Church of Fyodor Stratilat in Novgorod

The Church of Fyodor Stratilat on the stream is an outstanding monument of Novgorod architecture. It was built in 1360. In 1992, along with other attractions of Veliky Novgorod, the Church was included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Lists. 

Single-domed churches on a square base were inherent in the Novgorod architectural style, however, during the construction of the Church of Fyodor Stratilat, the masters made it taller. Experts note that elements of Northern Gothic appeared here for the first time, in the form of narrow windows and portals with pointed ends. The Church of Fyodor Stratilat became a model for several churches that were being built at the same time. 

According to the chronicles, the Church of Fyodor Stratilat was built by order of the rich Novgorod nobleman Semyon Andreevich and his mother Natalia in just 1 year: from 1360 to 1361. In the 14th century, a full-flowing Carpenter`s Creek flowed in these places, so the church began to be called Fedora Stratilat on the stream.  

Now, the Church of Fyodor Stratilat on the stream is part of the Novgorod Historical Museum, as well as the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Ilyina Street. The church has preserved ancient frescoes which the church was painted in 1378. In those years, Novgorodians invited famous masters from Byzantium to paint their churches.  

In the same year 1378, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Ilyina Street was painted by the outstanding Byzantine icon painter Theophanes the Greek with his artel. Byzantine masters also worked on the murals of the Church of Fyodor Stratilat on the stream, as there are Greek inscriptions in the temple. Some researchers even attributed the authorship of the frescoes to Theophanes the Greek, but this authorship has not been established.  

In Veliky Novgorod there are several temples that belong to the pre-Mongol period, including the oldest temples in Russia: St. Sophia Cathedral in the Kremlin, St. Nicholas Cathedral in Yaroslav`s Courtyard and St. George`s Cathedral in St. George`s Monastery. The Church of Fyodor Stratilat is more recent; however, it has preserved ancient frescoes that have great cultural value.   

Of no less interest are medieval inscriptions that people drew with sharp objects on top of frescoes or on staircases. The inscription "I will go beaver near the river" is inscribed five times. On a flight of stairs, a man who was offended by a certain Sava wrote a complaint: "Sava went with me to marketplace, beat me, I wrote."