Church of St. Nikita

The Church of St. Nikita (Nikitskaya church – in Russian) rises on the remnants of the earth rampart of the 12th century. The temple was built in 1762-1765 at the expense of the Vladimir merchant Semyon Lazarev. The Church of St. Nikita is very different from other religious buildings of the 18th century. Its composition refers to the refectory type. It is more like a smart white-green three-story palace than a church. The building is dismembered by three tiers of large windows framed by baroque platbands. The corners of the church are decorated with pilasters with capitals. The abundant decor of the facades, expressive plastic and dynamic silhouette, underlined by the slender drum of the head and the high bell-tower, make the Church of St. Nikita a striking monument of the provincial baroque.   

Inside, each floor had its own beautiful iconostasis and was flooded with light coming through the large windows of the side walls. Therefore, the rooms resembled palace halls rather than places for prayer. Initially, the main pride of the temple was a luxurious iconostasis, executed in the spirit of the times of Catherine II, with carved royal gate, similar in shape to the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir.

At present, the Church of St. Nikita in Vladimir is not used for divine services. Restoration workshops are located within its walls presently.

Author: V. Korolkova