Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Novgorod

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Saint Nicholas Cathedral, also known as Nikolo-Dvorishchensky Cathedral or Saint Nicholas Cathedral on Yaroslav's Court, is in Veliky Novgorod, Russia. It was founded by Prince Mstislav the Great in 1113 and consecrated in 1136, making it the oldest surviving church building in the city center after Saint Sophia Cathedral. The cathedral sits outside the kremlin walls on the right bank of the Volkhov River at Yaroslav's Court and was likely built to serve the prince's residence there.

Mstislav ruled Novgorod from 1097 to 1117 and funded many churches. By the 13th century the cathedral belonged to the city of Novgorod rather than to the prince, and the veche (people’s assembly) was held nearby. It is first mentioned as a cathedral in the 17th century. The church was renovated several times in the 18th and 19th centuries and again in 1913. Since 1933 it has functioned as both a church and a museum. During World War II it was used as German barracks and badly damaged. In 1945 it was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, but from 1962 it operated as a museum only. A major restoration took place from 1994 to 1999.

Architecturally, the cathedral is roughly square in cross-section and has one dome, with the roof supported by four pillars. In the mid-17th century it had five domes, but the roof was altered in the late 17th century. Additions were built on the northern side in 1822 and on the western side in 1809. Fragments of 12th-century frescoes survive, the best preserved showing the figure of Job.