Address: Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, between Georgievskaya and Zachatievskaya towers
Coordinates: 56 ° 19'50.6 "N 44 ° 00'22.7" E
Content:
Brief history and description
From the Georgievskaya tower, the fortress wall goes down steeply, going down huge stone stairs along the Volga bank.
In the 18th century, this section of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, together with the Zachatyevskaya and Borisoglebskaya towers, was destroyed by a landslide and groundwater. In 1785, at the behest of Catherine II, the Borisoglebskaya tower was dismantled to the end and replaced with a "prolaz" - a small gate with two guard rooms on the sides.
View of the tower from the Volga
The current Borisoglebskaya tower, standing at a break in the relief along the slope of the mountain, was built in 1972 under the leadership of the Nizhny Novgorod architect Svyatoslav Agafonov... Earlier, in 1966, restorers who were dismantling the passage discovered stone details of the original tower of the early 16th century.
Today, these fragments rest under the arches of the reconstructed structure. The name of the Borisoglebskaya tower was given by the church, erected in honor of the holy princes Boris and Gleb, who died at the hands of their brother Svyatopolk in the struggle for power. The Borisoglebsk church stood somewhere under the ledges of the tower, but has not survived to this day.
Tower view from the north
According to legend, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky (uncle of Georgy Vsevolodovich, the founder of Nizhny Novgorod) possessed a valuable relic - the sword of St. the slain Prince Boris, bringing good luck in battle. Later Borisoglebskaya tower received the second name "Dukhovskaya" - after the name of the Holy Dukhovsky monastery, which stood on the slope of the mountain for 190 years (1574 - 1764), after which it was abolished. Initially, the Borisoglebskaya tower, like other round defensive structures of the Kremlin, had four tiers with battle windows. The upper tier, which served as a battleground, was surrounded by 11 battlements. In 1616-1618, in Nizhny Novgorod, simultaneously with the repair of the Kremlin, the "New prison" was built, which is a wooden fortification made of sharp logs dug into an earthen embankment.
Tower view from the west
Having strengthened the overgrown settlements, the residents of Nizhny Novgorod set about restoring the Borisoglebskaya tower, reinforcing its walls with "bulls" - retaining structures, but the measures taken did not help the structure to withstand the onslaught of a landslide.
