The Goritsky Monastery of Dormition is located in the town of Pereslavl-Zalessky, Yaroslavl Oblast. It was founded in the early 14th century during the reign of Ivan Kalita. However, late in the century, the army of khan Tokhtamysh destroyed Pereslavl-Zalessky along with the monastery.
According to legend, right on the eve of the Mongol invasion and the destruction the enemy brought, Grand Duchess Eudoxia, Dmitry Donskoy’s wife, came on a pilgrimage to the monastery. A few of her servants and herself miraculously escaped from the warriors of the Golden Horde, getting on a raft and sailing to the middle of Lake Pleshcheyevo. A sudden dense fog hid them from the eyes of the enemy. In memory of her rescue, Eudoxia restored the monastery at her own expense. And nowadays the town of Pereslavl-Zalessky has a tradition — every sixth Sunday after Easter, a cross procession on boats starts from the mouth of the Trubezh River near the Goritsky Monastery and ends in the middle of the lake.
In the 16th century, the monastery was rebuilt in stone. At the end of the 17th century, it was surrounded by an immense fence with towers, a gatekeeper’s chamber, and two gates called Svyatiye (Holy) and Proyezdniye (Passage). The gates have survived to this day.
The Svyatiye gate of the Gate Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker combines two architectural trends — Naryshkin Baroque and Russian Uzorochye. The footing is lined with beautiful ornately-shaped bricks, and the passages are located on both sides. The Proyezdniye gate is decorated with statues of horses, and there are two pairs of round columns on the sides of the lower level.
The church was open for worship until 1789. Only 200 years later, the monastery buildings were restored under the guidance of the architect Ivan Purishev (1930–2013).
The foreground of Kurnakov’s study depicts the Svyatiye gate and the Gate Church of St. Nicholas of the Goritsky Monastery of Dormition in Pereslavl-Zalessky. A little further to the right is the Proyezdniye gate.
The artist is fascinated by the grandeur of the architecture. He portrays the fortress that is designed to protect the town and the monastery against unwelcome guests. The formidable white walls are painted in large strokes. The bright sky in the background enhances the impression of grandeur even more. The rich exterior elements are not much detailed and are only hinted at with separate and small strokes of various colors. The blue roof and five domes of the snow-white Church of All Saints on the left emphasize the austerity and indestructibility of the structure.
According to legend, right on the eve of the Mongol invasion and the destruction the enemy brought, Grand Duchess Eudoxia, Dmitry Donskoy’s wife, came on a pilgrimage to the monastery. A few of her servants and herself miraculously escaped from the warriors of the Golden Horde, getting on a raft and sailing to the middle of Lake Pleshcheyevo. A sudden dense fog hid them from the eyes of the enemy. In memory of her rescue, Eudoxia restored the monastery at her own expense. And nowadays the town of Pereslavl-Zalessky has a tradition — every sixth Sunday after Easter, a cross procession on boats starts from the mouth of the Trubezh River near the Goritsky Monastery and ends in the middle of the lake.
In the 16th century, the monastery was rebuilt in stone. At the end of the 17th century, it was surrounded by an immense fence with towers, a gatekeeper’s chamber, and two gates called Svyatiye (Holy) and Proyezdniye (Passage). The gates have survived to this day.
The Svyatiye gate of the Gate Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker combines two architectural trends — Naryshkin Baroque and Russian Uzorochye. The footing is lined with beautiful ornately-shaped bricks, and the passages are located on both sides. The Proyezdniye gate is decorated with statues of horses, and there are two pairs of round columns on the sides of the lower level.
The church was open for worship until 1789. Only 200 years later, the monastery buildings were restored under the guidance of the architect Ivan Purishev (1930–2013).
The foreground of Kurnakov’s study depicts the Svyatiye gate and the Gate Church of St. Nicholas of the Goritsky Monastery of Dormition in Pereslavl-Zalessky. A little further to the right is the Proyezdniye gate.
The artist is fascinated by the grandeur of the architecture. He portrays the fortress that is designed to protect the town and the monastery against unwelcome guests. The formidable white walls are painted in large strokes. The bright sky in the background enhances the impression of grandeur even more. The rich exterior elements are not much detailed and are only hinted at with separate and small strokes of various colors. The blue roof and five domes of the snow-white Church of All Saints on the left emphasize the austerity and indestructibility of the structure.
