The Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos on Peryn
(russian: Церковь Рождества Богородицы на Перыни, Tserkov Rozhdestva Bogoroditsy na Peryni)
in the environs of
Veliky Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...
is one of the region's oldest churches, dating from the 1220s. The church is located from Veliky Novgorod, by the source of the
Volkhov River
The Volkhov (russian: Во́лхов) is a river in Novgorodsky and Chudovsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast and Kirishsky and Volkhovsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia. It connects Lake Ilmen and Lake Ladoga and forms pa ...
where it flows out of
Lake Ilmen
Lake Ilmen ( rus, И́льмень, p=ˈilʲmʲɪnʲ) is a large lake in the Novgorod Oblast of Russia. A historically important lake, it formed a vital part of the medieval trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The city of Novgorod - wh ...
. The church is a part of the
Peryn Skete
Peryn ( rus, Перынь, p=pʲɪˈrɨnʲ) is a peninsula near Veliky Novgorod (Russia), noted for its medieval pagan shrine complex, and for its later well-preserved monastery.
Location
The Peryn peninsula is at the confluence of Lake Ilmen ...
, a former monastery abolished in the 18th century, and is the only functioning church in the complex.
The Peryn Chapel is on the
World Heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
list as a part of object 604
Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings
Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings is a composite World Heritage Site which includes a number of medieval monuments in and around Veliky Novgorod, Russia. The site was inscribed in 1992.
History
Novgorod between the 9th and the 15th c ...
. The building has been designated an architectural monument of federal significance (#5310037007).
Presumably, the church was built on a site previously consecrated to the pagan god
Perun
In Slavic mythology, Perun (Cyrillic: Перýн) is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees. His other attributes were fire, mountains, wind, iris, eagle, firmam ...
, hence the name. The first church on the site was built in 991. Later, it became a part of a monastery. The current church was built in the 1220s. It was fully restored after World War II and returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in the 1990s.
The church is built of flat bricks and stone. It has a foundation in the shape of a square. The church has four internal
pillars
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression (physical), compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column i ...
and one dome.
It is notable in particular for its small size, measuring only in both length and width.
References
External links
* {{commonscat-inline, Peryn Skete
Churches completed in 1227
13th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings
Russian Orthodox churches in Veliky Novgorod
Eastern Orthodox church buildings
Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings
13th-century churches in Russia
Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Novgorod Oblast