The devastation of the Swedish city of Sigtuna by the Novgorodians. Magdeburg Gate of St. Sofia in Novgorod - the main front gate of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod, located on the western facade of St. Sophia and opening the passage to the temple through the Korsun porch. Made in the XII century by German craftsmen from Magdeburg.
The gate is covered with a multi-figured relief with scenes from biblical history. Above the figures are carved explanatory Latin inscriptions, and below them their translation into Russian. In the lower part of the left wing of the door there are figures of two master casters, Rikvin and Weismuth. In the hands of the masters - a hammer and pliers. The Latin inscription “Rikvin made me” shows that these are the masters who made the gates. Among the images of people on the doors, there are figures of the Magdeburg (Magdeburg, Germany) Bishop Wichmann (1152-1192) and the Plock (Plotsk, Poland) Bishop Alexander (1129-1156). Apparently the gates were made by their order, in 1152-1156. According to the place of possible manufacture, the gates are called Magdeburg or Plock.
In the middle part of the left wing, in place of the decorative post, a plate with the image of the third master is soldered. The Russian inscription over the head of the figure: "Master Abraham" - allows us to consider this third master as a Novgorod caster, who mounted the gates after delivery to Novgorod, and supplemented their decor with new elements (figures and Old Russian inscriptions).
There are several versions of how the gate got to Novgorod. The most famous of them claims that the gates were captured by Novgorodians during a sea voyage to the largest trading city of Sweden Sigtuna in 1187. One of the names of the gates (Sigtun) comes from this version. The campaign is known from Swedish sources. The fact that the gates could have been captured in Sigtuna is reported by the Swedish commander De la Gardie in his letter of 1616, written in Novgorod occupied by the Swedes:
“Regarding the copper gates, which His Royal Majesty wants to be sent from Novgorod for their sake, especially since they were once taken from Sigtuna, I would very much like to fulfill the order of His Royal Majesty, but since these gates … serve the entrance to the main temple of the Metropolitan here, in the Kremlin, where he goes every day, this would cause a lot of shouting, complaints and anxiety. But when negotiations are going on between us, we must not touch this gate until we see the outcome of the negotiations; and if, contrary to our expectations, the negotiations are not successful, then, of course, we must take not only these gates from here."
Despite the popularity of this version, the message of De la Gardie raises doubts among many scientists. His news may be a fiction created to justify the planned export of the gate to Sweden in the future. According to V. N. Tatishchev in 1336 in St. Some "copper doors" were installed in Sofia, which Archbishop Vasily "brought from Nemets, buy at a great price." This message could well apply to the Magdeburg Gate. However, its source is unknown and, accordingly, its authenticity is questionable.