The Church of Nicholas the White, also known as the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, is a non-functioning Orthodox church in Veliky Novgorod and was part of the abolished Nikolo-Belsky Monastery. It is included in the UNESCO World Heritage site "Historical Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings." Built in the 14th century, the church underwent reconstructions in the 17th and 19th centuries. It is located on Bredova-Zverinaya Street, near the Zverin Monastery (current address: Bredova-Zverinaya Street, 14).
The monastery was founded on land donated by Archbishop David, who initiated the construction of the stone Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in 1312, also known as the Church of Nicholas the White. The temple was completed and consecrated in 1313, and the archbishop organized the monastery.
The monastery endured many trials. In 1386, it suffered from a fire when the troops of Dmitry Donskoy approached Novgorod. In 1463, the monastery was again affected by a fire that destroyed half of its territory and melted two bells. Later, it faced attacks from Swedish invaders.
In the 14th-15th centuries, the Nikolo-Belsky Monastery was one of the wealthiest and most influential in Novgorod. After Novgorod was annexed to Moscow in 1478, its land holdings were confiscated.
During the Swedish invasion from 1611 to 1617, the monastery suffered greatly: the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the refectory were destroyed, and the monastery buildings were left without roofs and interior decoration.
In 1623, Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich entrusted Elder Zosima with restoring the monastery and gathering the brotherhood. A year later, a royal decree confirmed the monastery's previous rights to its holdings.
For a long time, the Nikolo-Belsky Monastery remained a special residence, despite the introduction of a communal rule in Novgorod monasteries in 1528, which aimed to unite the brotherhood in shared living and property.
According to data from 1749, the monastery owned 328 serfs. During this period, monks no longer lived in the monastery, and the abbot managed the household affairs. Retired military personnel resided here. In 1750, by order of the Holy Synod, a "Russian School" was established at the monastery to educate the children of clergymen who were unable to study at the theological seminary. The school taught children reading, writing, and church singing, funded by the revenues of three monasteries, including Nikolo-Belsky.
In 1764, the monastery was abolished. According to the inventory of 1768, there were two stone churches, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Elijah the Prophet, wooden cells, a brewery, a bathhouse, a hospital for the Velikoluksky regiment, and other buildings. The Church of Elijah the Prophet was abolished and likely dismantled soon after. The parish church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was annexed to the Zverin Monastery and closed after 1917.
Currently, a center for folk art is located here.
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