И. А. Кочетков, О. В. Лелекова, С. С. Подъяпольский. Кирилло-Белозерский и Ферапонтов монастыри

INTRODUCTION

he little tow n o f K irillov sp read a long th e sh o re o f lak e S iv e r

skoy e , n o t fa r from th e V o lgo -B a ltiy sky w a te r ro u te a n d 130 km

aw ay from V o logd a , has in o u r days b e c om e o n e o f th e m o st

p o p u la r to u r is t c e n te r s ..T h e w id e -sp re a d in te r e s t in th e a r tis tic

tu re o f th e p a s t h a s a ttr a c te d m u ch a tte n tio n to th e tw o a n c ie n t m o n

a s te rie s o f lak e B e loye a rea : K irillov an d F e r a p o n to v m o n a s te r ie s ,

w h ich po ssess w o n d e rfu l m a s te rp ie c e s o f R u s s ian a r c h ite c tu r e , p a i n t

ing a n d m in o r a rts.

K ir illo -B e lo z e r s k y m o n a s te ry is s itu a te d righ t in th e c e n te r o f th e

tow n . I ts m e n a c in g fo rtre s s s trik in g fo r its d im e n s io n s , p ro u d ly rises

above th e p la c id w a te rs o f th e lake. A nd as if in c o n tr a s t to th is th e

little F e r a p o n to v m o n a s te ry , 20 k ilom e tre s away from K irillo v , is s it

u a te d in p ic tu r e s q u e ru ra l c o u n try . Po ssessing no fo r tif ic a tio n s , h a l f

h id d e n by s u rr o u n d in g tre e s it seem s to g rad u a lly g row o u t o f th e

land sc ap e . Being so seem ing ly d iffe ren t th ey are a c tu a lly strong ly b o u n d

to g e th e r n o t o n ly by th e ir h is to rie s , b u t also by th e ir c om m o n c u l t u r

al a n d a r tis tic e n v ir o n m e n t, w h ich h ad left its im p r in t

011

th e a r tis tic

m o n u m e n ts p re s e rv ed in th em .

In th e p a s t m o n a s te rie s p lay ed an im p o r ta n t ro le in th e life o f th e

s ta te . T h e ir a c tiv itie s w e re n o t lim ite d by th e ir m a in re lig io u s sp h e re .

M a n y o f th em w e re th e c e n te rs o f la rg e p a tr im o n ia l e s ta te s . I n th e

XVI a n d e sp e c ia lly in th e XV II c e n tu rie s large m o n a s te rie s h a d tu r n e d

in to s tro n g , w e ll- p r o te c te d fo rtre sse s. At th e sam e tim e th e y w e re th e

n u c le u s o f c u ltu r a l a n d a rtis tic life o f th e ir tim e . W ritin g o f a n n a ls ,

c o lle c tin g a n d rew ritin g o f book s w e re long s in c e c o n n e c te d w ith

m o n a s te rie s . T h e w o rld o u tlo o k a n d a rtis tic id ea ls o f th e e p o c h w e re

r e f le c te d in th e i r a r c h ite c tu r a l en s em b le s , m a g n ific e n t m u ra ls , ic o n s

a n d ex p en siv e c h u r c h p la te .