Resurrection of Christ Cathedral (Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast):
South-west view, with the bell tower and Holy Gate on the right.
South view, showing the bell tower and Holy Gate.
South-east view, showing St. Nicholas Chapel.
West view.
South view, showing St. Nicholas Chapel.
South view, with decorative details of St. Nicholas Chapel.
Ceiling frescoes from the Book of Genesis in the north gallery.
Frescoes in the west gallery (vault and piers).
Tutayev was originally two settlements located opposite each other on either side of the Volga. On the right bank was Borisoglebsk, and on the left bank was Romanov.
The name “Borisoglebsk” comes from a local wooden church dedicated to Princes Boris and Gleb, who were martyred during a Kievan dynastic struggle in the early 1000s, and later canonized. In the 1400s, the settlement was referred to as the Borisoglebsk Fishing Quarter. The settlement became formally known as Borisoglebsk in 1777, as part of Catherine the Great's administrative reforms of the Russian provinces. In 1822, the two settlements were united as Romanov-Borisoglebsk. The final name change to Tutayev was in 1918, to honour a Red Army soldier killed during the fighting against the Bolsheviks in nearby Yaroslavl.
Borisoglebsk was sacked in the early 1600s during the Time of Troubles, but in the second half of the century it prospered from trade on the Volga. Later in the century was the Schism of the Old Believers, who had a large presence in the region. It is likely that the official church wanted to make a statement that proclaimed the glory of official Orthodoxy, and that was part of the reason for the cathedral's construction.
In 1652, a brick church was built on the site of the wooden Church of Sts. Boris and Gleb. It was dedicated to the Hodegetria Icon (the Smolensk Icon of the Virgin). However, this church suffered a partial collapse in 1670.
After the collapse, a much larger shrine was rebuilt, dedicated to the Resurrection. Walls from the earlier church were used for much of the ground level, and so was the altar dedicated to the Hodegetria Icon. The lower level was used for worship during the rebuilding period. Its secondary altars were dedicated to John the Baptist (in the north) and St. Charalambos of Magnesia.
Construction was finished in 1678. The lower level was used for winter services, as it was easier to heat. The upper level (known as a summer church) contained the main altar, dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ, and a secondary altar dedicated to Sts. Boris and Gleb, in remembrance of the earlier wooden church.
The basic structure of the cathedral has a square plan, rising in a pattern formed by large windows separated by groups of attached ornamental columns, which are painted white on a yellow stuccoed surface. Beneath the roof cornice, there are semicircular gables filled with paintings showing scenes from the life of Christ. These gables can best be seen in the fourth photo, although the details are not visible.
The metal roof has five onion domes (the central one being the highest), which are made up of metal shingles painted dark green. Each dome supports a tall gilded cross. The “drums”, or elevated cylinders, that support the cupolas echo the decorative pattern of the stuccoed walls beneath them. As is common in Yaroslavl architecture, the height of the cupolas, drums and crosses equals the height of the main structure they rest upon.
On the north, south and west façades are shirinki (recessed decorative squares) between the arcaded gallery windows. Many of them contain ceramic tiles. At the east end of the north gallery is a chapel dedicated to Sts. Peter and Paul, and at the east end of the south gallery the chapel is dedicated to St. Nicholas.
On the west and south sides, the elevated galleries are connected via stairways to elaborately decorated porches. The ground level has large arches that emphasize the masonry support for the upper part of the structure.
The south side of the cathedral compound has a Holy Gate facing the main square, and a bell tower with a distinctive “tent” tower, built at the end of the 1600s.
The parish continued to exist during the Soviet era, even though many of its clergy were killed or died in exile during the 1930s. The cathedral survived mostly intact. Locals and pilgrims claim that it has miraculous healing powers.
