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The village of Kideksha, the medieval residence of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky of Suzdal, is located 4 kilometers east of Suzdal. Here, a church dedicated to the first Russian saints, Boris and Gleb, has been preserved. Built in 1152, this church is the oldest stone structure in the Russian North-East and laid the foundation for the magnificent white-stone architecture of Vladimir-Suzdal.
The village of Kideksha, the medieval residence of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky of Suzdal, is located 4 kilometers east of Suzdal. Here, a church dedicated to the first Russian saints, Boris and Gleb, has been preserved. Built in 1152, this church is the oldest stone structure in the Russian North-East and laid the foundation for the magnificent white-stone architecture of Vladimir-Suzdal.
The church makes a very strong impression with its severe appearance and monumentality. It exudes the spirit of the Russian Middle Ages, with its princely feuds and heroic stature. It is a monument to a time of great danger and drama.
For a long time, the Kideksha Church stood in neglect. Today, the museum-reserve has begun extensive restoration and renovation work. As a result of these efforts, sensational discoveries have been made.
The most important discovery made by archaeologists is the lower part of an ancient throne, possibly the first white-stone throne in North-Eastern Russia. In the center of the dome-shaped space, a large, round stone was discovered. This stone is known as the omphalos, a special place referred to in ancient Russian sources as the "place in the middle of the church." It was used by the bishop during certain parts of the service, and it was an extension of the early Byzantine ambo and a precursor to the modern ambo.
This find is unique, and only an earlier mosaic from the 10th century in the Church of the Tithes in Kiev is known.
The restored church houses the exhibition "The Church of Boris and Gleb – a Unique Monument of Old Russian Architecture".
