Далее: Rostov the great Вверх: The gold ring of Назад: The gold ring of

Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl, dating back to the early 11$^{th}$ century, is one of the most precious gems decorating ``the Gold Ring of Russia''.

Task I

Read the text about the foundation of Yaroslavl and its medieval history:

According to one of the many legends about the foundation of Yaroslavl, in the $10^{th}$ century the Krivichi and the Meryane used to live in the dense forests on the high right bank of the Volga, just where the Kotorosl joins it. They hunted, fished and engaged in some simple handicrafts. They worshipped the pagan deity Volos, and the bear was their sacred animal.

At the end of the $10^{th}$ century North-East Russia was part of the principality whose centre was Rostov the Great. Prince Yaroslav the Wise of Rostov (later crown Prince of Kiev) went to Bear's Corner with the aim of founding a fortress there, in order to strengthen his territory in the north, and to secure safety of water communications from Rostov the Great to the Volga. The population of Bear's Corner fought against Yaroslav, even releasing and sending against the Prince their sacred wild bear and a pack of savage dogs. But the Prince pole-axed the bear.

Yaroslav brought with him not only his warriors and Christian priests, but also his builders. In 1010 Yaroslav founded a fortress here, and named it after himself. (In the $18^{th}$ century, the city's coat of arms incorporated the figure of a bear with a trident, and later with a pole-axe in memory of those events of bygone days).

Later, with the development of navigation along the northern water route, Yaroslavl, the first great Volga port, acquired prominence, and by the end of the $12^{th}$ century the city had spread considerably and became a big town.

The head of the principality, Prince Constantine, ($13^{th}$ century) was a great lover of books and a patron of icon painting and other ``ornaments'' which brought glory to the churches built in his reign. The first religious school in North-East Russian was opened at the Spasso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in 1212 in the time of Prince Constantine, who had an immense library (which included a great number of Greek books).

Prince Constantine often stayed in Yaroslavl, and took an interest in its development. Vsevolod, son and heir of Constantine, inherited Yaroslavl and continued the building of the city, which was now the capital, right up to the time of the Tartar-Mongol invasion. Numerous buildings were erected in less than ten years (1215 - 1223).

Both Constantine and Vsevolod followed the architectural traditions of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus. But the buildings of their time were more picturesque and festive.

Church building in the $13^{th}$ century stimulated the development of painting and applied art. Even during this early time Yaroslavl was developing a trend of its own which elaborated upon the traditions of Vladimir-Suzdal art.

The characteristic feature of Yaroslavl icon painting was the heightened decorativeness and expressiveness of image known to us from local architecture. Yaroslavl icon painters worked in a freer and more daring manner than their $12^{th}$ century predecessors, preferred bright, cheerful colours, making extensive use of ornamentation and lovingly representing in detail the embroidered clothes with complicated patterns and studded with pearls and gems. The colour range is based on a contrasted tones the Yaroslavl painters loved so much: dark-green, purple brown, and gold.

The invasion of the Tartar-Mongols, who captured and burnt Yaroslavl in 1238, cut short the vigorous advance. Then followed a grim period of struggle for the national liberation of Rus from foreign oppression and the people of Yaroslavl took a most active part in it.

In the history of the city this was a period of constant uprisings against the enslavers; a time of fires, starvation and disease. The Yaroslavl people showed themselves to be courageous patriots, fighting to the death for the liberation of their country in unequal bloody battles against the enemy.

Throughout the 15$^{th}$ and even more so in the 16$^{th}$ century the active process of uniting the Russian lands and strengthening the centralized states continued. The most important events of this period were the final overthrow of the Tartar-Mongol yoke (1480) and the collapse of the Golden Horde (1502).These had a favourable influence on the development of the young state and helped to broaden trade contacts. Yaroslavl was on the trading route from Moscow to West European states. This led to the economic renaissance of the city and an increase in commerce and building.

The liberation of the Volga, Russia's central waterway, the collapse of Astrakhan and Kazan, the last principalities of the Golden Horde, helped to spread trading contacts.

Task II

Answer questions about the foundation of Yaroslavl and its medieval history:

1. What tribes lived on the high right bank of the Volga, where the Kotorosl joins it in the 10$^{th}$ - early 11$^{th}$ centuries?

2. Were they Christians or pagans?

3. Whom did they worship?

4. Where did Prince Yaroslavl the Wise rule at that time?

5. With what purpose did he go to the Bear's Corner?

6. Whom did the Prince bring with him?

7. What does the city's coat of arms incorporate now?

8. Why did the town spread considerably in the 13$^{th}$ century?

9. Who was the head of the principality at that time?

10. What was the Prince famous for?

11. What was the grandest architectural ensample of Yaroslavl at that time?

12. In what century did Yaroslavl become the capital of the principality?

13. In whose reign were numerous stone buildings erected in Yaroslavl?

14. What did the buildings of Yaroslavl look like in comparison with those of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus?

15. What was the characteristic feature of Yaroslavl icon painting?

16. What colours did Yaroslavl icon painters prefer?

17. When did the most tragic period in the history of Yaroslavl begin?

18. What did the people of Yaroslavl struggle for nearly two centuries?

19. What kind of time was the period of the Tartar Yoke?

20. What important events of the 15$^{th}$ - 16$^{th}$ centuries had a favourable influence on the development of Yaroslavl?

21. Why was the liberation of the Volga (after collapse of the Golden Horde) so favourable for the development of Yaroslavl and of all Russia?

Task III

Look at the pictures of the ensemble of the Spasso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in Yaroslvl and read the text:

The ensemble of the Spasso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in Yaroslavl, was built practically anew early in the sixteenth century. This monastery fortress which withstood a twenty-four day siege during the Polish-Lithuanian invasion of the 17$^{th}$ century was made impenetrable by a deep moat, high stone walls with loopholes, and massive square towers. The largest and most powerful defense tower, filled up for lengthy warfare, rose above an arch of the Holy Gates, which in their turn had additional defense fortifications.

The Holy Gates are a complex architectural structure. In addition to the fortified tower, which had two long arches of differing widths, it included a gate-church with a gallery, and an observation tower. The broader archway was for ceremonial entrances, while the narrower one was for those entering on foot. In 1564 Holy Gates were decorated with frescoes by the Moscow artists Larion Leontiev, Tretyak and Fyodor Nikitin, and the Yaroslavl painters the brothers Afanasy and Dementy Isidorov.

The central structure of the monastery is the Cathedral of the Transfiguration (1506 - 1516). Raised on a high podklet, crowned with three slim helmet domes, and surrounded on two sides with covered galleries, the cathedral looked splendid with its broad porch.

Task IV

Fill in the suitable words:

1. Early in the ...century the ensemble of Spasso-Preobrazhensky Monastery in Yaroslavl, was built practically ....

2. This ......which withstood a twenty-four day siege.

3. The fortress was made impenetrable by a deep ..., high stone walls with ....

4. The Holy Gates had additional .......

5. Above the Holy Gates there was the most powerful .......

6. The Holy Gates are a complex .......

7. The broader arch was for .......

8. There was an ...tower too.

9. The Holy Gates were decorated with ....

10. The Cathedral of Transfiguration was the ......of the Monastery.

11. The Cathedral was surrounded on two sides with .......

Task V

Read the text about Yaroslavl in the 17$^{th}$ - 18$^{th}$ centuries:

The 17$^{th}$ - early 18$^{th}$ centuries were the golden age in the art of Yaroslavl. But the years between 1605 and 1612, the so-called Time of Troubles, was an extremely difficult period for Russia, but the people's army led by Kozma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky was able to defeat the intervention.

The people of Yaroslavl gave active support to the Russian Volunteer Army. Yaroslavl was chosen as the seat of the Council of All Russian Land, and for a time it replaced the capital now occupied by the Poles; the Yaroslavl mint issued coins with a representation of a horseman. Here Kozma Minin gathered donations, here Prince Dmitry Pozharsky formed his army, here volunteers came from all over the country.

After the defeat of the intervention commerce and building developed up in Yaroslavl. The position of the city at the crossroads of the trade routes from Moscow to the White Sea was very favourable. By the end of the 17$^{th}$ century Yaroslavl was the largest city on the Volga and the second after Moscow in all Russia.

Task VI

Answer questions to the text:

1. What period of Russian history is called ``The Time of Trouble''?

2. By whom was the people's army organized and led?

3. What town became for a time the capital of the country?

4. Why did it happen?

5. In what year did the Russian People's Army defeated the intervention?

6. When did commerce and building develop in Yaroslavl?

7. Why was its position favourable?

8. When did it become the second largest town in all Russia?

9. During what period did Yaroslavl have a mint to issue coins?

10. What did the Yaroslavl coins look like?

Task VII

Read the text about the last two centuries in the history of Yaroslavl:

In the 19$^{th}$ and even more so the 20$^{th}$ century Yaroslavl has become a large industrial city. But even today it is the embankment of the River Kotorosl that leaves the strongest impression; it is striking with its picturesque aspect and fairy-tale like silhouettes of ancient buildings.

The city is growing rapidly, but original and extremely picturesque corners of the old Yaroslavl are preserved. There is the entire panorama of the Kotorosl embankment - a chain of magnificent, unique churches in the monumental and majestic ensemble of the white-stone Spasso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, which now houses one of the most extensive museums of early Russian architecture, icon painting, ethnography and folk art, behind the monastery rises the fine redbrick silhouette of the Church of the Apparition of Christ, with the rainbow of its tile decoration. It is also the central square of the modern Yaroslavl - Sovietskaya Square - where one can see a fantastic creation of the people's inventiveness, the Church of the Prophet Elijah. It is famous not only for the uniqueness and perfection of its architecture, but also for its monumental frescoes, icons and splendid works of carved wood and cast iron.

The streets and embankments of the city can themselves be regarded as a kind of a museum. Yaroslavl has also a Museum of Art in a large mansion on the bank of the Volga. In this 19$^{th}$-century building, once the residence of the Governor-General, there is an imposing exhibition of paintings and sculpture.

The picturesque landscape with its broad river bend, its boundless expanses of water during spring floods, is a harmonious background to the splendid monuments of early Russian architecture, so presenting a wonderful, unforgettable panorama of ancient Yaroslavl.

Task VIII

Retell the text using the key-words:

a large industrial city

...that leaves the strongest impression

its picturesque aspect

fairy-like

rapidly

are preserved

magnificent, unique

monumental and majestic

tile decoration

architecture, icon painting and folk art

perfection of architecture

monumental frescoes

works of carved wood and cast iron

the residence of the Governor-General

a Museum of Art

the picturesque landscape

a harmonious background

splendid monuments

an unforgettable panorama

Далее: Rostov the great Вверх: The gold ring of Назад: The gold ring of