Transfiguration Cathedral of the Mirozhsky Monastery

About museum

On the left bank of the Velikaya River stands one of the oldest monasteries of the Pskov region and Northwestern Rus' — the Spaso-Mirozhsky Monastery. The stone Transfiguration Cathedral was built in the 12th century at the request of the Novgorod archbishop Nifont. It is an atypical example for ancient Russian architecture: a cross-in-square (cross-domed) church. The cathedral's frescoes were painted by invited Byzantine masters: large compositions are complemented by numerous scenes and figures of saints. More than 80% of the original painting has survived to the present day. In the 19th century the cathedral frescoes were uncovered and recorded by the artist N. M. Safonov. In the 20th century work to uncover the ancient paintings and to consolidate the paint layer continued. The frescoes of the Transfiguration Cathedral astonish visitors with their high level of craftsmanship, vivid colors, rich tonalities, and classical iconography. For the church's decoration expensive and rare Afghan lapis lazuli was used, which was valued by weight as gold.