• 2-hour long guided tour of St. Sophia Cathedral
• Explore the beautiful architecture of this Cathedral
• Observe the cathedrals of Rheims, Amiens, Bamberg and Naumburg
• Explore the cathedral exterior is striking in its majesty and epic splendour evoking the memories of Novgorod's glorious past
• Plenty of photo opportunities! Click amazing pictures to cherish a memory of a lifetime

In this tour, you will explore the St. Sophia Cathedral (Novgorod). It was built by Vladimir of Novgorod at the order of his father. St. Sophia Cathedral was the first church in the Slavic lands that incorporated local features that separated from the Byzantine style in the Eastern Church. The church is made of austere exterior walls with narrow windows reminiscent of the Romanesque architecture of Western Europe. These features were used by architects of Novgorod in other major cathedrals during the following century, including those of the Yuriev and Antoniev Monasteries. Over the years, the cathedral was often damaged by fires. After a fire in the 1150s, the helmet-shaped cupolas are thought to have been added. Frescos in the interior were painted during the eleventh and twelfth centuries but now are barely visible due to damage from fires and painting of the interior in the nineteenth century.