Historic Monuments of Novgorod
and Surroundings (1992)
Russia
Situated on the ancient trade route between Central Asia and northern Europe, Novgorod was Russia's first capital in the 9th century. Surrounded by churches and monasteries, it was a centre for Orthodox spirituality as well as Russian architecture. Its medieval monuments and the 14th-century frescoes of Theophanes the Greek (Andrei Rublev's teacher) illustrate the development of its remarkable architecture and cultural creativity.
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The Millennium of Russia is described through these two
stamps. Below is a small definitive, depicting the Memorial of the
Millennium erected in Novgorod, and to the right a large format stamp
depicting the same memorial.
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Of all their princes, Novgorodians cherished most the memory
of Yaroslav the Wise, who promulgated first written code of laws (later
incorporated into "Russkaya Pravda") and sponsored the
construction of the great St Sophia Cathedral (see above), standing to
this day.
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As a sign of gratitude for helping him to defeat his elder
brother and obtain the Kievan throne, Yaroslav conferred numerous
privileges on the city. On the other hand, Novgorodians named their
central square after Yaroslav.
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Throughout the middle ages, Novgorod has been famous for its icon painting,
and a whole school of Novgorod art arose around the city.
Among the many art works from Novgorod, or the Novgorodian School is this Golden Crater, dating from the XII century, by the end of the Byzantine age. Icon painting is described through the below stamps.
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Novgorod is the most ancient Slavic city recorded in Russia. The chronicle first mentions it in 859, when it was already a major station on the trade route from the Baltics to Byzantium. The Varangian [Viking] name of the city Holmgard (also Holmgarðr, Hólmgarður, Holmgaard, Holmegård) is mentioned in Norse Sagas as existing substantially earlier, but it is impossible to separate the historical facts from the surrounding myth. In the 13th century, the city joined the Hanseatic League. In 1998, the city was officially renamed Velikiy Novgorod, thus partly reverting to its medieval title "Lord Novgorod the Great".
Sources and links:
Other World Heritage Sites in Russia (on this web site). Inactive links are not described on stamps. Please refer to the UNESCO-listing, Russia-section, for further information on such sites.
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Revised 21 jul 2006 |
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