Scientists of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences discovered during excavations in the Transfiguration Cathedral of Pereslavl-Zalessky two dozen ancient burials, a large number of coins, fragments of the cathedral's original fresco painting and original ancient Russian graffiti of the 12th century.

This was reported by the press service of the university.

A team of archaeologists carried out a complex of research works in the Transfiguration Cathedral, timed to coincide with the upcoming restoration of the interior of this ancient temple, built by order of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky in the middle of the 12th century.

  • Pit at the western wall of the cathedral

  • © Institute of Archeology RAS

At the northern wall inside the temple, scientists discovered a white stone sarcophagus of the second half of the 13th - early 14th century, where a man was buried.

During the excavations outside the cathedral, another two dozen burials were found, mainly dating back to the 16th-17th centuries.

In this medieval churchyard, archaeologists have found several bronze pectoral crosses, a large number of coins of the Moscow state and a bronze ring with a supposedly agate insert depicting a bird.

  • Fragment of the foundation at the north wall of the cathedral

  • © Institute of Archeology RAS

Inside the cathedral, archaeologists have discovered numerous fragments of the original fresco painting and clay floor tiles with remnants of yellow and green glaze.

But the most striking Pereslavl finds of this season, archaeologists consider the ancient Russian graffiti in the Spassky Cathedral, dated to the XII century.

Scientists have discovered an ancient Russian inscription with five mysterious symbols and the text “but not everyone is okay.

Ignat wrote. "

In the same place, the ancient author depicted a running man lifting a fantastic creature with the head of a bird, the body of a snake and a fish's tail with his left hand.

  • White-stone block on the north facade with graffiti and drawing

  • © Institute of Archeology RAS

Researchers note that such images are found in medieval Western European miniatures, but are rare for Ancient Rus.

On the adjacent stone blocks of the cathedral, archaeologists have discovered two more inscriptions from the same period.

They represent the autograph of "Lazor wrote" and a sequence of abbreviated names of the days of the week.

According to scientists, the finds significantly complement the array of Old Russian graffiti found on the facades of the Transfiguration Cathedral in 2015.

Of these, the most famous is the inscription listing the murderers of Andrei Bogolyubsky.