Ivan Berdnikov, the artist of the Bronnitsky porcelain factory “Vozrozhdenie”, made the decorative plate. It is made in the bisque technique: the white porcelain mass was not covered with a glossy layer of glaze, but fired slowly, starting at a low temperature. The surface of such dishes is porous, rough, and resembles marble.
Ivan Berdnikov depicted St. George Cathedral — the main church of the Yuryev monastery. The image of the cathedral is within a white round frame with a relief plant pattern, an inscription, and the date of creation — the 12th century. The construction of the cathedral began in 1119 and the work lasted for 11 years. The construction was started by Prince Mstislav the Great, but he was in Kyiv, so his son, Prince Vsevolod Mstislavovich of Novgorod, supervised the process.
The exterior of St. George Cathedral has survived almost unchanged, but the interior decoration of the temple has not been preserved. It is known that until the 16th century, the icon of the Annunciation in Ustyug, which was a rare and valuable work of pre-Mongolian Russian iconography, had been housed in the cathedral. Then Ivan the Terrible took it to Moscow, and now it is housed in the Tretyakov Gallery.
In 1807, the cathedral was renovated and three stone sarcophagi were discovered, but it is impossible to attribute them to any particular people.
In the 1830s, when Archimandrite Photius became rector, the church was rebuilt. The workers builders almost completely took down the ancient frescoes of the 12th century — they remained only in some areas, on the slopes of the windows and at the top of the stair tower. Then the artists painted new frescoes instead of the old ones, and approximately at this very time, a new seven-tier iconostasis was installed in the cathedral. At the end of the 19th century, during another restoration, the frescoes were taken down again.
After the revolution, the monastery was closed and the cathedral suspended public worship. In the 1930s, the church was in a state of disrepair, and during the restoration, the builders destroyed ancient artifacts, including the sacristy, the porch of 1706, and the chapel. In 1991, the cathedral and monastery were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and they re-opened for the public. Recently, archaeological excavations have been conducted at the monastery. As a result the workers have found the remains of the frescoes, some graffiti inscriptions about the events of the 12th century, and stone coffins.
Ivan Berdnikov depicted St. George Cathedral — the main church of the Yuryev monastery. The image of the cathedral is within a white round frame with a relief plant pattern, an inscription, and the date of creation — the 12th century. The construction of the cathedral began in 1119 and the work lasted for 11 years. The construction was started by Prince Mstislav the Great, but he was in Kyiv, so his son, Prince Vsevolod Mstislavovich of Novgorod, supervised the process.
The exterior of St. George Cathedral has survived almost unchanged, but the interior decoration of the temple has not been preserved. It is known that until the 16th century, the icon of the Annunciation in Ustyug, which was a rare and valuable work of pre-Mongolian Russian iconography, had been housed in the cathedral. Then Ivan the Terrible took it to Moscow, and now it is housed in the Tretyakov Gallery.
In 1807, the cathedral was renovated and three stone sarcophagi were discovered, but it is impossible to attribute them to any particular people.
In the 1830s, when Archimandrite Photius became rector, the church was rebuilt. The workers builders almost completely took down the ancient frescoes of the 12th century — they remained only in some areas, on the slopes of the windows and at the top of the stair tower. Then the artists painted new frescoes instead of the old ones, and approximately at this very time, a new seven-tier iconostasis was installed in the cathedral. At the end of the 19th century, during another restoration, the frescoes were taken down again.
After the revolution, the monastery was closed and the cathedral suspended public worship. In the 1930s, the church was in a state of disrepair, and during the restoration, the builders destroyed ancient artifacts, including the sacristy, the porch of 1706, and the chapel. In 1991, the cathedral and monastery were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and they re-opened for the public. Recently, archaeological excavations have been conducted at the monastery. As a result the workers have found the remains of the frescoes, some graffiti inscriptions about the events of the 12th century, and stone coffins.
