The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl

What suggested to Prince Andrei the genial idea of building a church on the water meadow of the Neri? Never before or since have churches in Russia been built on what would appear to be such an unsuitable site. However, the decision was not taken for purely aesthetic reasons— although it is well known that Russian churches were erected in places chosen not for their beauty—but also for political and economic reasons. In the 12th century the estuary of the river NerI, the site of this remarkable example of old Russian architecture, was the gateway to the Suzdal territories. Native and foreign merchants passed this way en route from the Volga via the Oka and the Klyazma. Here, on the very boundary of this powerful principality, they beheld a splendid and beautiful church, after which came the fortified palace at Bogolyubovo, and then the capital itself, the white stone buildings of Vladimir.

In the Church of the Intercession, Andrei Bogolyubsky gave expression to many things: the military triumph of old Russia in the march against the Volga Bulgars in 1164; his grief at the death of his son Izyaslav; the might of his own rule; his gratitude to the Blessed Virgin for her assistance in establishing his rule over the lands of Vladimir, and the special role these lands were to play in his plan to unify Russia. He dedicated this beautiful church to his heavenly patron and, despite opposition from the Kievan church authorities, instituted a new feast in old Russia—the feast of the Intercession of the Virgin.

The Church of the Intercession was built within a year, the year of 1165. The speed with which it was erected is all the more surprising given that the builders had to overcome an unusually difficult engineering problem, that of protecting the church against the spring floods. Their solution was simple yet ingenious: they laid massive foundations over five metres in heiaht and surrounded by a tightly packed earthen mound with its own drainage system, and then, on this artificial base, erected the white stone church.
The church was abandoned after the assassination of Prince Andrei, yet, despite its solitary position and although it was plundered several times, it was never totally destroyed. A small monastery started to form around the cathedral, but it later disbanded and the church stood abandoned until 1784.
In the 19th century, the helmet-shaped dome was replaced by the onion dome we see today. How much else has it been altered over the years? There are good grounds for such a question. It is not known, for example, how people gained acces to the choir-gallery.

According to N. Voronin, who carried out excavation work on the foundations in the 1950s and is the leading specialist on this subject, the church was once surrounded by an open gallery and the hill itself was paved with white stone slabs, giving the church the appearance of a massive and imposing pyramid. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that excavation work uncovered white stone masonry which, Voronin believes, served as the foundation for the gallery, and also carved stone.
The church is very similar to the Cathedral of St. Dmitry in Vladimir, but is lighter and more delicate in design. The apses are flatter, and the middle apse is slightly taller than the other two, with the result that the middle window is positioned higher up. Also, the walls have a barely perceptible inward slope. The impression created is one of slenderness and upward-moving dynamism. The church is crowned by an elegant dome with tall, narrow windows.

The Church of the Intercession has very little carved ornamentation, providing but a foretaste of the intricate sculpture with which the master craftsmen will decorate the Cathedral of St. Dmitry in Vladimir thirty years later. However, in both cases the inspiration behind the decoration is the same. King David is depicted three times, bewitching animals and birds with the music of his psaltery, an image that expresses Prince Andrei's desire to reconcile the various princes and unite the territories of old Russia. Lions and griffons, having ceased from preying upon the deer, lie meekly at the feet of David, entranced by his music. The outer walls are also decorated with a row of female faces, a feature unique in Russian stone carving of the 12th century and reflecting the fact that the church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
As a result of the thickness of the walls, the interior of the church appears taller and more slender than expected. The pillars, narrowing slightly towards the top, reinforce this impression by means of the same optical illusion created by the external sloping walls. Of the rich ornamentation that once decorated the interior all that remains are stone lions "lurking" at the base of the arches. One can imagine the coloured majolica floor, the gold vessels and the magnificent frescoes on the walls. The church is now a museum housing a collection of archaeological finds.