Golden gate year of creation. Why is the symbol of the greatness and power of Ancient Russia called the Golden Gate? Photo report. White stone church

The city of Vladimir, which was founded in 990, has a large number of sights preserved from medieval times. One of the most important is the Golden Gate, built in the middle of the 12th century and partially preserved to this day.

History of the Golden Gate in Vladimir

This gate is known as a monument of ancient Russian architecture, which is located in the city of Vladimir. They are also considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The year of their construction is 1164th. This is the time of the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky. Initially, they were used as a defensive structure. The gate was the main entrance to the very rich boyar and princely part of the city.

Presumably, the Golden Gate in Vladimir was created by princely craftsmen. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that on one of the white stone blocks used in the construction there is a princely sign. The gate was laid in 1158, and its construction was completed at the end of April 1164, when the Church of the Robe was consecrated above the gate. During the reign of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, the city was surrounded by a rampart, and there were six more gates, these are Torgovye, Ivanovskie, Copper, Orinins, Volzhsky and Silver. However, until our time, only the Golden ones remained intact.

Golden Gate in the city of Vladimir

It says that the prince ordered to cover the top of the gate with gilded copper sheets, which sparkled brightly in sunny weather. Built embankments adjoined the gates from the south and north, next to which there were deep ditches on the outside. A retractable bridge was built across the moat, which led outside the city.

The height of the arched span was 14 meters, there were massive gates made of oak planks. They were attached to strong forged hinges and joined to the lintel located on the arch. This lintel also served as the basis for a wooden deck, which was an additional defensive battle area. Until now, only the holes in the walls have survived, where the beams for the flooring were attached.

The entrance to the platform itself was made in the southern wall, inside which a stone staircase was built, it led to another flooring, located above. The latter had scalloped tops that served as loopholes.

White stone church

The Golden Gate in Vladimir in the center of the area of ​​the upper tier has a square church built of white stone, which was erected in the name of the Position of the Robe of the Mother of God. Most likely, the church was a square building of the four-pillar type with three altar apses. The building had three arched portals and a cylindrical structure with a pommel. The middle of the church facade was decorated with a decorative stucco belt.

The building has come down to this day with major reconstructions and alterations. The original parts of the building include a wide passable arch and massive side pylons, as well as a battle platform located above them, but fragmentary preserved. The building itself was made using half-boulder masonry, which was widespread in the Vladimir-Suzdal architecture of that time. The church was very similar to the temples built during the reign of Yuri Dolgoruky.

Restoration of the Golden Gate

Numerous invasions of enemy troops and severe fires significantly changed the image of the Golden Gate in Vladimir. According to a number of sources, the restoration of the church built over the gate was carried out in 1469 under the leadership of the wealthy merchant Yermolin, who was also an architect. In 1641, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich issued a decree according to which the architect A. Konstantinov made an estimate for the restoration of the Golden Gate, but all restoration work began to be carried out only in the last quarter of the 17th century.

In 1778, during a severe fire, the gate was significantly damaged. A few years later, in connection with the general urban redevelopment, the embankments adjoining the walls at the gates were removed, ensuring free passage past them. Because of this, the gate supports weakened, and it became necessary to reconstruct the ancient building. In 1795, the project of the architect Chistyakov was approved, according to which buttresses were attached to the corners of the pylons and enclosed in rounded towers. At the same time, the vaults of the gates are being rebuilt using old stone, and a new brick church is being erected.

Museum "Golden Gate" in Vladimir

Famous vladimir gates are an integral part of the museum-reserve, which bears the name "Vladimir-Suzdal". It includes 56 architectural monuments of the XII-XVII centuries. In the church, located at the top of the gate, there is a military-historical exposition. The main thing in it is the diorama, which shows the events of 1238, when the horde of Khan Batu attacked the city of Vladimir. The opening hours of the "Golden Gate" in Vladimir can be clarified on the official website of the museum, since restoration work is currently underway there.

And also in the museum are widely presented combat equipment of warriors, weapons belonging to different periods. Here you can see: arrowheads and spearheads dating from the 13th century, chain mail of the Russian squad, berdysh, a trophy crossbow of the Polish army of the early 12th century, flintlocks that were used during the time of Catherine II. And also a blunderbuss and a metal cuirass belonging to the period Patriotic War 1812 The museum displays portraits and documents of the Heroes of the Soviet Union, who were originally from Vladimir.

Hotel at the Golden Gate. Vladimir

A cozy small hotel was built not far from the gates. Walk to them for about three minutes. It offers 24-hour reception, comfortable rooms and free parking near the hotel. Other city attractions are also nearby.

You can book a hotel room near the Golden Gate in Vladimir by phone or through a large number of sites that provide this service. Numerous reviews of vacationers indicate that this hotel has the best combination of price, quality and availability of the main attractions of the city of Vladimir.

Once in Vladimir, you must definitely look at the Golden Gate, which is one of the architectural gems and a monument to ancient Russian architecture. The beauty and history of this beautiful structure will leave no one indifferent.

NS That story deserves attention, because gold has not yet been found. Here's what I found out:

Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubsky, having declared Vladimir the capital of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, began to strengthen his capital city. In 1158 he surrounded the city with a rampart, and in 1164 he built five entrance gates.

Only the Golden Gate has survived to this day, serving as a front entrance to the richest princely boyar part of the city.

The oak gates, which are not there now, were bound with sheets of gilded copper, shining brightly in the sun, therefore the gates were called Golden. The gate was built by Vladimir architects. This is evidenced by two princely signs carved on one of the stones in the southern niche of the Golden Gate.

There is a legend that when the work was coming to an end and the scaffolding was dismantled, the arches of the gate suddenly collapsed and buried 12 people. None of the eyewitnesses doubted that people were crushed to death under the weight of stones, but Andrei Bogolyubsky ordered to bring the miraculous icon of the Mother of God and turned to the heavenly patroness with a prayer for the unfortunate. They cleared the blockage and found the people lying under it safe and sound. In honor of the miracle that happened, Andrei Bogolyubsky ordered to build a tiny white-stone chapel of the Position of the Robe of the Mother of God over the Golden Gate.

GOLDEN GATES PERFORMED A NUMBER OF FUNCTIONS

Firstly, they served as the main entrance to the city - through them the prince's squads, returning from the battlefield, rode into Vladimir. A white-stone triumphal arch, reaching a height of 14 meters, a grand passage tower and massive oak gates hanging on forged hinges, gave the structure a majestic appearance that corresponded to its purpose.

Secondly, the Golden Gate, along with the non-preserved Copper, Irinin, Silver and Volga gates, constituted a single complex of defensive fortifications of the city of Vladimir. The gates were adjacent to an arched lintel, on the top of which a wooden flooring was arranged, which served as a battle platform. From this site, the defenders of the city fired at the enemy. From the flooring, only large square nests have survived, intended for powerful wooden beams. The ascent to the site was carried out by a stone staircase, arranged in the thickness of the southern wall.

Among other things, the Golden Gate served as a decorative function, acting as a symbol of princely power and wealth. The graceful gate chapel crowning the gate blessed everyone who came to Vladimir in peace. In 1810, the Church of the Robe was completely rebuilt, and today the exposition of the military history museum is located within its walls.

In 1238, hordes of Mongol-Tatars, having devastated many Russian cities, approached Vladimir. The townspeople prepared for the defense and hid everything valuable relics in case the enemy breaks through.

The idea was a success: the gilded doors of the Golden Gate have not been found so far and are officially included in the UNESCO registers as masterpieces lost by mankind.

SLEEPY JAPANESE

In the 1970s, the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union received an unexpected proposal from Tokyo. The Japanese corporation promised to clear the bottom of the Klyazma River and even expand its channel.

For their work, the Japanese did not demand either Sakhalin or Kurile Islands and didn't even ask for money. As payment, they wanted to take everything that they would find at the bottom of the Klyazma.

This proposal was never accepted by the Soviet authorities, but it made us think about the question: "What values ​​did the Japanese want to find in the river in order to recoup their costs?"

Perhaps the Japanese were looking for gilded plates that once adorned the gates of the Golden Gate. Saving the precious doors from Khan Batu, the townspeople drowned them in the Klyazma.

Some researchers believe that this hypothesis is implausible, since enemy scouts were vigilantly watching the city and its environs, so the inhabitants did not have time to take out the gold from Vladimir or drown it in the waters of the Klyazma. According to an alternative version, the relic is hidden in one of the city walls or rests in an underground cache under the foundation. One way or another, the location of the gilded plates still remains a mystery.

The historical monument is striking in its grandeur, despite the fact that it has not fully survived to this day. The oak doors of the gate were covered with gilded plates, for this reason the gate got its name - Golden.

The monument is interesting for its history, architecture and is definitely worth a visit. There is a museum at the top of the building, where an exposition is open, presenting weapons and military equipment of the past centuries - spearheads and arrows, weapons from the times of Catherine and the Patriotic War with Napoleon, as well as captured weapons of the 17th-19th centuries.

Your attention, undoubtedly, will be attracted by a small diorama with musical and announcer accompaniment, which tells about the assault of Vladimir by Khan Batu in 1238. The entrance fee to the museum is quite low, but the performance at the diorama exposition, lasting only 15 minutes, will be interesting for both adults and children.

Golden Gate in Vladimir - address

Vladimir, Dvoryanskaya street, 1A.

How to get to the Golden Gate in Vladimir

The Golden Gate is located in the very center of the city. You can walk from the railway and bus stations in 20-25 minutes: walk two blocks along the Kommunalny descent to Bolshaya Moskovskaya street. Turn left and follow Bolshaya Moskovskaya street.

The main attractions of Vladimir are within walking distance, for example, the observation deck, the Assumption and Dmitrievsky cathedrals.

Golden Gate - opening hours in 2019

Opening hours of the military-historical exposition in the Golden Gate

• Daily from 10:00 to 18:00
• The last Thursday of each month is a cleaning day

Golden Gate - ticket prices in 2019

• For adults - 150 rubles
• For children under 16 years old - free
• For children from 16 years old and students - 100 rubles

From the history

In 1157, Prince Andrei Bogolyubov, son of Yuri Dolgoruky, moved the capital of his principality from Suzdal to Vladimir and began to fortify the city. Ramparts 5 km long were poured around Vladimir, and a wooden fortress wall with towers and seven gates was built. Some of them were called Golden, they were built for 6 years - from 1158 to 1164 on the western side of the wall and served as the main entrance to Vladimir.

In addition, the Silver Gates were built, leading to Suzdal, Ivanovskie - to Ivanovo, Trade and Volga, Copper and Irina gates.

According to legend, Prince Andrew, who sincerely loved the city, wanted to please the townspeople and open the Golden Gate on the feast of the Assumption Holy Mother of God... The builders did not wait for the shrinkage of the building and immediately after the completion of the masonry they hung the gate. As a result, the sash fell and crushed 12 townspeople.

Then the prince turned with a prayer to the Queen of Heaven, asking her to save the victims: "If you do not save these people, I, a sinner, will be guilty of their death." Andrew's plea was heard and a miracle happened: when the gates were raised, it turned out that all the people crushed by them remained alive and unharmed.

After the assassination of Andrei Bogolyubsky in 1174, his younger brother Vsevolod the Big Nest, who was also called Vsevolod III, occupied the grand ducal table.

The monument of history and architecture has reached us in a highly distorted form. For the first time, the passable arch was probably destroyed in 1238 during the storming of the city by the Tatar-Mongol army. The gate also suffered from frequent fires, after which they were restored. The last global restructuring was the work done at the end of the 18th century.

According to legend, the reason for this reconstruction could be a large puddle in which the carriage of Catherine II was stuck. The Empress was unable to pass through the arch and ordered to tear off the shafts on the side of the span and arrange a passage for her carriage.

One way or another, but in 1795 the ramparts from the north and south of the arch were torn down, and to strengthen the Golden Gate, buttresses (vertical structures to support the walls), camouflaged with round towers, were brought up on both sides. In addition, the vault, which had become dilapidated by this time, was strengthened and a new Church of the Robe made of bricks was erected over it. In this form, the structure has survived to our time.

In 1991, the Golden Gate greeted the relics of Seraphim of Sarov, which were transported from St. Petersburg to Diveevo (Diveevsky monastery is located in the Nizhny Novgorod region).

Description

The structure is distinguished by its height and slender proportions. The huge oak doors were covered with gilded copper sheets. The wooden walls of the New Town fortress adjoined the gates.

The height of the building is 14 meters. The golden gates of Vladimir are the main, ceremonial ones, they led to the richest part of the city, where the Vladimir prince and the boyars lived. Accordingly, this structure performed the most important functions:

• The Golden Gate served as the entrance to Vladimir on the most solemn occasions - it was opened for important guests even after successful military campaigns
• The structure also played a defensive role, there was a battleground above it to protect the city from the attacking enemy.
• The Golden Gate, shimmering in the sun, served as an adornment of the main entrance to Vladimir, emphasized the power and might of the prince, that is, it also performed a decorative function. There is an assumption that the gates were decorated not with ordinary gold leaves, but with a gold tip on an engraved drawing (like the doors of the Nativity Cathedral in Suzdal)
• Considering that at the top, on the battlefield, there was a gateway church, the building also had religious significance.

The Golden Gate is made in the form of a passable arch with a hemispherical vault, around which graceful towers are arranged. A deep ditch was dug in front of the rampart, a wooden non-lifting bridge was thrown across it, which was burned in case of danger.

The most ancient part of the Golden Gate is the passable arch with massive pilasters (fortifications supporting the arch on both sides). The white stone walls are made of rubble stone on a strong lime foundation. By our time, the walls have sunk into the ground by about 1.5 meters, which means that at the beginning of the 12th century they were even higher. The vault was constructed from a lighter porous tuff.

This height of the passable arch created difficulties in the defense of the western entrance to the city. Therefore, approximately in the middle of the arch, a lintel was arranged, and hinges were attached to the side for hanging the panels. These hinges and bolt groove have survived to this day.

Although initially the oak gates were covered with gilded copper, nowadays we will not see gold on them, since the gold plates from the gate were removed and hidden by the inhabitants of the city when there was a threat of the capture of Vladimir by the army of Khan Batu. Unesco has added this relic to the list of lost objects.

There is another version of the loss of the Golden Gate, according to which Batu Khan removed the gold and loaded it into a train. However, he could not take the valuable cargo far. The thin ice of the Klyazma cracked and the train went under water.

The Japanese offered to clear the bottom of the river, and instead of paying, take whatever they find at the bottom. But our archaeologists did not agree with such conditions.

The architectural monument was created by princely masters, confirmation of this is the two princely signs of Rurik, preserved on the stones of the building. Currently, the Church of the Robe is not functioning.

Golden Gate in Vladimir - official site

The exposition is part of the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve: www.vladmuseum.ru

According to historians, in the XII century, the Golden Gate was a unique structure not only in Russia, but throughout Europe. V Western countries fortress towers played only a defensive role, and in Vladimir, the Golden Gate, in addition to this function, served as a front entrance and an important decorative element.

Unified State Exam. Culture. Architecture.

Golden Gate in Vladimir. 10 questions - 10 answers

The Golden Gate in Vladimir is one of the most beautiful architectural monuments of the 12th century. It was destroyed many times, restored more than once. But even today it amazes with its beauty and grandeur.

10 questions and answers on architectural monument, which will help in preparing for lessons and the exam in history.

Golden Gate in Vladimir

Diorama "Defense of Vladimir. 1238". Artist EI Deshalyt. 1972 year

Museum exposition

Museum exposition

Bank of Russia coin. 3 rubles. Silver. 1995 year

Prepared by: Vera Melnikova