book a few other brick buildings, but the remaining fpace is a
k^ ^ - j waite, overipread with weeds1 and nettles, and covered with
ruins.
The cathedral of St. Sophia is probably one of the móft
antient churches in Ruffia: it was begun in 1044 by Vladimir
Yaroflavitch duke of Novogorod, and completed in
1 o 5 x * . It was probably conftrudted foon after Chriftianity
was firft propagated in Ruffia by the Greeks, and was called
St. Sophia, from the church of that name in Conftantinople.
It is a high fquare building, with a gilded cupola, and four
tin domes. We entered this venerable pile through a pair
of brazen gates, ornamented with various figures in alto
relievo, reprefenting the Paifion of our Saviour, and other
fcriptural hiftories. The prieft informed me, that, according
to tradition, thefe gates of brafs were brought from the antient
town of Gherfon f, where Vladimir the Great was baptized,
and are fuppofed to be of Grecian workmanihip : they
are in confequence of this perfuafion called Korfunikie
Dveri, the doors of Cherfon. But i f we admit the truth
of this tradition, how ihall we account for the following
Latin characters, which I obferved upon them ?
p . e . WICMANNVS M EG ID E B V R G EN S IS
A L EX AN D ER epe D EB LV CICH.
AVE MARIA GPACIA PLEHS DHS TECVGI.
The firft part o f this infcription feems to prove rather, that
they came from Magdeburgh in Germany; and it is a cir-
cumftance by no means improbable, as the inhabitants of
Novogorod, through their commercial connections, main-
* S. R. G . vol. V . p. 398. A wooden where this cathedral now Hands. Ibid.
church o f the fame name had been firft con- p. 394.
ftruSed about the year 1000 by Joachim, f Now Kerih, in Crim Tartary.
ithe firft biihop o f Novogorod, on the fpot,
tained,
tained, even in thofe early times, a no lefs frequent intercourfe chap.
with Germany than with Greece. «— »— <
In the infide of this cathedral are twelve maffy pillars
white-wafhed, which, as well as the walls, are thickly covered
with the reprefentations of our Saviour, the Virgin Mary, and
o f various faints. Some of thefe paintings are of very high
antiquity, and probably anterior to the revival of the art in
Italy. The following reafons induce me to adopt this opinion.
Many of thefe figures are in a hardflat flyleaf colouring upon
a. gold ground\ and exadtly fimilar to thofe of the Greek artifts, -
by whom, according to Vafari, painting was firft introduced
into Italy in the following manner.
Towards the latter end of the 13th century fome Greek
artifts were invited to Florence to paint the chapel of the
Gondi in that city. Although their defign and colouring
were very hard avd fla t, and tjiey chiefly reprefented the
figures o n « field o f gold \ yet their productions were much
admired in that ignorant century. Cimabue, who was then
a boy, was fo ftruck with their performance, that he was
accnftomed to pafs all the time he could fteal from fchool
in contemplating the progrefs of their work. His enthufiafm
being thus kindled, he turned his whole attention to theftudy
of an art to which his natural genius feemed inclined. His
firft co'mpoiitions had all the defedts of the mailers whom he
imitated ; but he gradually improved as he advanced, and
laid the firft rude foundation of that aftonifhing excellence.,
which the fchools of Italy afterwards attained.
As painting was thus brought into Italy from the Greek--
empire, when there was fcarcely any connedlion between
thofe two countries, we may be well allured that it was introduced
at a more early period into Ruffia, from the fame
quarter; not only becaufe a conftant intercourfe had been.
long,