The Original Appearance of the Kazan Church in the City of Ustyuzhna

Abstract

Comprehensive scientific research has been carried out, including laser scanning of the attic space of the Kazan Church in Ustyuzhna (Vologda region), which has much in common with the Smolensk Church in the village of Gordeevka in Nizhny Novgorod, where, among other things, traces of the original decoration of the facades of the church before the rebuilding of the XIX century were found. In the course of field studies in 2023, it was possible to confirm the presence of an internal brick staircase embedded in the ground floor level to an unfinished (but originally intended for construction) bell tower. Illustrations of decorative elements of the facades, now hidden from view and located in the attic space, are presented. Comparison with domestic and foreign trends of the late 17th century and particular features of the construction of the «Stroganov» churches makes it possible to attribute the architectural monument in question to the galaxy of churches built by Grigory Dmitrievich Stroganov in the context of the experience of using the order system in Russian church architecture. Based on the given set of features, a conclusion is made about the initial finishing of the facades. Similar to the Smolensk Church, the original surface of the walls of the Kazan Church was, in all likelihood, unplastered chain brickwork with lime-sand grouting.