©A. Kharuto, 1999-2000
Souzdal
Souzdal is well-known Russian old town, included into "Golden Ring of Russia". It lies near to an also well-known old town Vladimir; both were center of one of medieval Russian principality.
Now Vladimir is center of province, and Souzdal become "museum-town", popular tourist center. No new buildings, no industry; only small citizen houses, churches and cloisters. The main citizen's employment is production of very tasty cucumbers.
There are two great cloisters in Souzdal: the Spas-Ephimiy monastery (former man cloister, now museum) and the Pokrovsky convent (active women cloister).
The root "spas" denotes in Russian "rescue" and means one of God's "images", "functions" and also a certain type of Russian icon; "Ephimiy" is a personal name of monastery's founder.
The cloister's name "Pokrov" indicates Russian church high day (14 of October). "Pokrov" is the Russian of "cover" and also "pall". First denotation means the usual term of first snow cover in Russia and ran back to pre-Christian Russian history. The second one associates with Christian high day determined later at the time of old heathen feast.
Many guide-books and photo albums represents this pearl of old Russia. But every who comes to Souzdal have his own point of view, stores his own impression. This is MY image of Souzdal, represented in some photo pictures made at June 1999.
Click on picture to enlarge it
