The Novgorod Detinets (), also known as the Novgorod Kremlin (), is a fortified complex ( detinets) in

Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre 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 ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. It stands on the left bank of the Volkhov River about two miles north of where it empties out of Lake Ilmen.

History

The compound was originally the site of a

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

burial ground upon which the first bishop of Novgorod, Ioakim Korsunianin, built the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom upon his arrival in the area in 989 or so. Thus the compound was and remained largely an ecclesiastical site, although many Novgorodian

boyars A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including First Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russian nobility, Russia), Boyars of Moldavia and Wallach ...

built their houses in the southern part of the Detinets. The first reference of the fortification on the site dates to 1044, with additional construction taking place in 1116. These were probably earthen embankments topped by a wooden palisade, although stone towers and walls were built in 1302.

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Vasily Kalika (1330–1352) rebuilt the stone wall along the eastern side of the Detinets in 1331–1335. The rest was completed in stone only in 1400. Under the rule of Archbishop Evfimy II (1429–1458), a council hall for the nobility council and a clocktower were built in the episcopal compound in 1433 and 1436 respectively. The council hall, now called the Episcopal Chamber or the Chamber of Facets due to its elaborate Gothic vaults, is one of the easternmost examples of

Brick Gothic Brick Gothic (, , ) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Baltic region, Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resources of standing rock (though Glacial erratic, ...

. In 1437, part of Vasily's walls collapsed into the Volkhov River and were rebuilt by Evfimy II, too.

Modern construction

The fortress was rebuilt between 1484 and 1490 by

Muscovite Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula KAl2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage y ...

builders in the wake of Grand Prince Ivan III's conquest of the city in 1478; a third of it was paid for by the Novgorodian archbishop Gennady, a Muscovite appointee (1484–1504). It is a large oval 545 metres long and 240 metres wide with nine surviving towers (three additional towers have not survived). The tallest tower, the Kokui tower, is capped by a silver dome. It was built in the 18th century, and its name is of Swedish origin. Today it is possible to enter this tower and climb to the top. The walls are 1,487 metres in circumference.

Layout

The main buildings in the Detinets are the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom and the archiepiscopal/metropolitan compound in the northwestern corner. To the south of this, across the plaza in which stands the Monument to the Thousand Years of Russia, is the Novgorod Museum and the Novgorod Regional Library, housed in what had in the imperial period been the administrative building of Novgorod. The museum houses a fine icon collection and other artifacts from the city's history. Several smaller churches (the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God along the southwestern wall near the Pokrovskii (Intercession) and Kokui towers, and the Church of St. Andrew Stratelates near the southeastern wall, and other buildings are found south of the museum, an area of the Detinets that has been left a park. There are numerous references in the chronicles to no longer extant buildings, including chapels over the gates (there were six in the republican period) and the Church of Sts. Boris and Gleb, built by Sitko Sitinits, who is thought to be the historic source for the legendary Sadko.Aleksandr Ignat'evich Semenov, ''Istoricheskie pamiatniki Novgorodskogo Kremlia'' (Novgorod: gazeta “Novgorodskaia Pravda,” 1959). An eternal flame to the soldiers of the German-Soviet War can be seen just inside the west gate of the fortress. A public beach has been formed between the southeastern part of the Kremlin and the Volkhov river. File:Kremlin of Novgorod, 2009.jpg, Kremlin (or Detinets) towers and wall, Spring 2009 File:Novgorod Kremlin.jpg, View from across the Volkhov River File:Cathedral of St. Sophia, the Holy Wisdom of God in Novgorod, Russia.jpg, Cathedral of Holy Wisdom File:Novgorod Kremlin 00022.jpg, Cathedral doors File:Spasskaya Tower in Velikiy Novgorod Detinets.jpg , Spasskaya Tower at south side of the wall File:ЦЕРКОВЬ МУЧЕНИКА АНДРЕЯ СТРАТИЛАТА - Iglesia del Martir Andres Stratelates.jpg, Saint Andrew Stratelates church File:Metropolitan tower Novgorod Detinets.jpg, Metropolitan tower File:Novgorod Kremlin 00010.jpg, Monument to the Thousand Years of Russia File:Главный_зал_(2).JPG, Chamber of Facets File:VNovgorodDetinets VoevodskyCourt VN53.jpg, Voevodsky Court File:Novkremlin.jpg, A view across the Volkhov at night File:Novgorod Kremlin, War Memorial.jpg, Eternal Flame War Memorial

References

External links

{{Authority control Kremlins Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings Tourist attractions in Novgorod Oblast Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Novgorod Oblast