The Church of Sts Peter and Paul

Beyond the remains of the rampart, on the left bank of the Volkhov (to the left of the bridge), is the Church of Sts Peter and Paul (1406), its beautiful silhouette can be equally well seen from any side. In older times, this area was called Kozhevniki. A 16th-century cadastre states that most of residents of the adjacent streets engaged in tanning leather. The church is among the most illustrious examples of the heyday of Novgorodian architecture. The Novgorodian architect's rational thought is reflected in the different decoration of the facades. Whereas the north facade giving on the rampart and the east facade overlooking the Volkhov are resolved in a rather modest manner, the western and southern walls profuse in decor. During the 1950s the monument was restored to its original state, with the walls left without stucco and white-washing, as they used to be in the 15th century. The surviving 16th-century icons from this church are exhibited at the Novgorod Museum of History, Architecture and Art. North of the Church of Sts Peter and Paul lay the princely sporting grounds, the zverinefs (warren), first mentioned in chronicles of the 11th century.