century Uglich was annexed to Moscow Principality.
Task I
Read the text and answer the questions:
The history of this ancient Russian town on the Volga can be traced back to
the times of Kievan Rus. Uglich began as a wooden fortress which,
as a local chronicle has it, was built in 937 by men who were sent from Kiev
by Princess Olga. It stood on the high bank at a place where the river forms
a large curve. For a long time it was in the domain of Rostov Principality,
and in 1218 was even made the seat of the princely court. In the 14
century Uglich was annexed to Moscow Principality.
The construction of stone buildings in the local Kremlin started in the
15 century. The first stone edifices - a large cathedral and a wing
of the prince's palace with the throne-room - were erected by the appendage
(удельный) prince Andrei Bolshoi.
The proximity of Uglich to Moscow often made it an arena of political struggle. On May 15th 1591, it became the scene of the tragic death of its last appendage prince Dmitry who was the younger
son of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. The death of the Tsarevitch was followed by riots, and for a certain period the mutinous town was in disgrace.
The old buildings that can still be seen in Uglich will remind us of
different historical epochs. A rare monument of the 15 century
secular architecture - The Mansion of Tsarevitch Dmitry - is what has been
left of the former palace ensemble. It is the only building of this kind
remaining in Yaroslavl Region.
The Church of St. Dmitry-``on-the Blood'' (17 century) marks the
place where the Tsarevitch met his death, its purple-coloured fronts serving
as the reminder of the tragic events of the late 16 century.
The Transfiguration Cathedral was added to the group of the Kremlin
buildings in 1713. The new church was built on the site of the old one,
which had fallen into decay. Its architecture involved the use of some
constructional devices theretofore unknown in Uglich. Thus the
fourteen-metre span of the central body was covered with a high vault not
supported by intermediate pillars. In the early 19 century the
interiors were decorated with painting, the work of a team of serf artists
headed by T. Medvedev. The highest construction in the Kremlin is a
multitier bell tower (1730) standing by the side of the cathedral. The Town
Hall was the last building to be erected on the territory of the Kremlin
(1815). It exemplifies the Classicist style predominant at the period. In
1917 the establishment of Soviet administration of Uglich was proclaimed
here.
At present the buildings situated in the Kremlin house a museum of history and art.
A greater part of the old architectural monuments are located outside the
Kremlin. On the territory of the town the architectural heritage of the
17 century is represented by the ensembles of the Alexeevsky,
Voskresensky and Bogoyavlensky Monasteries.
The oldest of the monasteries - Alexeevsky (of St. Alexis) - was founded in 1371. From afar one can see the steeples of its church and refectory called ``Wondrous'' for its beauty. The white spire buildings rising on the hill resemble obelisks. This is not purely accidental as the Church of the Assumption was dedicated to the memory of the Uglich warriors who had fallen in the war of 1608 - 12.
The most imposing of the Uglich ensembles is formed by the Voskresensky
(Resurrection) Monastery situated in the western part of the town. It has a
rather unusual lay-out, with all its buildings - the cathedral, the
four-tiered wall-like belfry and the refectory with the Church of St.
Hodegitria standing in a compact group which is seen as a complex whole. The
ornate decor of the facades includes green tiling with a glaze finish, a
kind of external ornament that had not been used in Uglich before. During
the 19 century the buildings were in a state of disrepair. In the
early 1900s the Russian painter Igor Grabar wrote the following: ``The
condition in which the monastery is now defies all description... . Probably
a time is not far off when a pile of bricks will be the sole reminder that
an architectural monument of the 17 century had once stood here.'' It
was only in the Soviet time that with the help of the most
up-to-date methods the dying ensemble could be given a new life.
A contrast to the monumental heaviness of the Voskresensky Monastery is the graceful Church of the Nativity of St. John the Precursor (1690) standing nearby, on the Volga bank. The harmony of proportion, the elegance of the decorative scheme with a lavish use of polychromie tiling make it one of the finest architectural monuments in the town.
1. When did the history of this ancient town begin?
2. When and by who was it built?
3. What kind of location does it have?
4. When did Uglich join Moscow Principality?
5. What stone buildings were erected in the 15 century?
6. What event took place in Uglich on May 15th 1591?
7. Why was the town in disgrace after it?
8. What can be said about The Mansion of Tsarevitch Dmitry?
9. When was The Transfiguration Cathedral built?
10. What is characteristic of it?
11. What painters decorated the interiors of the church in the 19
century?
12. What is the highest construction in the Kremlin?
13. What building is an example of the Classicist style?
14. At present the buildings situated in the Kremlin house a monastery, don't they?
15. What monasteries can be found on the territory of Uglich outside the Kremlin?
16. Which one is the oldest of the monasteries? When was it built?
17. Why is its refectory called ``Wondrous''?
18. Why do the white spire buildings rising on the hill resemble obelisks?
19. Where is the Voskresensky (Resurrection) Monastery situated?
20. What is it noted for?
21. Who helped to attract attention to the poor state of the monastery?
22. What church can be called one of the finest architectural monuments in the town?
