Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, Eastern Orthodox church at Bogolyubovo, Russia.
The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is an Eastern Orthodox church building in Bogolyubovo, Russia, standing at the meeting point of two rivers on an artificial mound. The square plan supports a slender drum with a gilded dome, and the white limestone walls show narrow arched windows and shallow pilasters on the exterior.
Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky commissioned the construction in 1165 following a campaign against the Volga Bulgars. Later centuries brought changes to the interior and roofing, but the main form and exterior walls remained largely intact.
The name refers to the Orthodox feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, celebrated in autumn. Visitors see exterior reliefs with mythical creatures and plant motifs that show old Russian stonemasonry and decorate the walls between the narrow windows.
Access crosses a meadow that often floods in spring, so a visit in summer or autumn is easier. A short walk from the village of Bogolyubovo brings visitors to the mound where the building stands.
During spring floods, water surrounds the mound completely and makes the white building appear like an island. This effect was intended by the medieval builders to make the church visible and memorable from a distance.
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