Vladychnaya (Faceted) Chamber

About museum

Vladychnaya (Faceted) Chamber is a unique monument of Old Russian architecture, built in the style of Western European Gothic, preserved to this day and located within the architectural complex of the Vladychny Court. The chamber's ceremonial rooms are covered by ribbed vaults with projecting ribs — facets, and a "chiming clock" was added to the façade. The walls of the chamber are painted with frescoes, fragments of which can still be seen. The upper hall was used for solemn ceremonies, while the basement stored food supplies and kitchen utensils and was also used as a dungeon. All the most important events took place here, including the reception of envoys, sessions of the Novgorod "parliament" and the Vladychny court, as well as grand feasts. In addition, the chamber houses the most significant collection of decorative and applied arts in Russia, represented by the treasures of the cathedral and monastery treasuries of Veliky Novgorod, dating from the 5th to the 19th centuries.