The Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery for Men was founded on the shores of Lake Nero back in 1389. The monastery has several beautiful old churches with interesting histories, and among them the Cathedral of Dimitry of Rostov stands out for its unusual appearance.
Construction of this church began in 1794 with donations from Count Sheremetev, which is why local residents sometimes call it the Sheremetev Cathedral. The count was a generous patron: he hired a Moscow architect, paid all the expenses, and presented the cathedral with silver and gold church vessels.
His goal was to erect a magnificent church worthy of becoming the resting place of the relics of Saint Dimitry. But despite the beauty of the new church, the saint's relics remained in their прежнем place, in the Zachatievsky Cathedral. The senior clergy of the diocese did not allow the relics to be moved, because Dimitry himself had specified where they were to remain.
The Cathedral of Saint Dimitry of Rostov was built in the Neoclassical style, and it is adorned with porticoes in the ancient Greek style with Ionic and Corinthian columns. A large emerald-green main dome rises above the white walls, surrounded by four small domes.
The church is decorated with rich stucco work, and on its northern wall there is an entire sculptural scene on the discovery of the relics of Saint Dimitry. The interior walls and the dome vaults are decorated with paintings: holy apostles, iconographic scenes, and episodes from the life of Dimitry of Rostov are depicted here.
