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Metropolitan Ioana Sisoyevich was another
outstanding Russian prelate who, like Nikon, did not spare expense to
commemorate himself by building a magnificent complex of churches, belfries,
palaces, towers and walls, which later became known as the "Kremlin of
Rostov." Iona choose for it a beautiful spot on the hill that overlooks
Lake Nero; it took him thirty years to accomplish the work. Iona too was the
son of a "Moujik priest" and he too possessed an enormous amount of
energy and determination which, combined with his fertile imagination and
subtle taste, could produce a charming and very picturesque ensemble to delight
the eyes. The work started soon after Iona returned to Rostov in 1664, after
spending two years in Moscow as acting Patriarch for the dosed Nikon. He wanted
there to be in Rostov a bishopric that would be worthy of a "Prince of the
Church," and he got it. He died in 1690 and was succeeded by Metropolitan
Iosaf.
As an enthusiastic patron Metropolitan Iona did not limit his activity to the
Rostov Kremlin only, but helped build several churches elsewhere. As Abbot of
the nearby Avraamiev Monastery (Saint Abraham Monastery), he erected there in
1650 the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin (Vvedenskaya Tserkov), where
his father was later buried. Then in 1686 he built in Saint Jcob's Monastery
(Yakovlievskii Monastir), also very close to Rostov, the Church of the Trinity,
later renamed the Church of the Conception (Zachatievskaya Tserkov). In 1670 he
added a second story to the Cathedral of the Resurrection (Voskresenskii Sobor)
at Romanov-Borisoglebsk, and also added galleries and a belfry. Please go to
Rostov for photos of these
buildings and more.
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