Saint Nicholas Church on Lipno Island (церковь Николы на Липне) is a late 13th-century Russian Orthodox church sitting on a small island in the delta of the

Msta River The Msta () is a river in Tver and Novgorod Oblasts of northwestern Russia, a tributary of Lake Ilmen. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributaries of the Msta are the Berezayka (left), the Uver (right), the Peretna (left ...

, 9 km south of

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 ...

. Its design harks back to the Nativity Church on Peryn Island. The main altar is consecrated in the name of

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...

. A huge icon of this saint (184 cm in height) was painted for the church by Aleksa Petrov in 1294. The fact was notable enough to be mentioned in the Third Novgorod chronicle. This painting — among the most famous of all Russian icons — is now exhibited at the

Novgorod Kremlin The Novgorod Detinets (russian: Новгородский детинец, Novgorodskiy detinets), also known as the Novgorod Kremlin (, ''Novgorodskiy kreml' ''), is a fortified complex ( detinets) in Veliky Novgorod, Russia. It stands on the l ...

museum. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Lipno church had no parishioners and was almost deserted. After the

Bolshevik revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolsheviks, Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was ...

its belfry was pulled down. A set of 13th century frescoes was discovered under a layer of plaster in 1930. Despite its remote location, the building sustained heavy damage during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, so that about 35% of medieval masonry had to be replaced. On 6 January 2021, Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

attended a Christmas eve service at the church. It is part of the

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 ...

, a

World Heritage Site 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 ...

inscribed in 1992.

References

External links

*
The Mesolithic Settlement of Lipno
{{coord, 58.4486, N, 31.3489, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:RU, display=title Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings Archaeological sites in Russia Russian Orthodox churches in Veliky Novgorod Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Novgorod Oblast