IX Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2017

The Nativity Church is a primary landmark of the Rozhdestvenskaya street in Nizhny Novgorod. «The disposition of the temple is amazingly picturesque. The church looks very expressive with two rows on the side facing the river with the belfry and a spacious dinner house. The belfry stands separately and has a weathercock and a clock» [1]. It is worth coming closer to the church to get a better look at its beautiful stone carving and an elegant belfry with a weathercock and clock. The latter showed not only the current time but also the moon phases and the seasons. The church composition reflects the spirit of the European Baroque architecture, but at the same time reproduces the forms of the Russian woodcraft. Well-known Nativity church is located within the limits of Old city. It is on the way from the Kremlin to the river port. The Rozhdestvenskaya street used to be the main business street of the Bottom market. Here some guest yards, trading firms, banks, stock exchanges, hotels and shops were located [2;3].

As you can see on plan the Nativity church has got many features similar to the ancient Russian temples.

«Russian Orthodox churches are unique architectural structures, amazing by their beauty with

a long history of the establishment. Some of them were constructed in the middle ages. Great masterpieces of the architects, the past masters, sometimes had been created for more than several decades and every detail of the temple has a deep meaning and significance» [4]. The abundance of the décor elements, magnificent patterns of the crosses, uniqueness of their images, relief and concentration of the golden color in the top part of the building are the culmination of the Stroganovs’ church composition.

This church and other buildings were financed by the Stroganovs, a famous Russian merchant family. The structure is a perfect sample of the “Russian Baroque” style [5]. In 1722 the church was closed by the order of Peter I. In fact only in Nizhny Novgorod there is such a magnificent iconostasis created without a nail, and the composition of the church itself is stunning. It should be noted that, later in 1807-1812 Stroganov reconstructed the church and it was opened for the church services and ceremonies. In 1986 the restoration works of the iconostasis of the Nativity church were made. In 2005 another restoration of the church which lasted for 2 years ended. Among the structures built by Dmitry Stroganov, the Nizhny Novgorod Nativity church differs by its monumentalism of the image, magnificent decoration inside, and its organic coherence with fundamental design. It should be noted that Rozhdestvenskaya street is one of the oldest streets of the city. It is a unique open-air museum with a few architectural monuments.

To draw a conclusion, it should be emphasized that the more you get acquainted with the objects of cultural heritage the better you understand the history of our great country. The Rozhdestvenskaya Church is a fine example of Nizhniy Novgorod cultural heritage. Nowadays sightseeing excursions of the historical-thematic character are of a big interest and popularity. Nizhny Novgorod is one of the most attractive cities for the tourists. It is unique not only for its history, but also for a cultural heritage. Visiting the Nativity church is included practically in every thematic excursion because it settles down in the one of the most ancient and main streets of Nizhny Novgorod [6; 7]. The history of the church closely connected with the history of Nizhny Novgorod whose merchants brought the wealth and prosperity to the city.

Bibliography:

1. Tynnikova A.N., Smirnova E.V. Rozhdestvenskaya (Stroganovskaya) church in Nizhny Novgorod as an object of cultural heritage. http:// scienceforum.ru/2016/1719/23815

2. Strelkov Е. E. The Nizhny Novgorod walks. The illustrative guidebook with schemes and figures. N.Novgorod, 1999.

3. Hrancovsky, N.I. A short sketch of the history and the description of Nizhny Novgorod. - N. Novgorod, 1998.

4. Moskaeva A.S., Kocheva E.A., Smirnova E.V. The main design features of the temples. European Journal of Natural History. 2016. № 3. 103-105pp.

5. Agafonov S. The Nativity church // Agafonov, S. Gorky - Nizhny Novgorod / S. Agafonov; edited by V. А. Vesnin. - М, 1947.

6. Tynnikova A.N. Historical and cultural significance of the territory of Blagovetscenskaya Sloboda in Nizhny Novgorod. http:// scienceforum.ru/2016/2147/25021.

7. Smirnova E.V. Specific of the guide-interpreter’s job. 17 International Scientific and Industrial Forum, NNGASU 2015, 329-332pp.

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