St. John the Baptist Church, Yaroslavl
Encyclopedia
St. John the Baptist Church in Yaroslavl
is considered to be the acme of the Yaroslavl school of architecture
. It was built in 1671-1687 on the bank of Kotorosl
river in the Tolchkovo sloboda
(district) which at that time was the largest and wealthiest part of the town.
Its walls and dome drums are covered with richly glazed tiles; the temple
's fifteen onion dome
s are assembled in three groups. The 7-storey, 45-metre high bell-tower was built later than the church itself in mid-1690s.
The entire interior is covered with fresco
es depicting Christian saint
s, St. John the Baptist hagiography
and biblical
topics. They were painted by Dmitry Plekhanov and Fyodor Ignatyev in 1694-1695.
Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. It is one of the Golden Ring cities, a group of historic cities...
is considered to be the acme of the Yaroslavl school of architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. It was built in 1671-1687 on the bank of Kotorosl
Kotorosl
The Kotorosl River is a right tributary of the Volga in the Yaroslavl Oblast of Russia. The river flows from Lake Nero near Rostov past Karabikha and enters the Volga in Yaroslavl. In the medieval ages, the river was highly important strategically, for it connected Rostov with major waterways of...
river in the Tolchkovo sloboda
Sloboda
Sloboda was a kind of settlement in the history of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The name is derived from the early Slavic word for "freedom" and may be vaguely translated as "free settlement"....
(district) which at that time was the largest and wealthiest part of the town.
Its walls and dome drums are covered with richly glazed tiles; the temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
's fifteen onion dome
Onion dome
An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles the onion, after which they are named. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the drum upon which they are set, and their height usually exceeds their width...
s are assembled in three groups. The 7-storey, 45-metre high bell-tower was built later than the church itself in mid-1690s.
The entire interior is covered with fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es depicting Christian saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s, St. John the Baptist hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
and biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
topics. They were painted by Dmitry Plekhanov and Fyodor Ignatyev in 1694-1695.