Uglich
September 25, 2005
Uglich is also on the Volga River but not on the same branch of the River as Yaroslavl. We were all night sailing from Yaroslavl to Uglich, arriving early in the morning. We would have about 4 or 5 hours here to see this town and its offerings.
Our first stop was at the “Church of the Nativity of St John the Baptist”. Built in 1689-1690 at the expense of a rich merchant to commemorate his son Ivan killed by the merchant's assistant in 1663. The interior gilded with gold leaf.
Church of St. Demetrius on Blood
According to the legend this church was built on the place of the death of Prince Dimity on May 15 1591. Dimity was only six years old when he was assassinated. The church is a monument devoted to the last person originated from the famous family of Rurikovich. For a long time there was nothing built on the place of Tsarevich's death until after the war of 1608-1611 a wooden chapel and later a wooden church was built on this place. In 1638 Tsar Michael Fyodorovich Romanov ordered "to erect a stone church" here. The construction was begun in 1661 only. In 1692 the stone church was built at last at the expense of Princess Cherkasova, the relative of Dimity's mother, former Tsarina Maria Nagaya.
Inside we see some gold art work, a fresco, among many, of Adam and Eve, cast iron floor panels and beautiful ironwork in a gate. We took turns ringing the huge bell hung in this room.
Outside there was a very large area bordered by some interesting buildings. Vendors were set up with tables and tents to sell their wares and crafts. It was interesting to see all the colorful items and negotiate for a bargain price. For a small donation we were entertained by this trio and they allowed the photograph.
Back on our boat, we had the opportunity to view the landscape before sailing on to Moscow, our next stop.
Next — Moscow
