn do not dare to touch her, and the one who brought Anna a gift holds it carefully, like a vessel with incense.

Bathing Mary

Researchers noted that the soft rounded contours of one shape are repeated in another; all the figures are painted lightly and picturesquely, as if they were weightless and hovering above the ground. The frescoes of the cathedral are distinguished by their tenderness, muted and lightened colors, soft color transitions, they lack contrasts and sharp comparisons. Experts (though not all) believe that when painting the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, Dionysius deliberately “replaced” the red tone with pink or pale crimson, green with light green, yellow with straw yellow, blue with turquoise, so his colors almost lost their power and the masculinity inherent in his works of an earlier period.

In the vault of the southwestern pillar of the Nativity Cathedral there is a composition depicting Jesus Christ and the Moscow Metropolitans Peter and Alexei. Below them, near a pond, are a gray-haired old man, an elderly woman and two young men. Antiquity expert S.S. Churakov hypothesized that the reservoir symbolizes the source of “God’s bounties”, and the people receiving them constitute one family - husband, wife and their sons. Perhaps Dionysius depicted himself and his family here, because his two sons, Vladimir and Theodosius, worked with him in Ferapontovo.

S. S. Churakov believes that real people introduced by Dionysius into another composition. Thus, in the scene of the Last Judgment, among the Fryazins (foreigners), the artist depicted the Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti, who built the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin. And indeed, this portrait is very expressive: the head of the person depicted is somewhat thrown back, a large forehead, a nose with a characteristic hump, brown eyes, a shaved face, a bald skull... The viewer is presented with a middle-aged man, independent, wise with experience and knowledge, who does not bow even to overlords. For now, this is just a hypothesis, which may be answered by future research.

Text by Nadezhda Ionina