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At about the time that he built the
Cathedral of Saint Dmitrii in Vladimir, Vsyevolod erected the Cathedral of the
Nativity (Rozhdestvenskii Sobor) for the nearby monastery of the same name. In
sharp contrast with the lavishly decorated Saint Dmitrii, the Nativity
cathedral has bare outside walls, divided vertically by pilasters and
horizontally with a simple decorative band of denticulated chevrons. Otherwise
both cathedrals are almost identical. They both were built by the ruling
prince, have four pillars, three apses and a single cupola, and are about the
same in size. But why so much gaudiness in the first cathedral and so much
austerity in the second, and who were the builders of the second? Some Soviet
scholars feel that the ecclesiastical authorities discouraged rich
ornamentation because it reminded worshipers of pagan idols; while the princes
liked luxury and garishness and shared with the people a fascination for
artistic display. There were however prelates who thought the same way and to
commemorate their names left magnificent churches. The famous Russian hero,
Prince Alexander Yaroslavich Nevski was buried in the cathedral of the Nativity
in 1263 and remained there until Peter the Great transferred his remains to the
Nevskii Monastery in Saint Petersburg in 1724. This cathedral was restored
several times during its long history. In the middle of the last century it was
completely taken apart, stone by stone and rebuilt in 1864, exactly following
the original plan of the 12th century. As such it is a valuable architectural
monument.
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