The Yuriev Monastery

The earliest documentary mentions of the Yuriev Monastery date back to 1119, when prince Vsevolod Mstislavovich founded "a stone church in the name of St. George, and a master Pyotr worked on it." Across the river in the Gorodishche area St. George Cathedral and the Church of the Annunciation were erected in 1103.

The significance of St. George cathedral increased even more when it became the place for the prince's chronicle-writing, while the church itself was used as the burial grounds for Novgorod princes. Here the mother of Alexander Nevsky and his brother Dmitry Shemiaka were buried along with many others. The cathedral impresses even the modern visitor with its size (height - 105 feet), length - 85, width - 78), bold elongated proportions, the severely outlined tower and the dynamic three-dome composition as well as with the magnificence and opulence of the interior decor, including a splendidly ornate gallery. The cathedral was painted in the middle of the 12th century.