Frescoes of Dionysius in the Ferapontovsky Monastery (Vologda Region)

Ferapontov Belozersky Mother of God-Nativity Monastery- a former Orthodox monastery in the Kirillovsky district of the Vologda region. For 400 years the monastery has been one of the most important cultural and religious educational centers of the Belozersk region. The ensemble of architecture and murals of the pre-Petrine period, unique in its purity and preservation, has been preserved here. In 2000 the UNESCO session added the monastery to the World Heritage List. There is a museum in the buildings of the former monastery.

Location

The monastery, located 20 km northeast of Kirillov and 120 km northwest of Vologda, is built on a hill between two lakes - Borodaevsky and Paskoe, which are connected by the small river Paska. The village of Ferapontovo itself is located mainly on the opposite bank of the river from the monastery. The monastery dominates the surrounding area, however, due to its chamber size and elegant style, it does not overwhelm with grandeur, like its closest neighbor, the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.

Architecture, painting

Ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin 1490. Wall painting by Dionysius 1502. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

The ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery is unique in its beauty, authenticity, consistency of architectural details of different centuries, uniting it into a single whole. The idea of ​​the ensemble is to reveal the theme of the Incarnation in architectural and pictorial images.

Of particular importance for Russian and world culture is the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. According to the text of the chronicle on the slope of the northern door, it was painted by Dionisy and his sons from August 6 to September 8, 1502. This is the only surviving painting by an outstanding representative of the Moscow icon painting school, the main artist at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries.

The mural area of ​​the cathedral is 600 m². It is the only documented painting by the master. The individuality of the wall painting of Dionysius lies in the unique tonal richness of soft colors, the rhythmic harmony of numerous subjects, combined with the architectural articulations of the cathedral. Features of the relationship between the plot cycles (Akathist to the Mother of God, Ecumenical Councils, the Last Judgment and others) and individual compositions both inside the cathedral and outside, the color diversity and philosophical depth determine the significance of the murals of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. Among the monuments of the Orthodox circle, the murals of the cathedral are distinguished by the complete safety of the author's painting that has never been updated.

The Ferapontov Monastery with a painting by Dionysius is a rare example of the preservation and stylistic unity of the Russian northern monastic ensemble of the 15th-17th centuries, revealing the typical features of the architecture of the formation of the Russian centralized state. The ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery is a vivid example of harmonious unity with the natural surrounding landscape that has not changed since the 17th century, emphasizing the special spiritual structure of northern monasticism, at the same time revealing the features of the economic structure of the northern peasantry.

The buildings of the monastery, the only ones in the Russian North, have retained all the characteristic features of decor and interiors. The ensemble of the monastery is the only fully preserved example in Russia from the beginning of the 16th century of the interaction between architecture and wall painting, created by the most outstanding master of the era.

History of the monastery

The historical significance of the Ferapontov Monastery, founded during the period of expansion of the political influence of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, is determined by its participation in the key moments of the era of the formation of the Russian centralized state and is closely connected with the main historical events that took place in Moscow in the XV-XVII centuries.

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin and the hipped church. View from the east.

The monastery was founded in 1397 by St. Ferapont. Being a descendant of the boyar family of the Poskochins, Ferapont took monastic vows in the Moscow Simonov Monastery, came to the North with his friend and associate St. km from the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery his monastery. Like Cyril, Ferapont did not remain alone for long. The number of monks grew, they built cells for themselves, in 1409 they built a wooden church of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and a little later - a refectory: 156. Thanks to the activities of a student of Kirill Belozersky, Rev. Martinian Belozersky, at the request of the brethren who became hegumen of the monastery, the Ferapontov Monastery becomes widely known. Along with the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, it becomes a traditional place of worship and contributions of many representatives of the Russian feudal nobility (Andrei and Mikhail Mozhaisky, Vasily III, Ivan IV and others), from its walls at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. prominent hierarchs of the Russian Church came out, actively participating in the internal life of the country - Archbishop Joasaph (Obolensky) of Rostov and Yaroslavl, Bishop Philotheus of Perm and Vologda, Bishop Ferapont of Suzdal.

At the same time, major church leaders who fought for the priority of church power in the state (Metropolitan Spiridon Savva, Patriarch Nikon) were exiled here. The scribes Martinian, Spiridon, Philotheus, Paisius, Matthew, Euphrosynus, the icon painter Dionysius worked here. The monk Cassian the Greek, who arrived in Russia as part of the retinue of Sophia Paleologus, was a shearer of the monastery.

The whole XVI century is the heyday of the monastery. This is evidenced by the preserved contributions and letters of commendation of the secular and spiritual authorities, primarily Ivan IV. Vasily III and Elena Glinskaya, Ivan IV come to the monastery on a pilgrimage. The deposit book of the monastery, begun in 1534, names among the contributors “the princes of Staritsky, Kubensky, Lykov, Belsky, Shuisky, Vorotynsky ... Godunov, Sheremetev” and others. Bishops of Siberia, Rostov, Vologda, Belozersk, Novgorod are also mentioned here.

With the acquisition of the relics of St. Martinian and his subsequent canonization, attention to the monastery increases, contributing to the growth of contributions and income.

The Ferapontov Monastery was the richest patrimony of Belozerye. Him at the beginning of the XVII century. belonged to several villages, about 60 villages, 100 wastelands, more than 300 peasants.

In 1490, with the construction of the first stone temple of Belozerye, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, by the Rostov masters, the formation of the stone ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery of the 15th-17th centuries began.

In the XVI century. the monumental Church of the Annunciation with a refectory, a treasury chamber, service buildings - a stone dryer, a guest chamber, and a cookery were built in the monastery. However, such a powerful fortress as the Kirillovsky, Ferapontov monastery did not become. Even its fence remained wooden until the 19th century. It was precisely because of the complete absence of any fortifications that the monastery in 1614 was devastated by Polish-Lithuanian predatory detachments. Knowing in advance about the invasion, the monks managed to hide the most valuable things. As a result of the Polish-Lithuanian devastation, cells and gates were burned, the surrounding villages were devastated and local residents were killed. The extremely difficult economic situation of Belozerye in the first half of the 17th century. reflected in the Ferapontov Monastery. Only 25 years after the invasion, stone construction was resumed:156. After recovering from the Lithuanian ruin, in the middle of the XVII century. the monastery erects gate churches on the Holy Gates, the Martinian Church, the bell tower.

But this new upsurge in the life of the monastery was not long, in the second half of the 17th century the situation worsened again. This was partly due to the stay here in exile of the former Patriarch Nikon from 1666 to 1676. Nikon's ten-year stay in Ferapontovo was the last bright event in the history of the monastery. Gradually he grew poorer and fell into desolation :156 . In 1798, the Ferapont Monastery was abolished by a decree of the Synod, and the churches became parish. In the 19th century, during the parish period, the narrowed monastery territory was surrounded by a stone fence.

In 1904 the monastery was reopened as a convent and closed again in 1924.

Since 1975, the formation of a modern museum began, which turned into a research and educational center that spreads knowledge about the unique monuments of the Ferapontov Monastery ensemble through various forms of museum work.

Siversky idol

Siversky idol

In the museum of the Ferapont Monastery there is a pagan Slavic Siver idol - a symbol of fertility and worship of the god Rod or Yarila. It dates from the 4th-9th centuries, the height is about 1 meter. Found in the village of Siverovo, Sukhoverkhovsky Village Council, Kirillovsky District.

Ferapontov Monastery and Russian Orthodox Church. present tense

Projects for the renewal of "monastic residence" in the historical territory of the monastery have existed for many years. However, art historians do not support such initiatives, believing that this will adversely affect the preservation of the frescoes.

Currently, services are performed in the gate churches of the Ferapontov Monastery, but the Russian Orthodox Church is considering a service in the central cathedral of the monastery, painted by Dionysius.

Bishop Ignatius of Vologda and Veliky Ustyug issued a decree on July 8, 2014 to form an Orthodox religious organization Bishops' Metochion "Ferapontov Monastery" p. Ferapontovo, Kirillovsky District, Vologda Oblast, Vologda Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).

conservation status

The monastery is a monument of history and culture of federal significance, as well as the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Vologda Oblast. The Dionysius Fresco Museum is a branch of the Kirillo-Belozersky Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve (KBIAKhMZ), which was included in the State Code of Particularly Valuable Cultural Heritage Objects of the Peoples of the Russian Federation in 1997 on the basis of a Presidential Decree.

Notable figures

• Ferapont Belozersky - founder and 1st abbot of the monastery.
• Martinian Belozersky - builder, 2nd abbot of the monastery.
• Galaktion Belozersky - blessed, holy fool - locally revered saint.
• Dionisy is an icon painter who painted the walls and created the iconostasis of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin.

In 2002, the painting of the Nativity Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery, created by the great Russian icon painter Dionysius, his sons and masters who were part of his artel, turned 500 years old.

Traditionally, 1398 is taken as the date of the founding of the Ferapontov Monastery. At this time, on a hill between two lakes, Borodaevsky and Pasky, an associate of St. Cyril of Belozersky Ferapont settled separately.

01. Gate churches of the Epiphany and St. Ferapont. 1650.

In the second half of the 15th - early 16th centuries, the Ferapontov Monastery became a significant spiritual, cultural and ideological center of Belozero, one of the famous Trans-Volga monasteries, whose elders had a serious influence on the politics of Moscow.

In the center is a three-tier, hipped bell tower (1680) of a very rare type with a square bell plan and a tetrahedral tent. There are 17 bells hanging on the ringing tier. The tent contains a unique mechanism of the earliest combat clock surviving in Russia in 1638.

On the right is the church of St. Martinian. The porch was added in the middle of the 19th century. 1641
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In the XVI century. in the monastery, the monumental Church of the Annunciation with a refectory, a state chamber, service buildings - a stone dryer, a guest chamber, and a cookery were built. After recovering from the Lithuanian ruin, in the middle of the XVII century. the monastery erects gate churches on the Holy Gates, the Martinian Church, the bell tower.

Church of the Annunciation (right) with refectory. 1530 - 1531 years.

According to historians, the church with a refectory was built on the contribution of Grand Duke Vasily III to commemorate the birth of the heir to the future Tsar Ivan IV, prayed in the Kirillov and Ferapontov monasteries.

In 1798, the Ferapont Monastery was abolished by a decree of the Synod.

In the 19th century, during the parish period, the narrowed monastery territory was surrounded by a stone fence. During the construction of the fence, bricks of ancient buildings were used.

In 1904 the monastery was reopened as a convent and closed again in 1924.

05. Refectory, behind it is the Church of the Annunciation.

Currently, the monuments of the Ferapontov Monastery house the Dionysius Frescoes Museum, which has the status of a historical, architectural and art museum-reserve. The museum, which arose at the beginning of the 20th century, during the 1930s-1960s carried out the protection of monuments with the help of only one watchman.
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And now to the museum itself.

07. Frescoes, including over the relics of Martinian Belozersky. Reverend Martinian Belozersky - hegumen of the monastery. He contributed to the flowering of his spirituality, introduced rewriting, collecting books.


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10. In the church of St. Martinian. The hipped church dates from 1641.

11. In the church since 1838 there is a two-tiered iconostasis made by the Vologda tradesman Nikolai Milavin. The carved royal doors did not retain the figures of the Archangel Gabriel and Mary from the Annunciation scene. The inscription "The Immortal Meal" speaks of the sacrament of turning bread and wine into the Holy Gifts - the Flesh and Blood of Christ.

12. There is an entrance in the bell tower, we pass into it and go up to the second floor. To the right is the Church of the Annunciation with frescoes by Dionysius, but first we will go along the left corridor to the end, here is the exposition of the museum of monastic life.

The interior of the Refectory with a central massive pillar and sail-shaped vaults resting on it is completely preserved from the middle of the 16th century.

13. Vestment (XV c.), cancer (XVI, XV I I c.), phelonion (XV c.) of St. Martinian

14. Reconstruction of the monastic cell according to the charter of Cyril Bezozersky
“In the cell, no one was allowed to have anything except the most necessary things, it was not allowed to call anything his own, but, according to the word of the apostle, everything was common ... Even a piece of bread was not allowed to be in the cell, nor any drink. If someone wanted to drink, he went to the refectory and there, with a blessing, quenched his thirst. If anyone happened to enter the cell of a brother, he saw nothing else in it than icons, books and a vessel with water to wash his hands. Thus, they remained free from all attachments, having one concern - to please God, to preserve humility and love for each other, and to work for the sake of common needs ...
And everyone lazily, but according to his strength, labored; not as for people, but for God.”

Pachomius Logothete. Life of Kirill Belozersky.

15. In the far corner is a sample of a fraternal refectory.


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17. In the refectory, each novice sat in accordance with the rank of seniority in his place with meekness and silence, and no one was heard, only the reader. They were supposed to have three meals, except for fasting days, on which the monks either refused to eat at all, or lived on bread and water.

18. Workplace of the Abbot.
At this table, letters and decrees sent to the monastery were read, decisions made by the abbot and the cathedral elders were announced.

19. Solemn attire of priests.


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21. Place of the old builder.

At the southern edge there was a place of an old builder. The scope of his duties is not entirely clear. Among the cathedral elders, he occupied the first place. Apparently, his main duty was the spiritual nourishment of the brethren. In the last period of his life, Martinian was an old builder.

22. The restorers did a great job to preserve the legacy of their predecessors for posterity.
Tools used by restorers.

In the main temple of the former Ferapontov Monastery, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, there are murals created in 1502 by the famous Moscow artist Dionysius and preserved without renovation to this day.
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24. Miraculously preserved, Dionisy's wall painting was unknown until 1898.

The icon painter Dionysius, known for his icons and murals in Moscow and in the monasteries of the Moscow Principality, was invited with his artel to paint the first stone cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery.

Inside, the cathedral is divided into three naves by four square pillars, on which elevated girth arches under the drum rest. Murals, numbering almost 300 subjects and individual characters.
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27. Christ the Pantocrator is represented in the dome of the cathedral, under it are archangels and forefathers, evangelists in sails, saints in medallions on girth arches,

28. Fresco in the drum - Christ the Almighty.

29. In the churches above the gates, all elements of architecture have been completely preserved.


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32. Another remarkable collection of the Museum was formed from objects of peasant and urban economy and everyday life, and from the very beginning the Museum staff collected things originating from the Kirillovsky district, or rather, from the near and far neighborhoods of Ferapontov.

33. Residents of many villages willingly donated to the Museum the objects of the 19th and 20th centuries that they had preserved: icons, books, pottery, crochets, tackle for crochets, grindstones and millstones, scales and steelyards, glass and wooden utensils, spinning wheels and rolling pins, chests and boxes , vintage fabrics, everyday and festive clothes, old letters, photographs and documents and many other obsolete items.

34. This is how the ethnographic collection in the Museum was formed, giving a good idea of ​​the peasant culture of the Belozersk region. Dozens of villages around Ferapontovo have existed since the 15th and 16th centuries, and one must think that the peasant life of those ancient times was not much different from the life of the 19th or early 20th centuries, so the ethnographic collection of the Museum also has historical significance.

35. Ruffled, carded, spinning wheels and looms were covered with sacred (mainly solar) patterns, and the fabric woven on them had a light power that protected the human body from hostile influences.

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In a low light room, a light burns.
A young spinner is sitting by the window.
Young, beautiful, brown eyes,
A blond braid is developed along the shoulders.
(Russian folk song)

The spinning wheel accompanied the girl from birth to marriage. Spinning was usually done by girls. By the time they reached adulthood, they fully mastered this skill and became skilled spinners, which, according to popular belief, predicted happy love and marriage.

In the museum of the Ferapont Monastery there is a pagan Slavic Siver idol - a symbol of fertility and worship of the god Rod or Yarila. It dates from the 4th-9th centuries, the height is about 1 meter. Found in the village of Siverovo, Sukhoverkhovsky Village Council, Kirillovsky District.
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At the exhibition, you can see three types of krosna: root, whose hind legs and ponies were made from a single piece of wood, composite, assembled from separate parts, and mixed, that is, machines in which the root part of the tree was used for ponies, but it was not associated with back legs. The main decoration of the krosen were stuffings and eyelids covered with carvings. There are now more than 20 crosses in the museum's collection. On such machines, you can weave any patterned fabrics, the only limitation in this case will be only the width of the resulting fabric.

44. In the Vologda dialect: " Harness the cross" - prepare a hand loom for work.

Wonder marvelous in the Russian wilderness!

And heavenly-earthly Dionysius,
From neighboring lands,
This marvelous marvel exalted
To hell, hitherto unprecedented ...

Address: 161120, Vologda region, Kirillovsky district, s. Ferapontovo.

... You can’t drive up to the Ferapontovsky Monastery, there is a narrow bridge across the rivulet and you have to walk a little yourself. This picture is still standing in the eyes. Green hill, pine trees, a lake, a dark sky and a white monastery.
... Often in the texts, when they write about the murals in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, there is the phrase "you freeze in reverent silence." I do not agree. Wrong. You don't freeze anything. You don't feel any pathos of reverence. In this place, to put it crudely, it simply “knocks off the brains completely”, and if expressed aesthetically, then “thoughts completely disappear” and you experience a state of weightlessness and lightness inexpressible in any words.
The frescoes are so incredibly and unobtrusively beautiful that it is impossible to see them in fragments. They surround you, they envelop you from all sides with inexpressibly tender creamy colors, they pour on you like the most beautiful heavenly music.

*Photos of the frescoes are taken from the website of the monastery Ferapontovo.ru and Dionisy.com

… Our plans: the sights of Kirillov - Lake Siverskoye and Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery; sights of Gorits - the Sheksna River, the Goritsa-Uspensky Monastery and Mount Maura; as well as the sights of Ferapontov - Lake Borodava, the Ferapontovsky Monastery with the famous frescoes of Dionysius and Tsypina Gora. We have 1.5 days for everything: in the morning ~ at 12 we left Vologda, for half a day we are in Ferapontovo, in the evening in Goritsy, in the morning of the next day we watch Kirillov, and after lunch we leave for Petrozavodsk via Vytegra.

… I was terribly upset. Rain! After all, they may not let us in, or rather, they will definitely not let us into the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in Ferapontovo. They also cherish the frescoes there like the apple of their eye, they have the strictest temperature regime and only five people are allowed inside so that they don’t breathe too much. And then there's the downpour. I so dreamed of seeing these frescoes, so many times I specifically stood in front of the works of Dionysius in the Icon Hall in the Tretyakov Gallery in order to better understand his technique, to feel it, to prepare in advance for Ferapontovo. And then the rain...

... We quickly reached the sign for Ferapontovo, turned left and drove along a good road for another ~ 7 km to the village itself. We stopped in a small parking lot in front of the store - the road itself led us there. You can’t drive up to the monastery, there is a narrow bridge across the rivulet and you have to walk a bit yourself.

This picture is still standing in the eyes. Green hill, pine trees, a lake, a dark sky and a white monastery.

Words cannot express the feeling that you experience in this place. You know, I now believe in love at first sight. They just glanced at me and my heart skipped a beat. Why is it interesting? Right away, when we were going up to the monastery, we decided to go down (the monastery itself is on a hill) along the path among the pines to the round lake. It was a completely spontaneous decision, the lake so immediately and powerfully attracted to itself that it was useless to resist it. We sat down on the boardwalk and time stood still. Shshshur - a wave came running, - shsshur - another rustled. The wind got tangled in the pines overhead. Pebbles in clear water under the waves rolled from side to side. I immediately got carried away with this business, caught and put a couple of pebbles in my pocket. With difficulty, the lake let us go, and all this calm landscape.


We got up and went to the monastery.

The monastery, thank God, is not particularly seized by excessive civilization. A path of large cobblestones leads to the gates, and in the monastery itself there is a carpet of green fine grass underfoot, and behind all the churches there is a field in general and unmowed, lush, uncontrollable, fragrant herbs. From the open gates of the monastery you can see the lake. I have never experienced such a feeling in any monastery - a slight excitement, quiet joy, concentration, anticipation of something wonderful, some kind of fulfillment. There are practically no tourists except us ....

... We leave the Refectory and along the corridor, past a group of young artists with easels and sketchbooks, we enter directly into the hands of the guide. We are incredibly lucky. Not only did the rain stop and we ended up in the Cathedral, we were also one on one with the guide. Besides us, there are no tourists. Rather, there are a few people, but they roam somewhere.

Often in the texts, when they write about the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the phrase “you freeze in reverent silence” is found. I do not agree. Wrong. You don't freeze anything. You don't feel any pathos of reverence. In this place, to put it crudely, it simply “knocks off the brains completely”, and if expressed aesthetically, then “thoughts completely disappear” and you experience a state of weightlessness and lightness inexpressible in any words.

The frescoes are so incredibly and unobtrusively beautiful that it is impossible to see them in fragments. They surround you, they envelop you from all sides with inexpressibly tender creamy colors, they pour on you like the most beautiful heavenly music. . They cannot be felt with your eyes alone, they include all your senses. You literally have to force yourself to listen to the guide, and she tells a very, very interesting story. Her voice reaches you as if from far away. When you look at SUCH creations, no words are needed. Why words when there are stars in the sky? Like Pelevin.

Above us in the forget-me-not dome is Christ . The fingers of his right hand, folded into the sign of the cross, are lowered down, and a literal and real physical feeling is created that they touch you, that they see you from there from heaven and bless you.

Looks at you from the nadaltar dome Mother of God in a cherry cloak with arms raised and outstretched, and baby Jesus also with two arms raised up. This is a rare image. This is the Mother of God Oranta, or the Sign, or the Incarnation.

Below is a belt of Archangels around the dome (or barrel) - Michael (protection), Gabriel (guiding the true path), Raphael (healing), Uriel (or Jeremiel, peace of mind and love), Salafiel (praying to God for people), Jehudiel protection from troubles and enemies ), Varahiel (receiving blessings in various circumstances).

The figures are all weightless, as if they are hovering around you, and you are flying with them.

On the arches is a necklace of large round medallions with saints.

Everything, everything, all the walls, all the columns - in the plot paintings. Filigree. honed. Amazing in color.

At the very bottom, what goes from the floor to the height of human growth - a white stripe with single round, never repeating ornaments - is called a towel.

We are standing in the cathedral, pretending to listen to a wonderful guide, while we ourselves are circling, circling our eyes, absorbing colors, admiring, enjoying. There is something honey in this cathedral. Such a spiritual pleasure. Such joy. Such calm. Such strength. Such a blessing.

…For some reason, it is customary to start acquaintance with the Russian genius icon painter Dionysius with a discussion of the composition of his marvelous colors.. One extremely enthusiastic admirer of the frescoes of Dionisy, artist Chernyshov, bang and once the idea dawned (Newton with his apple is just resting) - aa, he says, he guessed, the secret of colors lies in the local pebbles from Lake Borodava. For some reason, this hypothesis captivated everyone with its romanticism. Ah, Borodava Lake, ah, multi-colored pebbles underfoot. Scored, rubbed, and here are the finished paints. For some reason, this version had a hypnotic effect on many people, everyone rushed into discussions, and with shovels and basins to the shores of the lake, in order to get paints like a brilliant master. There are still debates going on. How many pebbles have been worn out, but there are still no paints - “such as those of Dionysius”.

…For some reason everyone forgets about the main thing. Who is this master with a strange non-Russian name Dionysius? Little is known about him.

... His sons helped him with the painting of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. Dionysius himself painted only its upper part - the dome, the drum and the medallions on the arches.. This is his last work. I think he was pleased with her. Because better is impossible. And the magical color and play of its colors is an exceptionally pure virtuoso skill of a genius artist. His secret is either mixing colors in a completely intuitive proportion, for example, blue azurite + ocher = a variety of green shades; or the finest glazing, i.e. applying one thin layer of paint to another (white on the lining) and then getting either a warm shade or a cold one; either achieving the desired shade, using the fullness of the brush from the beginning of the stroke to its completion; or playing with architectural forms and lighting, for example, he could place frescoes in a more illuminated upper or vice versa darkened lower one or in a wall recess. The simple light from the window, after all, already colored the fresco in a different way. He could also just play with color combinations. He was a brilliant colorist!

For example, his medallions. There are 68 of them in total. To be honest, I immediately paid attention to them. They are so unusual, there are so many of them, they are so beautiful, such a necklace of multi-colored balls, when you look at them from below, throwing your head back. So their colors immediately impress: forget-me-not, sand, pink and raspberry. Only four colors, very soft, very natural and delicate. But how does he combine them? Each medallion depicts saints in clothes of different colors: pink in a blue medallion, blue in crimson, pink in sand, etc.

68 medallions, only 4 colors - and all are different.

Tour guide let us down to small aisle of Nicholas the Wonderworker and drew our attention to the gaze of the saint is always directed at you, wherever you stand.

She also said that now the cathedral has a wider and more loyal access for visitors, because now the restorers have made a warm heated floor, so the frescoes are no longer afraid of dampness, in scientific language this is called "microclimate stabilization". Although the Visiting Rules still state that groups of up to 10 people can enter the cathedral at an air temperature in the cathedral above +10 and about / humidity less than 75%. Visiting time is no more than 30 minutes. Umbrellas and wet clothes must be left outside the walls of the cathedral.

30 minutes to Dionysius!

Amazing parallels: Dionysius (1440-1502) was a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).

Restoration work is carried out very carefully and painstakingly. Thanks to these wonderful people - restorers - practically altruists, selfless specialists (there is a small exposition about them at the exit from the cathedral), the frescoes were saved and conserved.

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos itself is outwardly impeccably beautiful with real ancient Russian beauty. Rows of kokoshniks and a gray top hat. White. Slim. Elegant. patterned. It was built by Rostov masters. End of 15th century. Adjacent to it are the Belfry, the Martinian Church and the Church of the Annunciation with a refectory. All buildings are located in the center of the monastery courtyard and are surrounded by strong white monastery walls.

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« In the darkened rays of the horizon, I look at those surroundings where the soul of Ferapont saw something of God in earthly beauty. And one day it arose from a dream, from this praying soul, like grass, like water, like birches, a wondrous marvel in the Russian wilderness! And the heavenly-earthly Dionysius, having appeared from neighboring lands, raised this wondrous marvel to the line of an unprecedented hitherto ... The trees stood motionless, and the daisies turned white in the darkness, and this village seemed to me to be something the most holy on earth ... " Nikolay Rubtsov.

Towering over the village of Ferapontovo, it is an ensemble of unique beauty, which is a historical monument of world significance. At the moment it is included in the UNESCO list. The history of the monastery is directly related to those significant events that took place in Moscow in the 15th-17th centuries. Here, in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, many frescoes, made by the famous icon painter Dionysius, have been preserved.

Monastery Ensemble

The Ferapontov Monastery was built on a hill between the lakes Borodaevsky and Pavsky, which are connected by a small river Paska. Its ensemble harmoniously combines architectural details of various centuries. Of particular interest is the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. This is the main church of the monastery, the construction of which began in 1490. Not far from the Cathedral, the Church of the Annunciation was built in 1530, and in 1640 the construction of the Church of St. Martimian began.

How the monastery was founded

Ferapontov was founded in 1397 by Ferapont, a descendant of the ancient Poskochin family. The saint took tonsure at the Simonov Monastery in Moscow at the age of forty. Here he became friends with the Monk Kirill Belozersky. Together they listened to the sermons of Sergius of Radonezh, who often visited the monastery. Fulfilling obedience, Ferapont went north to Beloozero. The saint liked the harsh northern region, and a little later he decided to return there for exploits. This time they went north together with St. Cyril. Here they founded the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.

After some time, Ferapont founded his monastery on a hill between the Pavsky and Borodaevsky lakes. At first he lived in a cell built by him in a hermitage. He had to endure many hardships. Over time, monks began to come to him, who also built cells here. So gradually this place turned into a monastery.

Heyday

The Ferapontov Monastery became widely known thanks to the efforts of the Monk Martinian, a disciple of Cyril Belozersky, who, at the insistence of the brethren, became its hegumen. The most famous representatives of the Russian nobility once came here to worship - Elena Glinskaya, Ivan IV, Vasily III and others. In the XV-XVI centuries. the most prominent figures of the Russian Church came out of the walls of this monastery - Bishop Philotheus of Vologda and Perm, Bishop Joasaph of Yaroslavl and Rostov and others. Over time, the monastery becomes a place of exile for prominent figures who fought for the supremacy of the Church in the state - Patriarch Nikon, Metropolitan Spiridon-Sava, etc.

Among other things, the Ferapontov Monastery was also the largest patrimony. In the 17th century The monastery owned about 60 villages, three hundred peasants and 100 wastelands.

Devastation

Despite the fact that many stone buildings were erected in the monastery, starting from the 15th and ending with the 17th century, it never became a real fortress. Its fence remained wooden until the 19th century. This was the reason for the destruction of the monastery in 1614 by Polish-Lithuanian robbers. Stone construction was resumed only 25 years after the invasion. It is precisely the fact that the monastery fell into decay that we owe to the preservation of the frescoes in their original form. The monastery was not rich, and therefore the renovation of the murals was never carried out.

In 1798, by the decree of the Synod, the monastery was abolished. In 1904, a monastery was again opened here, but this time for women. It did not last long - until 1924. Nowadays, a museum of frescoes by Dionysius operates on the territory of the monastery.

Icon painter Dionysius

In 1502, the icon painter Dionisy with an artel was invited to the Ferapontov Monastery. His task was to paint the Nativity Cathedral. By that time, Dionysius was already famous and was considered the leading Moscow master. He received his first serious commission between 1467 and 1477. At this time, he was offered to participate in the design of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in 1481, he began to perform another important task - the implementation of icons for the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral (Moscow Kremlin). The master coped with the order simply superbly and since then has become the personification of the Moscow school of painting.

Ferapontov Monastery. Frescoes of Dionysius

The frescoes of Dionysius in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin are the only murals of the master that have survived to this day. Before the alterations of the facade in the XVI century. the scenes depicted on it were visible from afar. Michael is depicted on both sides of the gate. The portal is decorated with scenes of the "Nativity of the Virgin" and the fresco "Desus". At the head you can see a medallion with the image of Christ. Above the door, Dionysius placed an image of the Mother of God herself, surrounded by Cosmas of Mayum and John of Damascus. It is this fresco that becomes the beginning of the plot-related images dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. In the central asp, the Mother of God Hodegetria is depicted seated on a throne with angels kneeling before her. There are other frescoes presenting the Virgin Mary to the viewer's attention in the temple. Ferapontov Monastery is famous, first of all, thanks to the murals of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin.

Features of the murals of the temple

The painting system of the temple is organized very strictly and concisely. The frescoes are made taking into account the architectural features of the building. Another special feature that makes the design of the temple harmonious is the mastery of composition. This can be attributed both to the placement of frescoes, and to each individual plot. The drawing is distinguished by the flexibility of the lines and at the same time their conciseness. All images look weightless, directed upwards. The murals are crowded and dynamic. In order to consider all the frescoes in the sequence of the plot, it is necessary to go around the entire temple in a circle several times.

Another of the distinguishing features of the frescoes of Dionysius is the softness of colors and elegance. The images are dominated by white, sky blue, yellow, pink, cherry and light green tones. For the background, the icon painter used mostly bright blue. Paints were supposedly delivered to the artist from Moscow. The richest in terms of color scheme are the medallions under the drum and on the spring arches. When performing them, both pure colors and mixtures were used.

The murals of the Nativity of the Virgin can be safely called the pinnacle of Dionysius's work. An interesting fact is that all the frescoes of the Ferapontov Monastery were completed in just 34 days (from August 6 to September 8). And this despite the fact that their total area is 600 m 2.

Ferapontov Luzhetsky Monastery

In the 15th century, Beloozero belonged to Prince Andrei, son of Dmitry Donskoy. In 1408, he turned to Ferapont with a request to found a monastery in the city of Mozhaisk. After much deliberation, the saint agrees to become abbot of the new monastery. Built on the shore was called Luzhetsky. In 1420, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin was erected in it. Not far from the Luzhetsky Monastery, today there is a spring with healing water. They call it the well of St. Ferapont. According to legend, it was discovered by the saint himself.

Saint Ferapont remained in the Luzhetsky monastery until his death in 1426. In 1547 he was canonized as a saint. His relics are still buried in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. The Vologda and Luzhetsk Ferapont monasteries today are the most valuable monuments of medieval Russian culture.

Perhaps this post will not seem very interesting to you - there are few reproductions, their quality leaves much to be desired (however, it seems to me that it is simply impossible to convey in photographs), a lot of text (I warn you right away) - but I really wanted to remind you of the great Master who dedicated all my life to one project. ONE - but what! Moscow photographer and publisher Yuri Holdin - the only one who managed the almost impossible: he not only captured all the frescoes of Dionisy of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the Ferapontov Monastery on a camera, but also, thanks to innovative methods of photography, managed to convey their color, texture, volume, proportions, which, according to experts, is unique even for the modern level of photography technology. By the way, residents and guests of Moscow can see his work - the Museum of Orthodox Art of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior now has a permanent exhibition of works by photographer Yuri Holdin. In addition, there is a traveling exhibition of the works of his project "The light of the frescoes of Dionysius to the world."

So, Yuri Ivanovich Holdin. No. First Dionysius, or rather, his frescoes. On September 21, 2012, the famous frescoes of the great Dionysius in the Ferapontov Monastery turned 510 years old. The frescoes in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God of the Ferapontov Monastery are the only monument in Russia of medieval Russian artistic culture of the 11th-15th centuries. with a full cycle of murals (I emphasize this, otherwise you will think that it is the only one in general), preserved in its original form. For this reason alone, they have a unique meaning, not to mention the fact that their master wrote, whom his contemporaries called "wise", "more notorious in such a matter", "the beginning artist of painting" in Rus'. The area of ​​fresco painting is about 700 sq.m. and includes about three hundred compositions by the artist. The frescoes of the Ferapontov Monastery are included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List, included in the State Code of Particularly Valuable Cultural Heritage Sites of the Peoples of Russia. I will not write about the brilliant Dionysius and the Ferapontov Monastery.

The ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery is a monument of history and culture of federal significance on the territory of the Kirillovsky district of the Vologda region

Frescoes of Dionysius in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Yuri Holdin was born on August 15, 1954. Graduated from the University of Arts in 1979, VGIK. Worked in cinema. Since 1990, he plunged into the Orthodox theme, began to take pictures. During this period, he removed the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Solovetsky Monastery. Publishes an album of his photographs "Moscow Necropolis. Novodevichy Convent". Starts working on a series of "Frescoes of Rus'". Since 1995, he has been taking pictures of Dionisy's frescoes in the Ferapontov Monastery. The result of the work was the educational project "The Light of the Frescoes of Dionysius to the World", within the framework of which the frescoes of Dionysius captured by Yuri Holdin were exhibited in 2006 at the State Tretyakov Gallery, the New Manege at the exhibition "The Light of Orthodoxy" as part of Educational Christmas Readings (2007), Russian State University for the Humanities, Novgorod, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, St. Petersburg. One of the most significant works of the master in recent years has become the art album "Through the veil of five centuries: a secret meeting with the frescoes of Dionysius the Wise." Yuri Kholdin was one of the founders and president of the Frescoes of Rus' Foundation. His professional activities took place in Russia and other countries.

Dionysius and his sons painted the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God at the Ferapontov Monastery in 34 days. Holdin filmed a complex of these frescoes for 10 years! It took so much time not only to cover the entire wall painting. Looking at the works of the master, you remember the literal translation of the word "photography" - "light painting". Usually frescoes are removed at night, under artificial lighting, which results in rather rigid contours with impenetrable spots of black shadows. Worst of all looks what is written on the concave surfaces of the temple. The author’s method of Yuri Kholdin allows photographing during the day: “We took a summer sunny day as a standard for rendering the color of Dionisy’s frescoes, when the ocher flares up, lights up festively, and at the same time you can perceive it as a liturgical time, when candles light up and the ocher turns into such a warm golden color, and blue and blue colors calm down a little. And that's when we started to succeed. But this work does not lie in the field of reproduction or in the field of photographic fixation, because this is an interior staged shooting. Of course, we worked with light, space and image, including the image of Dionysius's compositions. That is, everything was important for us - the window, the frames, the screed, the floor, the door, and, of course, the frescoes.” This is a unique work, both artistic and scientific at the same time. The exceptionally high quality level of reproduction of the created material is associated with an innovative development in the field of light physics and in the field of color science. Holdin himself always compared himself with a translator - a translation from the language of icon painting into the language of light painting, that is, photography. And here, as in the work of any translator, the main thing is to achieve maximum artistic and semantic accuracy. Not a drop of retouching and, as they would say now, photoshop. Even the cracks are alive. In addition, the photo artist, contrary to the art history techniques of the twentieth century, did not reproduce frescoes, but began to work with space.

The Mother of God on the Throne with the Archangels Gabriel and Michael

Saint Nicholas of Myra

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin - northeastern part

First Ecumenical Council

Archangel Gabriel (fragment of the fresco " Annunciation ") - left; " Oh, All-Singing Mother"

"Annunciation"

"Sleep and Caress of Mary"

"Bathing Mary"

"Adoration of the Magi"

"Rejoicing in You... "Virgin Mary with Saints

Marriage at Cana of Galilee

Great Martyr George

Righteous Joseph. Fragment of a fresco Escape to Egypt

I got acquainted with the works of Yuri Holdin at an exhibition in Kolomenskoye. To be honest, I did not immediately understand, or rather, realized that these were photographs. I leaned towards them to get a better look. A wild thought was spinning in my head: “Have they really been removed from the wall and turned around?” Looking at the too realistic representation of Dionysius, you do not immediately understand that behind the photographic frescoes the huge work of another master, through whose eyes we can now see the frescoes, is much more real than in the native walls of the cathedral. Those who have been there at least once understand how a half-hour excursion program is not enough to “embrace the immensity”. And you can go a long way and not get into the cathedral - at the opening of the exhibition in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' spoke about his own sad experience. In addition, the compositional consistency and coloring of the photo frescoes, which create the effect of being in the cathedral itself, allows us to see a lot now without perspective distortions. As an example, even those who visited the Ferapont Monastery did not see such a John the Baptist. This image is high, its visibility depends on the light, and the light depends on the time of day, year and weather. Holdin's works provide an opportunity, unattainable in a museum, to see the frescoes as Dionysius himself saw them.

"The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins" . Section along the central longitudinal nave

Section along the central transverse nave - view to the west. After receiving the good news, Mary went to her mother's sister Elizabeth, the wife of the priest Zechariah, the future mother of John the Baptist.

Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin - exterior painting of the western portal

Fragment of the northern wall of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin

The work of Yuri Ivanovich Holdin was not commissioned, not funded. His only support was his family, his wife, who did not grumble (although she had to sacrifice a lot) to enable her husband to finish shooting the ancient masterpiece. Holdin did not make any compromises when it came to the quality of both shooting and printing. Those prints that looked quite decent to an outsider's eye, but, from his point of view, did not match the color of the frescoes in Ferapontov, he destroyed. The argument that this is throwing money away was not accepted at all. Each of his photographs is unique: one author's print remains from each frame. As applied to photography, this is a paradox. But Holdin was engaged not just in photography, but in translating from the language of icon painting into the language of light painting. A virtuoso and faithful translation. The skill of a photographer cannot be separated from a deep understanding of ancient Russian art. God knows how much time the artist devoted to developing a unique method of photographic reproduction of frescoes. All this will remain the secret of Yuri Holdin. He died during the filming of morning Moscow - on Sunday, July 29, 2007 at about five in the morning - fell off the 11th floor of the house where he lived. There was a collapse of the cornice on which the Master stood...

I understand that a lot of text turned out, but do not be lazy, please read the article by Guzel Agisheva. You will get to know this amazing person and Master better.

There was such an ascetic, Yuri Kholdin, who revealed to us the great Russian icon painter Dionysius, the author of frescoes in the Ferapontov Monastery

The frescoes of Dionysius in the Ferapontov Monastery are 510 years old. Let's be honest: very few people get there. And if he does, he won't see much. They only let you in for 15 minutes, during which time even the most experienced person in icon painting with the most keen eyesight is not able to grasp the genius of Dionysius. But! There was such an ascetic, Yuri Kholdin, who revealed Dionysius to us. And this is not an exaggeration. To appreciate his work, you need to come to the exhibition in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This exposition continues to be supplemented with new works from the photographer's archives and, with the blessing of the patriarch, will now be permanent.

In the early 1990s, Holdin was already a well-known personality - he had international awards for associative photography. I could do commercial photography, make money. But "everyone chooses for himself a woman, a religion, a road." In 1992, he went to Solovki to tell about the fate of Russia through the fate of the monastery. He shot a large cycle about the "Solovki Golgotha" and the return of the monastery. Without waiting for understanding, he put a huge amount of work on the table, having managed to publish in Italy only a small album. Later, on a pilgrimage to the Russian north, he drove with a friend, the poet Yuri Kublanovskiy, to the Ferapontov Monastery. Does this happen by chance? I saw the frescoes of Dionysius in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin and could not tear myself away from them. Ferapontov became the meaning of his life. 12 years, until his tragic death, Yuri Ivanovich Holdin gave Dionysius, how to show people this famous, but, in fact, unknown to the world masterpiece without distortion.

At that time, it was considered correct to capture the true color of the frescoes at night, under harsh frontal artificial lighting. Holdin destroyed this stereotype. He thought about what kind of light environment Dionysius could keep in mind when painting the temple? I began to study how natural light affects our perception of space and color in a cathedral. Confirmation of his search came from Italy - along with the exhibition "Giotto in Padua", which was brought to Russia in 2004. The Italians built a model of the chapel from wood and pasted over it from the inside with pictures of Giotto's frescoes. Flat. Someone laughed at it, called canned goods. And Holdin already knew why this sensation arose. That is why I set myself a super-task: the feeling should be such that you find yourself in a single color space of the cathedral.

For a whole year I studied wall painting, calculated the light in which the color of Dionysius reveals itself most harmoniously, so that neither warm nor cold paint prevails, so that the ocher lights up, and the stuffed cabbage flickers, there were no failures and inevitable black shadows: And I found the only right one for solving the task tuning fork: noon of a sunny day - that's when the plan of Dionysius is fully revealed. Of course, this is the culmination of the Divine Liturgy! But after all, daylight is very changeable, which means that it is impossible to correctly convey color in daylight conditions? Holdin found his narrow way to overcome this problem. It took seven years to solve the most complex technological problems of light and color reproduction in order to evoke in the viewer a sense of the otherworldly images, their floating in the light-air space of the temple. And in the end, as one father-artist put it, “he revealed Dionysius to the world without a single shadow of the earthly world.” His album "Through the Veil of Five Centuries" (2002) became an event of world significance. 300 compositions, or 700 "squares" of painting! Everything was here - volume, color, light, texture. In fact - a facsimile of Dionysius himself! By the way, about the facsimile: Dionysius did not sign his creations, this was not customary among the ancient Russian icon painters. But in the Nativity of the Mother of God Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery, he left a signature - in the wall of the northern door of the temple: “And the scribes Deonisy are an icon with their children. O Lord Christ, King of all, deliver them, O Lord, from eternal torment.

Holdin's exhibition works are unique - all experimental specimens, where more than half a percent of the color festivities, were destroyed by him. He was firm in understanding his responsibility for Dionysius: "After me there should be no marriage left." Replicating Kholdin's works is the most difficult task. Considering that the "figure" is just an intermediate information product, he took a slide as the basis for shooting, an object of the same water-based nature as the fresco itself. And, scanning every time to the right size, he achieved a special ringing: to convey each composition without the slightest loss of quality, so that the viewer had the feeling that he was seeing the fresco itself. And he achieved this - many come up, feel:

There were legends about Holdin's professional demands even during his lifetime. He annoyed many with it. Previously, art critics used to describe in words what a potential viewer had to take for granted: the clothes of an angel of such and such a color, the wing - such and such: And here you are, here are the works of Dionysius, without the slightest distortion! If you go to the temple, you won’t see it: it’s not known at what time of the day they will let you go there, and even then for 15 minutes! And the monblancs of candidate and doctoral students, with their shaming and outright gag, which is commonly called a scientific interpretation, went to hell! Because one such smart "photographer" came and 12 years of his earnest, ascetic work, led by talent, intuition, insight, turned the whole thing upside down.

By showing Dionysius, Holdin gave us unprecedented opportunities for research, and thanks to such a breakthrough, interesting things have already been revealed. Not some trifles, but, perhaps, the main thing in the work of the icon painter: we saw the luminous center of the works of Dionysius. In Soviet times - feel the difference - it was called an empty center! But it turned out that it was not empty at all, but luminous. For the main thing that the icon painter Dionysius sought was to convey the Divine Light of Tabor! Thus, the Tabor light of the works of Dionysius, five centuries later, was revealed to us thanks to Holdin.

I am watching the shooting of 2006 - Yuri Holdin and Savva Yamshchikov are giving a press conference in the Tretyakov Gallery. Holdin is handsome, light, as if drawn with a feather, with an open, clear face. He speaks calmly, simply. And when a year later he fell while shooting from the 12th floor, no one believed in an accident. They talked about the unnatural flight path, and the criminal case was opened. But Katya, his wife and most faithful assistant, does not want to talk about it. She talks with pleasure about his case, laughs, remembering that she once complained to him about the lack of money, about life, about children: after all, almost all personal funds from the family budget went to the movement of the project for years. And how, in response, a saying from the New Testament appeared on the wall above her desk: “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.” He believed that one should be ready to receive God's mercy. He was ready.

Guzel Agisheva

Article "The Second Coming of Dionysius". Newspaper "Trud" from issue 169, November 20, 2012