The So-Called Faceted Palace (1433) and the Architecture of Novgorod from the Middle of the 15th to the First Quarter of the 16th Century

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of Novgorodian architecture in the middle of the 15th to the first quarter of the 16th century. In 1433, one of the key events in the history of Novgorodian architecture took place — the German and local builders constructed the Faceted Palace commissioned by the archbishop Eufimiy II on the Vladychny Dvor. The article focuses on two interconnected problems: 1) did the German master builders continue to work on the Archbishop’s Court after 1433; 2) did the Faceted Palace influence the architecture of Novgorod in the middle of the 15th to the first quarter of the 16th century? An analysis of available written sources and the results of research bear no evidence of the presence of the German builders in Novgorod later than 1433. Several new features in Novgorod edifices in the middle — second half of the 15th century should be interpreted as traces of the influence the Faceted Palace had upon the later Novgorodian architecture. Most likely the German Builders returned overseas upon completing the Archbishop’s Palace and never came back to Rus. Overall, the 15th century Brick Gothic architecture influenced the Novgorod architecture of the middle — second half of the 15th century: new construction and decorative features in one way or another are connected with the architecture of the Faceted Palace that appeared in the edifices of the 1440–1460s. However, not all the striking features of the outstanding Palace of the Archbishop are reflected in buildings of the middle — second half of the 15th century.