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To improve the defense of the city Prince
Andrei built in Vladimir in 1164 a stone gate that controlled the approaches
from the west. The gate was to serve also as a sort of a triumphal arch where
the people could greet their victorious army. The church on the top of the gate
was a symbol of Christian faith which people and the army were supposed to
defend. To make this easier a cogged parapet surrounds the space around the
church. A single golden cupola and cross crown it. They were visible from far
away and it was after them that the gate became known as the Golden Gate. In
1238 the gate withstood the assaults by Batu-Khan's warriors, but the city
surrendered when the Mongol commander broke through the wall further to the
south of the gate. He ordered the gate destroyed. It was rebuilt later, under
Catherine the Great at the end of the 18th century, and the fortified walls
were removed and four towers, one at each corner, built to support the gate.
The church on the top was emptied by the Bolsheviks and now serves for military
exhibitions. There are photos of the gate in our section on Vladimir in the
ruscity section.,
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