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Though some 120 miles south-west from
Novgorod, the city of Pskov was considered until
the middle of the 14th century as its "suburb" and was often called
its "youngest brother. "This did not prevent Pskov's citizens from
often showing an independent trend in various fields. Thus in architecture
Pskov's builders made another step further away from Byzantine influence than
was the case in Novgorod, and contributed several architectural innovations
that helped with the emergence of Russian church style. In their earliest
churches we see the walls made lower and more massive, as were the apses. They
were built of very unevenly cut lime stone found on the nearby river banks,
some times giving the impression that they were not built but were thrown
together. Small in size, massive and plain, they appear more solidly attached
to the ground than turned toward the sky. Most of their piers that carry the
central cupola are round and as such different from the square piers of
Novgorod's churches. The narrow windows and the absence of decorations on the
walls confirm the continuity of ascetic tendencies in Pskov's ancient
architecture. One of its best examples is the cathedral of the Transfiguration
of the Savior in the Mirozhski monastery built in 1156 by the Archbishop of
Novgorod Niphont. The monastery is located not far from the Kremlin, on the
opposite side of the river Velikaya. Some of the frescoes of the cathedral were
restored (or perhaps only cleaned). Their colors and their printing style show
that Pskov remained more faithful to Byzantine manners than did Novgorod.
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