Church of St Nicholas at Usokhi: Principal Church of Pskov’s Opochsky End
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- Russia
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Church
On this page8 sections
History
The Church of St Nicholas at Usokhi is a Russian Orthodox church in Pskov, Russia, rebuilt in the Pskov architectural style in 1535–1536. It served as the principal church of the Opochsky End, one of medieval Pskov’s urban districts, between the Velikaya River and Velikaya Street, now Sovetskaya Street. Popular assemblies for the district gathered in the church forecourt.
Medieval church and bell tradition
A stone church dedicated to Saint Nicholas was first mentioned in 1371. After the fourteenth-century building fell into disrepair, it was demolished and replaced on the same site in 1535–1536.
A local tradition links the church’s large bell to Ivan IV, commonly known as Ivan the Terrible. During his stay in Pskov after his violent campaign against Novgorod, he is said to have ordered the bell’s handles, or “ears,” cut off. The story claims that its ringing frightened the horse beneath it and that blood flowed from the severed handles.
War, restoration, and renewed worship
The church suffered severe damage during the Second World War, from 1941 to 1944. Architect and restorer Yuri Spegalsky led restoration work in 1945–1947, followed by a further restoration in 1964–1966 with architect Boris Skobeltsyn.
State protection as a monument of republican importance began in 1960, and the church is identified as a federal-level cultural heritage monument. In 2005, priest Alexander Ermolaev became rector with the blessing of Bishop Evsevi. On 22 May 2008, the first Divine Liturgy, the principal Eucharistic service in Eastern Orthodox worship, in 80 years was celebrated there; a procession followed, led by Metropolitan Evsevi. The church remains active. In 2019, it became part of the UNESCO World Heritage property “Churches of the Pskov School of Architecture,” recognized under criterion (iv), which applies to buildings or groups that illustrate an important stage in human history.
Remains
The church stands in Pskov’s Middle City, near Saint Basil’s Church on Sovetskaya Street. The name Usokhi refers to its location beside a dried-up marsh or stream. Its layout combines the main church body with chapels and entrance spaces, all in the Pskov architectural style.
Main church and chapels
Main body
The main body measures 20 by 16 metres and reaches about 40 metres in height, including its dome. With the north vestibule, an entrance or transitional space, the building is 22 metres wide; with the western vestibule and entrance porch, it is 32 metres long. Its eight-pitched roof was restored in 1945–1947.
Chapels
The Church of the Presentation and the Chapel of Saint John the Theologian are associated with the church. The smaller chapel resembles a porch and adjoins the main apse, the projecting end of a church that commonly contains an altar. Its low arches rest on small, rounded supports. The larger chapel extends along the other side of the apses and has a taller, more substantial drum, the structure that supports a dome.
Bell structures
A belfry, a structure for housing bells, was reconstructed on the north wall in 1964–1966. An earlier belfry with two openings was dismantled in 1780, when a separate bell tower was built on the southeast side. That tower was removed during the 1945–1947 restoration.
