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Tourism in Russia
> Tatarstan > Sviyazhsk
SviyazhskThe island city of Sviyazhsk is located at the picturesque confl uence
of the Sviyaga River with the Volga, on a high hill 30 km from Kazan.
The bounty of the nearby shallows, bays, and islands has long
attracted man. The latter-day fate of Sviyazhsk was such that some of
the most important moments in Russian history are bound up with
the small area of the island.
The history of Sviyazhsk starts in the thirteenth century, when it is
known to have been the site of pagan rituals. After the founding of
the city and monasteries in 1551, it was an Orthodox holy site for
pilgrims from all Russia for several centuries, attracting many people
from various ends of the country. Architectural and artistic masterpieces
were wrought here, in time becoming notable and often
unique monuments of history and culture.
The fortress of Ivan City (Novograd Sviyazhsky) was founded in 1551
by order of Ivan the Terrible, and in 1555 archbishop Gury founded
the Uspensky Bogoroditsky Monastery.
At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the city was besieged and the tsar's
troops routed the rebelling forces.
In 1708, Sviyazhsk and its environs became part of the Kazan Province. After
1917, the repressions started in Sviyazhsk. From the late 1920s, Sviyazhsk served
as a detention center for arrestees, a part of the GULAG. It was partially deserted,
destroyed, and its church holies, monuments of culture and history defiled.
A psychiatric ward was established in the monastery on the island. It was only
in 1960 that Sviyazhsk was proclaimed a monument of Russian history and culture,
and two decades later included in the list of such monuments
within the Soviet Union. Today, the island fortress of Sviyazhsk is
included in the preliminary list of objects of World Heritage administered
by UNESCO. In 1997, the Uspensky Bogoroditsky Monastery
was transferred to the administration of the Kazan Bishopric, in order
to reinvigorate the ancient town and encourage the restoration of
the historical and culture monuments, bringing the entire island and
reliquary back from its ruins.
The museum occupies the following buildings:
- Uspensky Cathedral (16th century);
- Church of Constantine and Helen (16th - 18th centuries);
- Trinity Church of the John the Baptist Monastery (16th century), a
wooden church and the first Orthodox church in the Kazan region,
built in one day and rebuilt in the 18th century, iconostasis dating to
the 16th - 18th centuries (paid entry);
- Sergius Church (1604), originally a refectory, rebuilt with bell tower
in the 18th century;
- Cathedral of the Mother of God of All-Sorrowing Joy (1906), architect
F. D. Malinovsky.
Net accessible floor space of the churches - 1285 sq. m.
Icons in the collection include ones painted in the traditions of the Western
Ukrainian (Catholic) school of icon painting, as well as sculpture and cultural
artifacts of the 16th - 20th centuries.
Holy Mother of God Icon Cathedral - Joy of All the Sorrows.
Architect F.N. Malinovskiy built the Cathedral in 1898-1906. In 1906 oil paintings
were made in the cathedral on donations of a resident of Sviyazhsk. A.V. Popova and a merchant from Yelabuga I.G. Stakheev. In 1914 the walls of the
Cathedral were renovated at the expense of S.S. Mechnikov, manufacturer from
Moscow, a part of the wall compositions was written on linoleum.
In the church basement (semi-basement) in 1905 Mother Superior Apfiya (A.K.
Yumina) was buried. She made a lot for construction of the cathedral.
 It is built of white stone in 1570 - 1604 on place of the wooden church built
at the foundation of the city in 1551. The initial temple is mentioned in annals
of the 16th century. Until 1764 the church was a part of Troitse-Sergiyev friary, after its closing
is turned into a parish. Since 1795 it entered a complex of St. John the Baptist
Nunnery, during this period reorganizations were made. The temple is located on the second floor. At an entrance on a wall (which was
an outer one before) the fresco "Trinity" remained. Services and household premises
occupied the first floor. Since 2006 works are carried out on complex restoration of the church, investor
Bank Zenit. Restoration is executed with the assistance of the Republican Fund of Revival
of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Built in 1556-1560 by Pskov master craftsmen under the supervision of Architect
Postnik Yakovlev. The complete cycle of wall frescoes of the second half of the XVI - beginning
of the XVII cc. has been preserved in the cathedral interior. The Assumption
Cathedral is a remarkable evidence of historical succession and cultural diversity. Since 2010 the scientific restoration has been carried out within the Comprehensive
project of "Cultural heritage - the town-island of Sviyazhsk and the Ancient
Bolgar" with the participation of contributions from the OJSC Kazan Helicopter
Plant. The restoration of the Cathedral and wall painting are carried out by
the Tatar specialized scientific-restoration directorate and the Interregional
scientific-restoration artistic directory (Moscow). Work on preservation of the cultural heritage site is done with the support
of the Regional Foundation of Revival of Historical and Cultural Monuments of
the Republic of Tatarstan.
By the decision of the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee, the Assumption
Cathedral and the Monastery of the town island of Sviyazhsk have been inscribed
into the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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