Golden Gate brief description. Why is the symbol of the greatness and power of Ancient Rus' called the Golden Gate? Photo report

The Golden Gate (1164) is a rare monument of Russian military architecture from the time of the rise of the Vladimir principality under Andrei Bogolyubsky and the growth of the capital city of Vladimir. The Golden Gate was included in the western line of the city ramparts, built in 1158-1164 by the princely city builders. The shafts adjacent to the gate array on the sides were scattered in the 18th century to create detours; Round false Gothic towers with extensions between them appeared at the corners of the gate; the arch of the gate and the church above it were then rebuilt.

However, even now the original forms and grandeur of the Golden Gate architecture are clearly felt. The basis of the building is a huge white-stone quadrangle with deep niches on the side walls, which strengthened the adhesion of the building to the embankment of shafts (the remainder of the shaft was preserved south of the Golden Gate - Kozlov Val). The gate opening is unusually high (the ground level at the time of its construction was 1.5-1.7 m lower than today). Its arch is supported by arches resting on flat blades. The high height of the passage, which weakened the defense capability of the structure, testifies to the architects’ plan to combine in one building the functions of a ceremonial triumphal arch leading to the main street of Vladimir and a city defense center.

At half the height of the passage, an arched lintel was made, to which heavy oak gates were adjacent (huge forged hinges and a bolt socket were preserved). They were bound with gilded copper, which is why the entire structure was called the Golden Gate. At the level of the lintel, powerful beams of defensive flooring were placed in large square nests, from which warriors could fire at the enemy with bows, pour pitch, and lower stones. One reached the flooring via a stone staircase in the thickness of the southern wall through an arched exit visible in the gate bay. Above, the staircase led to the upper battle platform, fenced with the battlements of a parapet, with a small Church of the Deposition of the Robe. The white-stone Silver Gate, similar to the Golden Gate, stood at the opposite eastern end of the fortress. They marked the main axis of the city ensemble - the longitudinal street. The remaining seven gate-towers of the city were wooden.

10 facts about the Golden Gate in Vladimir

1. The Golden Gate was built by princely craftsmen in 1164, during the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky. This is evidenced by a special princely sign that the builders left on one of the white stone blocks.

2 fact The Golden Gate is one of the seven entrance gates to the city and the only one that has survived to this day.

3. The appearance of the Golden Gate is significantly different from the original one. This was facilitated by frequent fires, enemy raids and civil strife. All that remained from the ancient building was the passage arch, powerful side pylons and part of the battle platform above them. Everything else has been repaired, added to and changed many times. The vaults and the gateway Church of the Robe were rebuilt, and side elements were added that were not originally there.

4. Now there is a museum in the church above the Golden Gate. A military-historical exhibition is presented (weapons and military equipment from different times). And a diorama telling about the defense of Vladimir during the attack by the troops of Batu Khan in 1238.

5. One of the best specialists in ancient Russian architecture, Vladimir archaeologist Nikolai Nikolaevich Voronin, believed that the architecture of the Golden Gate in Vladimir was unique for medieval Europe. The West was characterized only by tower structures that performed purely defensive functions. The Vladimir Golden Gates were built not only for defensive purposes, they served as the main main entrance to the city, and also had a religious purpose - the Church of the Deposition of the Robe was active.

6. The ramparts on both sides of the Golden Gate, according to one legend, were demolished in 1767 by order of Empress Catherine II. Her carriage got stuck in a huge puddle under an arch at the entrance to the city. Then detours of the Golden Gate were organized. But without ramparts, the gate began to collapse, so side fortifications were soon built.

7. In the 19th century, they wanted to make the Golden Gate a water collector-distributor. Fortunately, this idea was not realized, and for these needs a water tower was built, which now houses a museum and Observation deck.

8. One of the legends says that during construction, the arch of the Golden Gate partially collapsed, burying 12 people. No one had any doubt that people died. Andrei Bogolyubsky ordered the Miracle-Working Icon to be brought and began to pray to the Mother of God, asking for the salvation of the workers. As a result, the people under the rubble remained alive, and the prince ordered a small church of the Deposition of the Robe of the Virgin Mary to be built on the gate.

9. After the incident with the collapse of the vault, Andrei Bogolyubsky replaced the team of craftsmen - Italian builders completed the work, who subsequently erected the Dmitrievsky and Assumption Cathedrals, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl and the residence of the prince.

10. In February 1238, the troops of Khan Batu failed to enter the city through the main Golden Gate - they perfectly withstood the onslaught of the invaders. But nevertheless, the city was taken - the Tatar-Mongols entered through a hole in the wooden wall of the fortress. The oak gate, lined with gilded copper, has not yet been found. While being transported to the Horde, they sank in Klyazma.

The historical monument amazes with its grandeur, despite the fact that it has not completely survived to this day. The oak gate leaves were covered with gilded plates, for this reason the gates got their name - Golden.

The monument is interesting for its history, architecture and is definitely worth a visit. At the top of the building there is a museum with an exhibition displaying weapons and military equipment of past centuries - spear and arrowheads, weapons from the times of Catherine and the Patriotic War with Napoleon, as well as captured weapons of the 17th-19th centuries.

Your attention will undoubtedly be attracted by a small diorama with musical and narrated accompaniment, telling about the assault on Vladimir by Batu Khan in 1238. The entrance fee to the museum is quite low, but the performance at the diorama exhibition, lasting only 15 minutes, will be interesting for both adults and children.

Golden Gate in Vladimir - address

Vladimir, Dvoryanskaya street, 1A.

How to get to the Golden Gate in Vladimir

The Golden Gate is located in the very center of the city. From the train and bus stations you can walk in 20-25 minutes: walk two blocks along Communal Descent, to Bolshaya Moskovskaya Street. Turn left and follow Bolshaya Moskovskaya Street.

The main attractions of Vladimir, for example, the observation deck, the Assumption and Dmitrievsky Cathedrals, are within walking distance.

Golden Gate - operating hours in 2019

Opening hours of the military-historical exhibition at the Golden Gate

Every day from 10:00 to 18:00
The last Thursday of every month is sanitary day

Golden Gate - ticket prices in 2019

For adults - 150 rubles
For children under 16 years old - free
For children over 16 years old and students - 100 rubles

From the history

In 1157, Prince Andrei Bogolyubov, the son of Yuri Dolgoruky, moved the capital of his principality from Suzdal to Vladimir and began to fortify the city. Shafts 5 km long were built around Vladimir, and a wooden fortress wall with towers and seven gates was built. Some of them were called Golden, they were built for 6 years - from 1158 to 1164 on the western side of the wall and served as the main entrance to Vladimir.

In addition, the Silver Gate leading to Suzdal, the Ivanovo Gate to Ivanovo, the Trade and Volzhsky Gate, the Copper Gate and the Irinin Gate were built.

According to legend, Prince Andrei, who sincerely loved the city, wanted to please the townspeople and open the Golden Gate on the Feast of the Assumption Holy Mother of God. The builders did not wait for the building to shrink and immediately after the completion of the masonry they hung the gate. As a result, the doors fell and crushed 12 citizens.

Then the prince turned to the Queen of Heaven with a prayer, asking her to save the victims: “If You do not save these people, I, a sinner, will be guilty of their death.” Andrei's prayer was heard and a miracle happened: when the gates were raised, it turned out that all the people crushed by them remained alive and unharmed.

After the murder of Andrei Bogolyubsky in 1174, the grand-ducal table was taken by his younger brother Vsevolod the Big Nest, who was also called Vsevolod III.

The historical and architectural monument has reached us in a highly distorted form. The first passage arch was probably destroyed in 1238 during the storming of the city by the Tatar-Mongol army. The gates also suffered from frequent fires, after which their restoration was carried out. The last global reconstruction was carried out at the end of the 18th century.

According to legend, the reason for this reconstruction could be a large puddle in which Catherine II's carriage got stuck. The Empress was unable to pass through the arch and ordered the ramparts on the side of the span to be torn down and a passage made for her carriage.

One way or another, in 1795, the ramparts to the north and south of the arch were torn down, and to strengthen the Golden Gate, counterforts (vertical structures to support the walls), disguised with round towers, were placed on both sides. In addition, the vault, which had dilapidated by this time, was strengthened and a new brick Church of the Deposition of the Robe was built above it. In this form the structure has survived to this day.

In 1991, the Golden Gate welcomed the relics of Seraphim of Sarov, which were transported from St. Petersburg to Diveevo (Diveevsky Monastery is located in the Nizhny Novgorod region).

Description

The structure is distinguished by its height and slender proportions. The huge oak doors were covered with gilded sheets of copper. The wooden walls of the New City fortress adjoined the gate.

The height of the building is 14 meters. The Golden Gate of Vladimir is the main, front gate, it led to the richest part of the city, where the Vladimir prince and boyars lived. Accordingly, this structure performed the most important functions:

The Golden Gate served as the entrance to Vladimir on the most solemn occasions - they were opened for important guests even after successful military campaigns
The structure also played a defensive role; above it there was a combat platform to protect the city from an attacking enemy.
The Golden Gate, shimmering in the sun, served as a decoration for the main entrance to Vladimir, emphasizing the power and might of the prince, that is, it also served a decorative function. There is an assumption that the gate doors were decorated not with ordinary gold sheets, but with gold markings based on an engraved design (similar to the doors of the Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral in Suzdal)
Considering that at the top, on the battle platform, there was a gate church, the structure also had religious significance.

The Golden Gate is made in the form of a passage arch with a hemispherical arch, around which graceful towers are arranged. A deep ditch was dug in front of the rampart, and a wooden bridge was thrown across it, which was burned in case of danger.

The oldest part of the Golden Gate is the passage arch with massive pilasters (fortifications supporting the arch on both sides). The white stone walls are made of rubble stone on a strong lime base. By our time, the walls have sunk about 1.5 meters into the ground, which means that at the beginning of the 12th century they were even higher. The vault was constructed from lighter, porous tuff.

This height of the passage arch created difficulties in defending the western entrance to the city. Therefore, a lintel was installed approximately in the middle of the arch, and loops were attached to the side for hanging panels. These loops and the groove for the bolt have survived to this day.

Although initially the oak gates were covered with gilded copper, now we will not see gold on them, since the gold plates from the gates were removed and hidden by the city residents when there was a threat of Vladimir being captured by the army of Batu Khan. UNESCO included this relic on its list of lost objects.

There is another version of the loss of the Golden Gate, according to which Batu Khan removed the gold and loaded it into the convoy. However, he could not take the valuable cargo far. The thin ice of Klyazma cracked and the convoy went under water.

The Japanese offered to clear the river bottom, and instead of payment, take everything they found at the bottom. But our archaeologists did not agree with such conditions.

The architectural monument was created by princely craftsmen; this is confirmed by two princely signs of the Rurikovichs, preserved on the stones of the building. Currently, the Church of the Deposition of the Robe is not active.

Golden Gate in Vladimir - official website

The exhibition is part of the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve: www.vladmuseum.ru

According to historians, in the 12th century the Golden Gate was a unique structure not only in Rus', but throughout Europe. In Western countries, fortress towers played only a defensive role, but in Vladimir, the Golden Gate, in addition to this function, served as a main entrance and an important decorative element.

6. The ramparts on both sides of the Golden Gate, according to one legend, were torn down in 1767 by order of Empress Catherine II. Her carriage got stuck in a huge puddle under an arch at the entrance to the city. Then detours of the Golden Gate were organized. But without ramparts, the gate began to collapse, so side fortifications were soon built.

7. In the 19th century, they wanted to turn the Golden Gate into a water collector-distributor. Fortunately, this idea was not realized, and for these needs a water tower was built, which now houses a museum and an observation deck.

10. In February 1238, the troops of Khan Batu failed to enter the city through the main Golden Gate - they perfectly withstood the onslaught of the invaders. But nevertheless, the city was taken - the Tatar-Mongols entered through a hole in the wooden wall of the fortress. The oak gate, lined with gilded copper, has not yet been found. While being transported to the Horde, they sank in Klyazma.

Golden Gate in the center of Vladimir - the main entrance to the princely part ancient city- were built in the middle of the 12th century. They are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and are one of the main attractions of the city.

Story

Active construction in Vladimir took place during the reign Andrey Bogolyubsky. Andrei Bogolyubsky, even after he captured Kyiv, preferred to have his capital in the north. And not in rich Suzdal, which had its own traditions - no, the prince chose small Vladimir to build the capital here again. It was near Vladimir in the village of Bogolyubovo that he created a residence for himself, but construction also began in the city itself. The masters who built Bogolyubovo, the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir and the ceremonial Golden Gate belonged to different peoples. According to one of the lost chronicles, several craftsmen were sent to Prince Andrew by the Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa. Indeed, in all their works one can trace the traditions of not only Russian, but also Western European architecture.

In the middle of the 12th century, Vladimir was surrounded by ramparts with wooden walls and a moat. There were seven entrances to the city. The Golden Gate, built in 1164, became the prince's ceremonial entrance to the new capital. They really were “golden”: their doors were covered with polished and gilded copper and shone brightly in the sun. The gate was not only beautiful, but also truly functional and an excellent defensive structure. The doors themselves were made of heavy oak, a bridge led to the gate across the moat, and above them there was a battle platform from which one could access the ramparts. Above is another platform, with a jagged top and loopholes. On this upper platform, a small Church of the Deposition of the Robes of Our Lady was built and consecrated. The gate arch itself, 14 meters high, and the platform above it have survived to this day practically unchanged, the rest was rebuilt.

By the middle of the 15th century, the gates had fallen into disrepair. They were restored by a famous architect, merchant Vasily Ermolin. It was he who during these years was engaged in the reconstruction of the white stone Moscow Kremlin, the renovation of the cathedrals of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, as well as the reconstruction of the famous St. George's Cathedral in Yuryev-Polsky.

Golden Gate in the 18th-20th centuries

In the middle of the 18th century, under Catherine II, provincial cities began to be rebuilt: dilapidated wooden and stone kremlins were dismantled, regular city development plans were adopted, and special provincial architects were hired for this purpose. In Vladimir, according to the new development plan, there were city ramparts demolished- they had lost their strategic importance and now only interfered with travel. When the ramparts were torn down, the Golden Gate was also under threat. The shafts supported the structure and gave it stability.

The Golden Gate owes its modern appearance to the reconstruction of that time. In 1795, round turrets appeared on the sides of the building, which hid the reinforcing buttresses attached to the building. The author of the project was the provincial architect Ivan Chistyakov. He created not only the project of the Golden Gate, but also the entire ensemble of the city square and tried to make all the buildings look like a single complex and “rhyme”. It was planned to transform the main square into a huge parade ground on which it was possible to carry out military maneuvers - this was completely in the spirit of the then reigning emperor Paul I. But he did not have time to fully implement his project for restructuring the square.

Church of the Deposition of the Robe is updated not according to his project, but after a few years. It was updated in 1810 or 1806 - the exact date is not yet known, and was rebuilt, most likely, according to the design of the next provincial architect - A. Vershinsky.

By the age of thirties the church is used as a regimental, and in the extensions around the Golden Gate there is a police station with a prison station, a fire equipment warehouse and several city shops. By the 50s, the church was almost no longer active. The interior ceilings and the wooden staircase leading to the temple had become very dilapidated - it had simply become dangerous to climb there. The staircase was slightly updated for the arrival of Grand Dukes Nicholas and Mikhail in the city, and was forgotten again.

In 1864, the idea arose of rebuilding the Church of the Deposition of the Robe into a building for a water reservoir and turning the Golden Gate into a water tower. But in the 1870s, worship was resumed. Through the efforts of priest Simeon Nikolsky, the stairs upstairs are finally being put in order. To mark the 700th anniversary of the death of Andrei Bogolyubsky, who is revered as a saint in Vladimir, in 1874 the Vladimir merchants built a Vladimirskaya in one of the turrets chapel with icons of the prince, and in 1898 the dome of the church was gilded.

At the beginning of the 20th century, in the wake of interest in ancient Russian history and architecture, ideas arose to restore the historical appearance of the Golden Gate - at a minimum, they were going to restore and cover the gates with shiny copper, otherwise no one could understand why the whitewashed building with a green roof was called “Golden”. Even a special commission for restoration was created, but it did not have time to do anything - the revolution of 1917 happened. Located in the church archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the outbuildings were occupied for housing. Restoration began after the war, but the building was not rebuilt, but the interior furnishings were replaced and slightly renovated. Electricity and ventilation were installed here in 1972, and then a modern museum exhibition. At one time the building served as a support for a trolleybus line - this had a negative impact on its condition.

Since 1992, the Golden Gate, along with other monuments of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture, has been included in the list World Heritage UNESCO. The last restoration was carried out here in 2001.

Military historical exhibition

Inside the Golden Gate on the upper tier is now located military-historical exposition. Its main exhibit is a multimedia diorama with lighting and voiceover about the Tatar-Mongol invasion of 1238, the defense and fall of Vladimir. It was created in 1972. The author of the diorama is the honored artist E. Deshlyt, founder of one of the schools of Soviet diorama.

Here it is weapons collection, starting from the 12th century. Swords, shields and details of chain mail of ancient Russian warriors; collection of weapons of the 18th century, the period of the Russian-Turkish wars: captured Turkish guns and sabers; memorial signs and medals of the 18th century; stands dedicated to the War of 1812, etc.

The third part of the exhibition is Gallery of Heroes of the Soviet Union, natives of Vladimir and the surrounding area. Here are 153 portraits and some personal belongings of these people. A separate stand is dedicated to the feat of the pilot Nikolai Gastello - he was not a native of Vladimir, but Gastello Street has existed here since 1946. The personal belongings of Vasily Degtyarev, a military pilot, lieutenant who commanded one of the air units that defended these places in 1942, are presented. His plane was shot down, he sat down, fired back to the last and shot himself with the last bullet. Another stand is dedicated to cosmonaut Valery Kubasov, a native of Vladimir.
Opens from the museum gallery beautiful view to the city square.

The gilded gate leaves were lost in the 12th century. According to local legends, they still lie somewhere at the bottom of the Klyazma - they were hidden from invaders at the bottom of the river. They say that in the 70s the Japanese promised to clear the mouth of the Klyazma so that everything found at the bottom would be given to them, but the Soviet authorities refused.
Legend says that the ramparts around the Golden Gate were torn down on the personal orders of Catherine II: she was driving through the arch and her carriage got stuck in a huge puddle. After this, the Empress ordered detours to be made.
In one of the descriptions of the city of Vladimir in 1801, another church appears on the Golden Gate - the Church of Peter and Paul. There are no other traces of this church - either this is a mistake by the compilers of the inventory, or it is indeed a mention of some unpreserved temple.

On a note

Location. Vladimir, st. Dvoryanskaya, 1 A.
How to get there. By train from Kursk station or by bus from Shchelkovskaya metro station to Vladimir, then by trolleybuses No. 5, 10 and 12 to the city center, or up the stairs to the Assumption Cathedral.
Official site. http://www.vladmuseum.ru/
Working hours. 10:00-18:00 daily, closed on the last Thursday of the month.
Cost of visit. Adult - 150 rubles, reduced price - 100 rubles.

Many tourists are interested in the origin of the name of the attraction. Researchers adhere to the version that the gate was named so because the Annunciation Church was built above it. The dome of the church was covered with gold, hence the corresponding definition. By the way, the construction of the temple was not small: the height reached 12 meters, and the width - almost 7. However, this is not the only assumption. Some historians refer to Constantinople: there were also Golden Gates there, and by analogy, Yaroslav the Wise gave the name to the Kyiv building.

Reliable defense and the main route to Kyiv

The Golden Gate performed not only a protective function. Also through them it was possible to enter the city, as they say, through the “front entrance”. In this regard, the appearance at the gate was appropriate: impressive in size battle tower, consisting of two tiers, solid brickwork, arched facade and niches. The gate held back many enemy attacks, but in 1240 the horde of Batu Khan destroyed it.

Further fate and initial reconstruction of the monument

After the Mongol invasion, the gates were no longer used, and in the 18th century they had to be covered with earth, as there was a threat of their complete disappearance due to the war with the Turks. On the site of the former Golden Gate, the architect Debosket began building new ones. In the 19th century, the monument aroused interest as a historical exhibit, and the authorities issued permission to begin its excavations. In 1832, the remains of the walls reappeared almost out of oblivion, and Vincent Beretti immediately set about restoring them. For this purpose, the walls were strengthened with ties and brickwork was made.

The Golden Gate shines over Kyiv again

1970 was the year of the revival of the legendary structure. At that time, the area around the gate was put in order, and the best architects of Kyiv got down to business. Experts studied all historical information and drawings and prepared sketches. By the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv, the Golden Gate appeared before residents and guests of the capital in its original form - with an iron lifting grille and folding doors.

Elements of the ancient gate are located in the interior of the pavilion. Other museum exhibits are also located here - tools with which reconstruction and construction work were carried out. The museum hosts excursions, exhibitions, and excellent acoustics allows for concerts and thematic presentations.

The exit from the Zoloti Vorota metro station will take you directly to the monument.