Novgorod Veliky (the Great) was one of the earliest settlements in the northwest of what eventually became Russia. It emerged as a political center for Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes in the mid-9th century, becoming a town in the middle of the 10th century.

The history of Novgorod is closely linked with all major stages of Russian history. When the state of Rus was just in the making, the Novgorodians invited Scandinavian Prince Rurik to keep law and order, thus giving rise to the Prince Rurik dynasty that ruled over all Russian lands for more than 750 years.

In the early 10th century, the Novgorodians staged war campaigns against Constantinople so as to secure equal trade with the Byzantine Empire. This ultimately resulted in an integration of East Slavic tribes into the Kievan Russian state.

The adoption of Christianity at the close of the 10th century turned Novgorod into a powerful ecclesiastical center.

Sightseeing in Novgorod Velikiy
Annunciation Church on Myachino The church of Annunciation on Myachino Lakes (1179) is located to the south from the city, halfway to St. George monastery. Here in 1170 a monastery was founded...
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign (1688) is an interesting building, quite well preserved though in a need of restoration. It attracts the eye with its unusual ...
church of Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki The Church of Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki ("Kozhevniki" means "tanners' district") built in 1406 is one of the finest examples of the 15th c. architecture. The...
Church of Simeon the God Receiver One can observe this church from the right bank of the Volkhov river, when standing near St. Anthony monastery or walking along the embankment. Church of Simeon...
Church of the Transifugration of our Savior on Ilyin street Church of the Transfiguration of Our Saviour on Ilyina street is one of the most ancient and respected temples in Novgorod. The famous icon «Our Lady of the Sig...
Church of the Transifugration of our Savior on Nereditsa hill This world-wide known church is located on top of a small Nereditsa hill, to the east from Rurik's Gorodische. From the hill one can see entire Novgorod, fields...
Church of Theodore Stratilates on the Brook Church of Theodore Stratilates on the Brook was founded in 1360 by the governor of Novgorod Simeon Andreevich and completed a year later. It is a classical arch...
Desyatinny Monastery The name of Desyatinniy monastery derives from the word «desyatina» - a piece of land belonging to a prince. The monastery occupies a strategic place as a defen...
Monastery of the Holy Spirit Not much is known of the monastery's history. The chronicles first mention it in 1162, then it was burned down in 1386, when the troops of Dmitry Donskoy attack...
Nikolo-Vyashischsky Monastery Nikolo-Vyazhischsky monastery (named after St. Nicolas and the village of Vyazhischi) was first mentioned by a chronicler, in a recording dated 1391, and soon i...
St. George Monastery The legend has it that St. George monastery was founded in 1030 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. He was christened as Georgy (Yury, George), and after victorious ca...
Varlaamo-Khoutynsky Monastery In fact, the full name of the monastery is even longer - Varlaamo-Khoutynsky Spaso-Preobrazhensky, which means St. Varlaam Monastery of the Transfiguration of O...
Zverin Monastery of the Intercession of Our Lady Zverin convent is first mentioned in a chronicle from 1148, when a thunderbolt hit the church and burned it. «Zverin» means «animal»; the name goes back to the ...
Vitoslavlitsy A while ago, in the 12th century, there was a village Vitoslavlitsy by the road between Novgorod and St. George Monastery. Nearby were the fields and lands belo...