Ipatiev Monastery
The Ipatios - Holy Trinity Monastery (Russian Свято - Троицкий Ипатьевский монастырь ) is located in the Russian city of Kostroma, at the northern edge, right at the mouth of the river in the Volga Kostroma. It is now a Russian Orthodox monastery, one of the main attractions of the so called Golden ring due to its historical significance and development.
History
The Ipatios Monastery of Kostroma was first mentioned in a document from the year 1432. However, it is assumed that its inception about a century has previously taken place. The monastery should therefore have been donated by a Tatar prince in memory of a supposed miracle cure. The founder converted to Christianity, according to legend, and served at the court of the Moscow Grand Prince Ivan Kalita. He is said to have been an ancestor of the Godunov Bojarengeschlechts why the Ipatios Monastery became very rich through generous donations from the Tsar's court just in the late 16th century, during the reign of Tsar Boris Godunov. The original wooden buildings, including the central temple of the monastery - the Trinity Cathedral - avoided the partially preserved until today stone ensemble in the 16th century. In addition, the monastery a new fortification wall with towers was inspired by one of the old Russian Kremlin.
His greatest historical significance learned the Ipatios Monastery also the late 16th and early 17th century. Michael Fedorovich Romanov, later the first Russian Tsar of the Romanov dynasty, lived in the 1580s in exile in a hermitage of Ipatios Monastery. With the decline of the Godunov after Boris's death and during the so-called Time of Troubles, the Romanovs were the territories of the monastery at their disposal. When looked exposed by Polish-Lithuanian invaders in 1613 who later became Tsar danger to life, he and his family took refuge behind the walls of Ipatios Monastery. With the victory of Russia over the invaders was chosen precisely in Ipatios Monastery in February 1613 Michael Romanov as tsar. This fact gave the pen in the following decades, more glory and prosperity, for the Ipatios Monastery was since then in some ways as the cradle of the Romanov dynasty. Already in the 1640s the monastery area has been extended to the Klausen the so-called New Town, to the north of the old city, so the existing monastery grounds, joins. In addition, the destroyed in a gunpowder explosion Trinity Cathedral of the Godunov - time was in the years 1650-1652 replaced by the present building.
Even until the 18th century was the Ipatios Monastery as one of the most famous and richest in Russia. Only with the expropriation of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1764, the monastery lost most of his possessions and then gradually its significance. However, it was highly revered by the Romanov house until its demise: For each of the Russian tsars and emperors, it was as a duty, at least once pay a visit to the monastery.
With the assumption of power by the Communists after the October Revolution of 1917 the Ipatios monastery shared the fate of other Russian Orthodox monasteries: 1919 it was closed and confiscated the possessions. 1932-1934 the Nativity Church of the Ipatios monastery was demolished, which was built in the 1860s by renowned architect Konstantin Thon. From the 1950s, the ensemble of Ipatios monastery was restored, since then it has museum status. Beginning of the 1990s the monastery of the church was returned and now serves both as a monastery as well as a museum. The latter enjoys excellent reputation and was by all three former presidents of Russia in their term of office visits (most recently of Dmitry Medvedev on 15 May 2008).
Structures
The towers with a total of ten enclosed by up to ten meters high walls ensemble of the monastery is divided into the so-called Old Town ( Старый город ) and New Town ( Новый город ). The former is the core of the monastery and was mainly in the late 16th century, the heyday of Godunov - house. There are also the most prominent monasteries including the Trinity Cathedral. The approximately equal new city was built in the mid 17th century and includes mainly hermitages and administration.
The central element in the monastery ensemble is the Trinity Cathedral ( Троицкий собор ). It was built in its present form in the years 1650-1652 and has a neat shape with a traditional five - composition of onion domes, as well as the ceremonial entrance in the form of a staircase gallery with tent roof. The elaborate frescoes paintings inside the cathedral emerged gradually over the second half of the 17th century. They consist of a total of 81 compositions that are dedicated to various biblical themes, also found on the support columns portraits of Russian rulers, including the first of the House of Romanov, who was elected in Ipatios Monastery Tsar. Worth seeing in the interior of the cathedral is also the fünfrangige iconostasis of the 1750s.
Equal right hand of the Trinity Cathedral falls on the beginning of the 17th century, built still under Boris Godunov bell tower. It was rebuilt several times over the centuries, and received his pointed tent in the years 1645-1646. The simple two-story building just behind the bell tower is the so-called Candle House ( Свечной корпус ). It originated in the middle of the 19th century to a design by Konstantin Thons and served originally as a manufacturer of candles. Today exposures from the former sacristy of the monastery ( including historical icons, books and church utensils ) are housed on two floors of the house.
To the northeast, the ensemble of the Old City is completed by a very solemn looking Romanov Palace ( Палаты бояр Романовых ). It was built in the late 16th century as a residence and served the Romanov family, among others, during the Polish invasion in 1613 as a property. The building is designed in a very traditional, old-Russian style and recalls a characteristic exterior shape a little at the Palace of Facets in the Moscow Kremlin. Inside today the interior of a residential complex of the early 17th century is adjusted relative to the original.