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Church of Dmitry of Thessalonica in Dmitrievsky Pogost

Фото 1
The Church of Dmitry of Thessalonica is built of brick, plastered, and whitewashed. In the 19th century, an eastern portico was added, and at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, a porch with a canopy appeared at the southern side entrance. In the 20th century, the shapes of the domes were altered. This is a unique monument of late provincial baroque with elements of classicism. In the volumetric composition of the building, a high three-light square with five blind domes and a three-tiered bell tower under a stone tent with eight facets stands out. The main square is slightly wider than the refectory and altar, making it more massive. The longitudinal symmetry of the traditional plan is disrupted by the varying semicircles of the two-apse altar, but this dissonance is softened by the late two-column portico installed at the junction of the apses. The facades of the square between the windows of the second and third lights are divided by a thin tie and a wall step into two different tiers, indicating changes in the original design during the construction of the church. The frames of the northern and southern entrances are made in the baroque style, with double cutouts vertically at the upper corners and paired pilasters above the arched transom. The corners of the two-light lower part of the square are rounded and limited by pilasters. The lower windows have arched transoms, while the windows of the second light are round. The frames of the arched upper windows are already close to early classicism. The crowning cornice of the square matches the cornice of the refectory and the lower tier of the bell tower. The tiers of the bell tower differ in architecture, where elements of classicism play an important role. The facets of the middle square are completed with pediments, and the wide supports of the arches are divided by thin vertical ties. The walls of the upper square with cut corners are pierced by high arches covered with narrow ribbon rustication, which wraps around the facets and edges without vertical interruptions. The proportions of the facets, the placement, and the design of the dormers of the tent only vaguely resemble the tops of ancient Russian bell towers. Inside, the central part is covered with a vaulted ceiling, the refectory has a box vault with a trough at the western end and arches above the openings, the lower tier of the bell tower has an eight-vaulted ceiling, and the apses have a box vault transitioning into a conch. The three-tiered five-part iconostasis in nine axes, made in the 19th century in the style of classicism, is unusual in composition. Its central axis is shifted to the north due to the asymmetrical arrangement of the apses, and the plane has slight turns on the side walls. The first, tallest tier is decorated with a four-column portico with a pediment, between the middle columns of which are the royal gates of the 19th century. Above it is another smaller four-column portico without a pediment, and in the third tier, on either side of the visual axis, are two two-column porticos with pediments, and above them is the "Crucifixion". The iconostasis is decorated with elements of classicist carving, rosettes, and modillons in the cornices, Corinthian capitals of the columns, volutes on the sides of the upper tier, the framing of the "Crucifixion", and a carved composition above the royal gates. The icons date from the 19th-20th centuries. The oil painting from the 19th century has been preserved on the vault and walls of the church, including narrative scenes, images of figures, and ornamentation. The heavily damaged glue wall painting at the level of the third light windows and in the vault dates back to the 19th century. In the refectory, the oil painting from the 1860s on the vault depicts the Almighty, in the arches, cherubs, and on the archway leading to the church, saints. In the lower tier of the bell tower, there is a wooden relief "Crucifixion" from the 19th century, flanked by a flat figure of the Virgin Mary and a sculptural representation of John the Theologian. The windows retain grilles with a diamond pattern.

Geo point

Церковь Димитрия Солунского на Дмитриевском Погосте

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