New materials regarding research in the fields of architecture and urban construction are being presented. The authors also focus on the history of the creation of little-known buildings of interest, on the development of local architectural traditions, on new attributions, and introduce recently discovered archive materials. A number of papers are dedicated to the issues of architectural and urban planning development of historical towns and cities or study the formation of architectural ensembles. The edition also includes papers that are devoted to theoretical historical-architectural problems, to biographies of architects, or analyze artistic approaches and concepts.
Issue 59 (2013)
O. G. Guseva.
Regarding the Folds of the Vladimir Golden Gates
The Golden Gates, included into the defensive walls of the “new town”, raised by Andrei Bogoliubski, represent a military tower with passages, having two high exterior arches, with a single gate, consisting of two folds. On the platform on top, surrounded by a toothed parapet, stands the Church of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God. In the course of the many centuries of the existence of the Golden Gates some of its architectural details were lost, among which we can name the oak wings, covered with copper, the forged iron hinges and the hooks holding them in place. The absence of a portcullis and of a lift bridge, the existence of only one pair of wings in the gateway and the presence of frescoes on the vaulting of the latter prove that the defensive role of the whole structure was not of primary importance. The Golden Gates were mainly constructed as a gala, triumphal entrance into the city, its architecture expected to leave an impression of grandeur, reflecting the large-scale plans of the local feudal lord regarding architecture, religious life and political standing of his lands.
Keywords
Prince Andrei Bogoliubski, defensive gates, triumphal gates, city gates.