Bogolyubovo is a small village on the River Klyazma, about ten kilometres east of Vladimir, and it carries one of the most beautiful small buildings in Russia. The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, built in 1165, stands alone in a flood meadow where the little Nerl River meets the Klyazma, a slender, white limestone church with a single dome, rising above the water on a raised mound. The walls are carved with figures, lions and delicate arcading, and the proportions are so perfect that the building seems to float. In spring, when the meadow floods, it is reflected in the water.
It was built by Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, who moved the political centre of northern Russia from Kiev to Vladimir and made his residence here, in a fortified palace at Bogolyubovo, from which the village takes its name. Tradition says that he raised the church in memory of his son, who died in battle. In 1174, Andrei was murdered in his palace by conspirators from among his own boyars, and the stairway tower where the murder occurred still survives as part of the later monastery. The Bogolyubsky Monastery next door, with its white walls and green domes, was founded on the site of the old palace.
Together with the white-stone monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal, the church is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it is a place of peace. To reach it from the road, you walk for about a kilometre across the meadow along a path through tall grass, with wildflowers in early summer and the smell of damp earth and hay. In the evening, the light is golden and the church glows, and in winter the snow gives it a stark, quiet look. Swallows nest in the eaves.
The village is small, so fuel and services are best found in Vladimir, a city of over three hundred thousand people, ten kilometres away, with stations, restaurants and hotels. The road from there is flat and easy, with the old highway running along the river, and traffic is moderate. Parking at the meadow is simple, but the path can be muddy after rain, so bring sensible boots. Mosquitoes can be annoying in summer. A bowl of hot soup and tea in a local cafe makes a good end to the visit.