Lavrentiy Semyonovich Vozoulin (birth year unknown — c. 1630) was a Nizhny Novgorod architect of the 17th century and a royal journeyman of masonry works. The central achievement of his life was the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael in the The Kremlin — the only medieval church on the Kremlin grounds to have survived to the present day.

Construction of the Arkhangelsky Cathedral

On 3 December 1627, a royal decree arrived in Nizhny Novgorod ordering the restoration of the dilapidated Mikhaylo-Arkhangelsky Cathedral of the Kremlin: the cadastral records of 1621–1622 reported that the church was "old, crumbled, and has long held no services."[2] In the spring of 1628, Vozoulin arrived in the city together with his stepson Antipa Konstantinovich Vozoulin. By origin, Vozoulin came from Zavolzhye — most likely from the Zauzolskaya volost.[2] On 23 April 1628, construction work began on Chasovaya Hill of the Kremlin mound.[1]

The new cathedral was built on the site of an ancient church of the same name, The History of Nizhny Novgorod. From 1628 to 1631, Vozoulin and Antipa oversaw the construction; Lavrentiy Semyonovich himself served as the chief builder until his death. The Mikhaylo-Arkhangelsky Cathedral was built to shell stage in two construction seasons. By the end of 1629, Moscow was informed of the completion of the main construction work, with a report stating that journeyman Larka Semyonov and the masons, laborers, carpenters, and workers had been paid daily subsistence wages totaling 305 rubles, 21 altyn, and 4 dengi.[1] The consecration of the cathedral, however, was delayed by a further two years.

Final Years and Death

After 1630, Vozoulin's name disappears from Nizhny Novgorod sources and does not appear in the records of the Office of Masonry Works.[1] Documents of The Ascension Pechersk Monastery for Men from 1631 name only Antipa Vozoulin — who held the rank of royal journeyman of masonry works — as the builder of the Arkhangelsky Cathedral.[1] In the memorial register of the Nizhny Novgorod Pechersky Monastery, among the deceased brethren of the same period, a certain Lavrentiy is recorded without indication of monastic rank — researchers suggest this may be the architect himself, who found his final resting place in the monastery's churchyard.[1] After Lavrentiy's death, the completion of all remaining work on the Arkhangelsky Cathedral fell to his stepson Antipa.

Sources

  1. russianold.ru — Mikhaylo-Arkhangelsky Cathedral of Nizhny Novgorod — Russian Antiquities (archive)
  2. temples.ru — Section "Architects" — brief notes on architects, masters, artists, and builders — By origin, Vozoulin came from Zavolzhye — most likely from the Zauzolskaya volost. (archive)
  3. names52.ru — Vozoulin Lavrentiy Semyonovich (archive)