Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, Russia
The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, in Russia, a masterpiece of Vladimir twelfth-century architecture is located at the confluence of Nerl and Klyazma Rivers in Bogolyubovo, 13 km north-east of the ancient capital of Vladimir. This Russian Orthodox Church was built in 1165 by Saint Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubskiy (Andrew the Pious). According to the legend the Church of the Intercession was built to commemorate Prince Andrei's victorious campaign against the Volga's Bulgars in 1164 and in memory of Andrei's son who was killed during the campaign.
The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl is build in white stone, four columns in the interior and the helmet-shaped dome with an gilded cross. The excavations in 1950's also revealed the foundations of a white-stone gallery which encircled the Church. The Church of the Intercession was despite solitary position during the next centuries never completely destroyed and was almost untouched except the removal of all the frescoes during the restoration of the Church in 1877 and slightly changed dome's shape as it is seen today. The carefully decorated walls are still covered with 12th-century carvings.
The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl was inscribed onto the UN World Heritage List in 1992 as a part of the of Vladimir and Suzdal White Monuments.
