Church of the Savior on Ilyin

The predecessor of the temple was a wooden church built in the XII century. It is associated with a well-known legend, according to which in 1169 Novgorod, besieged by Suzdal troops, was saved thanks to a miracle revealed by the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”. The shrine, which was kept in the Church of the Savior, was carried by a procession around the detinets. And suddenly one of the Suzdal arrows struck the icon. From the eyes of the Virgin shed a tear, and she turned her face to the Novgorod people. At this moment, the enemies were gripped by inexplicable horror, they dropped their weapons and began to move away from the city.

The stone church of the Transfiguration was built in 1374, and four years later it was painted with frescoes. The chronicle says that the temple was painted by order of "God-loving boyar Vasily Danilovich from Ilyina Street." For the painting was invited one of the greatest masters of that time - the Constantinople master Theophan the Greek, who later painted more than one temple in Russia. Among the Novgorod monuments of monumental painting, the frescoes of the Savior on Ilyin occupy a special place, differing in amazing virtuosity of execution.

The Church of the Savior with its magnificent snow-white facades and elegant decorative decoration is one of the outstanding examples of Novgorod architecture of the XIV century. It marked the end of a long and complex process of forming a new direction in Novgorod architecture, which began at the end of the thirteenth century. Slender, clearly delineated silhouette of the temple, as if striving upwards, and especially looks good against the backdrop of the sunset sky, illuminated by sunlight.