Artist Igor Durov recreated the castles of medieval Vitebsk in detail

A meeting with the renowned Vitebsk artist, a teacher at the "Maladzik" School of Arts No. 3, Igor Durov, held at "Dukhovskiy Kruglik," allowed attendees to immerse themselves... in the Middle Ages. Igor Valerievich presented his final, and essentially bold and large-scale work to the audience: a detailed graphic depiction of 14th-century Vitebsk castles.

The artist dedicated over ten years to realizing the idea of reconstructing the castles, which primarily include the Annunciation Church, the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, and the Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Church.

— I had to gather information about Medieval Vitebsk bit by bit, — admitted Igor Durov. — Why was this period so interesting? Because in the 14th century, our city became a major trade and economic center and a powerful defensive hub, thanks to the intervention of the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Algirdas, and his wife, Uliana, in the city's fate. Evidence of this is the strengthening of the Upper Castle and the construction of the Lower Castle as a defensive outpost of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

While working on the reconstruction, Igor Durov had to study a mass of archival documents, archaeological materials, and "engage" his imagination. According to the author, the result combined three components into a single whole: history, analogy, and his own vision, which compensated for the existing gaps and gave the work artistic value.

One can argue until hoarse whether ancient Vitebsk looked this way or another. But that the work done by Igor Durov is of great importance for the current generation is indisputable. Another step has been taken on the path of studying the ancient history of Vitebsk.

I. Durov is the author of a series of portraits of significant medieval figures: Grand Duke Algirdas and his wife Uliana of Tver, and Vasilko Svyatoslavich.

Elena Bashun, "Vitbichi"