The light, white single-domed Church of the Assumption of the Virgin on Volotov Field strikingly rises above the right branch of the Volkhov River—the Maly Volkhovets—near Novgorod, on the side of the road leading to Moscow. Together with the red single-domed Church of the Savior on Kovalevo, they serve as a kind of Novgorodian propylaea flanking the Moscow road. Moreover, they look picturesque from afar, from the side of the Volkhov flood meadows, between the city and the sources of the Volkhovets, crowning the distant and scenic panoramas of the vast Volkhov floodplain.
The name "Volotovo" is first mentioned in connection with the construction of the church. According to one hypothesis, the name "Volotovo" originated from mythological giants, elders. This is exactly how they were referred to in ancient chronicles and spiritual poems. According to the legend underlying this version, elders were buried here since the time of the great Gostomysl, who, during political disputes in the distant 9th century, proposed inviting a prince from outside—thus Rurik appeared on the stage of Russian history. Although, according to one legend, Gostomysl was Rurik’s grandfather.
According to another version, the name of the place, where today the small masterpiece church stands, comes from another mythological being. It is assumed that the place was named after the pagan god Volos. Indeed, in old times, spaces were often named after the god to whom an idol was erected in that area. This was the case during pagan times. A vivid example of this is the name "Peryn," which has survived to this day. In the times of Orthodoxy in Rus, churches were built on the sites of pagan idols.
But there is also a third version, which, like the other two, has the right to exist and is also supported by certain evidence. The name was also used for the Chud—a Finno-Ugric tribe, along with the Slovenes, Krivichs, and Meri, who lived here since the formation of the future Lord of Great Novgorod.
Amid the abundance of legends and hypotheses, scholars lean toward the simplest version. In their opinion, the name originated from the name of a person who lived here long before the church was built. Volot. Thus, the name has been preserved through the centuries, becoming part of the church’s name.
The church gained worldwide fame not so much for its architectural merits as for its unique fresco painting, executed in 1363. The church walls were decorated with about 200 compositions. The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin on Volotov Field was built in 1352 as the church of a monastery founded by the Novgorod Archbishop Moses: "the lord Moses built a stone church in the name of the Holy Virgin Assumption, on Volotovo."
This is a single-apse, four-pillar, almost square in plan (9 x 9.7 m) cross-domed building with trefoil facades. Small vestibules with vaulted finishes adjoin it from the north and west. The central volume is covered with box (semi-circular) vaults, which at the corners do not correspond to the trefoil completion of the lower parts—the mismatch is most likely related to new techniques applied in the construction of the monument.
According to the chronicle, the church was painted in 1363 by order of Archbishop Alexey: "In the same year, the Church of the Holy Virgin on Volotovo, in Moses’ monastery, was painted by the command of the God-loving Archbishop of Novgorod Alexey."
The ensemble created then shows common stylistic features with later works: with the frescoes of Theophanes the Greek in the Church of the Savior Transfiguration on Ilyina Street (1378) and the painting of the Church of Theodore Stratelates on the Brook (1370s or 1380s). All these Novgorodian monuments are connected with the so-called "expressive" direction of Byzantine art of the third quarter of the 14th century, inspired by the ideas of Hesychasm.
The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which largely predetermined the choice of depicted saints and several scenes. The painting was placed on the vaults and walls in nine registers, starting from the dome and ending with the register of towels, imitating ornamented fabrics at the bottom. The relatively low height of the building affected the mural ensemble—the height of the registers was also small. The space between them was filled with vegetal and geometric ornaments. The painting also covered ancient wooden ties, further enhancing the overall decorative character.
Other legends are also associated with this church. On July 19, 2002, a team of restorers was, as usual, laying the walls of the church (the restoration principle was to use, as much as possible, 14th-century bricks extracted from the debris). One of the restorers took a brick in his hand and was about to place it in the prepared spot, but something stopped him: the restorer saw a drawing. It was not the makers’ marks scratched on the brick, nor an animal’s paw print, as often happened in the architecture of Ancient Rus, but a boat with three warriors sailing, depicted on the surface of the brick measuring 29 by 14.5 cm. A whole scene unfolds in a small space. Symbolically, the brick was found in the anniversary year—650 years had passed since the church’s construction. The brick depicts three warriors dressed in battle armor (the heads of two are crowned with pointed helmets with flowing sultans). Judging by the confident, clear lines, the talented composition, and the expressiveness of the characters, the image was created by a person well versed in drawing. Most likely, an artist or architect who, by order of Archbishop Moses, built this church in the distant 1352.
If the artist wanted to depict some legendary figures on the brick, they could be the leader of the Rus tribe Rurik and his brothers: Sineus and Truvor. If you recall that nearby there was a burial mound with the grave of Gostomysl, who invited the brothers here, this version is not so incredible.
Historians analyzed the details of this message-scene. Most likely, it does not depict Vikings but Novgorodian ushkuyniks—a kind of warriors who at that time went far beyond the seas to conquer and develop new lands, later naming them part of the great Novgorod land. But even if the version about the Varangians depicted on the brick is not supported by evidence, in its beauty and poetry it corresponds to the poetic nature of the church, which after the completion of restoration works has been brought as close as possible to its original appearance.
According to legend, the construction of the church is connected with the plague that first struck Pskov and then other Russian lands, including Novgorod. The people of Pskov called Archbishop Vasily from Novgorod to perform a prayer service; he died on the way back, having fulfilled his mission. Then his successor, the newly elected Archbishop Moses, now venerated as a saint, relying on God’s help, built the church in the name of the Assumption of the Mother of God. Many churches in Rus were built as prayers for help in times of great calamity. This is a testament to the spiritual strength of the Novgorodians. Archbishop Moses, renowned for many spiritual feats, was buried by his successor and disciple Archbishop Alexey. The first Novgorod chronicle preserves the memory of how Alexey personally arranged the grave for his teacher. It is said that shortly before his death, Moses handed over to Alexey his design for the fresco ensemble of this small church, the implementation of which began a few months after Moses’ death.
Until its destruction during the Great Patriotic War, the frescoes of the Volotovo church were almost completely preserved, never whitewashed or painted over. Apart from some mechanical damage to the painted surface, they had no defects.
During the war, the front line passed nearby, and the church was completely destroyed, with the height of the ruins at one and a half meters. After the fighting ended, 1.7 million fragments of fresco painting remained at the site of the church ruins, which were then conserved. In 1955, the clearing of debris outside the building began. Then a temporary roof was erected over the ruins, and the ruins were left alone for almost 40 years. The church gained worldwide fame not only because of its architectural merits but also due to frescoes by an unknown author, which, according to academician Dmitry Likhachev, are "key to understanding 14th-century Russian culture." On December 14, 1992, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin on Volotov Field was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, and in August 1993, Novgorod restorers began restoration work on the fresco fragments. From 1993 to 2001, restorers finally began working inside the ruins. Novgorod restorers started work on the monument in August 1993. Their main task was to clear the debris and extract fresco fragments. Restorers sifted tons of stones, soil, and debris by hand to collect all the crumbs of former grandeur. Despite scarce funding, the work did not stop for a single season. Over seven summer seasons, under layers of debris, Russian restorers found thousands of fresco fragments ranging from several centimeters to a few millimeters. The frescoes lay under the rubble for half a century, deteriorating due to dampness. The debris was dismantled, and fresco fragments were extracted layer by layer. On June 5, 2001, an extraordinary agreement was signed between the Ministries of Culture of Russia and Germany: in memory of the guilt of Nazi Germany, modern Germany would restore the Volotovo church.
From July 2001 to August 2003, restorers, funded by German money (from the Hanseatic League of Cities, which once included free Novgorod), rebuilt the church. But what about the frescoes? Work on the frescoes began already in 1993; in 2003, the special workshop "Freska" received 1.7 million fragments of various sizes. Research showed that a significant part of the painting, having fallen from the walls due to vibration, crumbled to dust or broke into tiny fragments after half a century lying "face down" on the ground. But photographs of the frescoes of the Church of the Assumption on Volotov Field, taken in the 1930s, as well as watercolors and pencil sketches of the decor, have been preserved.
Experts hope to restore from 50% to 80% of the monumental painting. What cannot be "revived" is painted over with toned levkas (a white ground). Restorers will not redraw lost fragments.
The main work on restoring the painting on fragments consists of searching for fragments that fit together. Computer technology helps restorers assemble the frescoes. The program is unique, the only one of its kind in the world.
The first frescoes saved by specialists were returned to their original places in the church in the summer of 2008. These were the fresco of the martyr Procopius with ornament, a composition depicting two unknown martyrs, and fragments of the church "towel" (ornament). In 2009, the fresco "Jacob’s Dream" and "medallions" depicting martyrs Nikita and Josaph were returned to the church.
The main event of 2010 was the return to the church of frescoes depicting Archangel Michael and the prophet Zechariah, covering an area of about four square meters.
The frescoes were installed in the very places where they were before the collapse and are open for viewing.
It is fortunate that the complete scheme of the painting was available to the restorers, which "accelerated" the process: already in 2008, the first fresco, "Martyr Procopius with ornament," and two unknown martyrs returned to the church. In 2009, the fresco "Jacob’s Dream" returned, and in 2010—another four square meters, "Archangel Michael" and "Prophet Zechariah."
Sources:
https://ria.ru/20190312/1551568223.html
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Церковь_Успения_на_Волотовом_поле
https://novgorodmuseum.ru/muzei/cerkov-uspeniya-v-volotove
