Pskov Kremlin tower scheme. Pskov Kremlin - history and description. The surviving and restored towers of the ancient citadel

The first of its buildings was erected by order of Princess Olga in the 10th century. A traveler visiting Pskov for the first time is attracted by this most famous historical landmark of the city - and not without reason.

History of the Pskov Kremlin

The main construction of the stone walls of the Kremlin was carried out over three centuries, starting from the 13th century, when the northwestern garrison was fortified. priority for a developing state. The country, which was not yet strong after the Tatar-Mongol yoke, was threatened by German, Livonian and Lithuanian invaders. Thanks to the fortress, Pskov was not subject to the Tatar-Mongols, and the neighboring principalities (Moscow and Novgorod) more than once resorted to its help in military campaigns.

Starting from the 11th century around the Krom (Kremlin) as the main and most protected part of the city, districts gradually grew up, formed on the basis of four historical areas: Dovmontov city, Middle city, Okolny city and Zapskovye. In Dovmontov city there was a princely residence, the administrative center of Pskov.

The construction of towers and the strengthening of the walls in Pskov was carried out by the princes and their posadniks. By the 16th century, 37 towers were built to defend the city, and the total length of the fortress walls reached 9.5 kilometers. Communication was provided by 14 gates, as well as many wall, tower and underground passages.

Even if the enemy managed to break through the first ring of stone walls, it was still almost impossible to capture the Kremlin. Protected by a river on one side and ditches on the other, Krom was practically impregnable. A special fortification on the way of the enemy was the Dovmont wall, or Pershi (from the old Russian word "Persian", i.e. chest), - the second ring of stone walls that protected the city from the south. Built of stone and reaching a height of 20 meters, reinforced by two towers, surrounded by a deep moat, the Dovmont wall was not all that the invader had to face. Having broken through the gates of the Dovmontov wall, he found himself in a zakhab - a deaf stone corridor, blocked on both sides. Thus, part of the troops fell into a trap, cut off from the main forces, under heavy fire from the height of the walls, as in a gorge.

With the coming to power of Peter I, the Pskov Kremlin acquired its modern look, but at the same time lost its former significance. During the years of the Northern War, the walls of the fortress were reinforced with earthen ramparts and bastions, but the northwestern borders Russian state have been significantly shifted. St. Petersburg has become a new frontier. However, having lost military value, The Pskov Kremlin has not ceased to be the spiritual and historical center of the Pskov land.

In the center of the fortress, rising above the harsh military walls, stands main character Pskov - white stone Holy Trinity Cathedral. According to legend, in 957 Princess Olga, who visited hometown, there was a vision: three beams pointed to an elevation in the center of Krom. Thus, the place for the construction of a new temple was indicated from above. But to XII century the wooden building burned down, and in 1138 a new, stone cathedral was erected on the old site. By that time, the Pskov school of architecture had not yet formed, and therefore the temple was erected by masters invited from other cities. In this cathedral, Alexander Nevsky prayed for victory before the battle.

The main shrines of the Trinity Cathedral:

Miraculous Icon of the Chir Icon of the Mother of God
Relics of the Holy Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel
Relics of the Holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy
Pskov-Pokrovskaya Icon of the Mother of God

The Lithuanian prince Dovmont was also baptized here - an ancient part of the city is named after him, and his sword, which brought many victories and wealth to the Pskov army, is kept in Krom and, along with the Trinity Cathedral, is considered a special relic of Pskov.

During the years of the Great Patriotic War the fascists especially tried to take possession of the Pskov Kremlin, realizing its military power. The city was captured in July 1941 and was held captive for exactly three years. During this time, 94% of all buildings were destroyed, and the Kremlin itself was badly damaged. Retreating, the enemy literally destroyed Pskov. The Nazis even planned to blow up the Holy Trinity Cathedral and planted explosives, but the detonator did not work.

Already in 1944, Pskov was included in the list of 15 Russian cities to be restored as soon as possible. The best architects of the country were involved in this case, because the task was not an easy one - to restore historical Center. The work lasted 13 years, and some urban planning problems are still being solved. But the main walls of the city were saved.

Today, ancient Krom towers over the city as before. The citadel again strikes with grandeur. Turned into a museum open sky, Pskov Krom is not just an architectural monument. The thickness and impregnability of these walls, as well as the courage of their defenders, the country owes much to its territorial integrity. The Kremlin even now, as in ancient times, unites people within its walls. Every year on July 24, on the day of memory of Princess Olga, people from all over the city, from all churches, come to Krom in processions for a solemn service.

Prince Dovmont-Timofey

In 1265, fleeing the civil strife of the Lithuanian princes, the Nalsha prince Dovmont, together with 300 Lithuanian families, fled to Pskov. Having received political asylum, Dovmont accepted a new Christian faith for himself, and in it a new name - Timothy, and was soon planted as a prince. During his reign, Prince Dovmont-Timofei brought many victories to the Pskov army and did not suffer a single defeat. He led a victorious campaign against Lithuania, defeated the German knights in the Battle of Rakovor in 1268, and defended the Pskov fortress during the siege in 1272. The victories continued until 1299, when during the next siege, already at an advanced age, Dovmont organized defenses and defeated the enemy. On their last journey, the people of Pskov saw off their prince with great honors. To this day, his relics are kept in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Pskov, and his victorious sword began to be handed over to subsequent princes as a symbol of power and trust.

Dovmontov city

Dovmontov city, named after the legendary Lithuanian prince, is the first to meet tourists at the southern wall of Krom. Half a century ago, there was an abandoned wasteland overgrown with shrubs. In the 1950s and 60s, archaeologists "pulled" an entire city out of the ground. In a small area near the walls of Krom, about 20 churches and civil structures who literally clung to each other. Later, in the era of the veche republic, Dovmontov was considered the center of the church and administrative administration of Pskov and the Pskov land. Unfortunately, the historical building of the Dovmontov city has not survived to this day. All we can see is the "Pskov Pompeii": stone foundations medieval churches, the number of which is believed to correspond to the number of Pskov suburbs. Such a unique urban planning, which was not like in Ancient Rus', is explained by the military history of the city: it was too dangerous to erect significant buildings outside the fortress walls due to constant enemy attacks and robberies.

Great Gate (Trinity)

These gates connect Dovmont city and Krom. Initially, there was only one gate in the Dovmont wall - Smerdya (smerd - serf, peasant), which led to the veche square. An old legend is connected with the appearance of the second Great or Trinity Gate. In 1137, Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel, expelled from Novgorod, was invited to reign in Pskov. In those days, such a gesture on the part of the Pskovites was caused by a desire to emphasize their independence from Novgorod. The exiled prince ruled in Pskov for only a year, but went down in history as one of the patrons of the city. In 1192, after the prince was canonized, it was decided to transfer his relics to the Trinity Cathedral. On the same night, the holy prince appeared in a dream to one of the inhabitants of Pskov and ordered not to carry his relics through the gate, which is called Smerdy, but to cut through the gates from the Pskov River and through them to carry his relics to the cathedral. So, according to legend, the Great Gate appeared in the Dovmont Wall, leading through the zakhab to the Trinity Cathedral.

Once, while driving through Pskov, I noticed the walls of some fortress from the bridge, and since it was late at night, there was no point in stopping by and looking in more detail. But the thought was sown, and thoughts and dreams tend to come true, and here you are, a few years later, I again find myself passing through the glorious city of Pskov, and this time I did not miss the opportunity to get acquainted with the very fortress, which turned out to be the famous Pskov Kremlin.

Although, of course, I was a little unlucky with the weather, so the photos turned out to be dull, but as I said, in such weather, such ancient places seem to me even more majestic and mysterious.

The Kremlin (original name until the XIV century - detinets; other synonyms - krom, city; fortification) - the currently accepted name of the city fortifications in ancient Rus'; a city surrounded by a fortress wall with loopholes and towers. In many cities there were settlements located behind the Kremlin wall, for the defense of which additional external fortifications were often erected; in this case, the walled central part of the city was called the kremlin. In ancient Rus', only those settlements in which similar fortresses were built. Wikipedia.

So, the beginning of the construction of the Pskov Kremlin or Krom dates back to the thirteenth century. Since at that time Pskov was the outskirts of Russian lands, it became necessary to build an impregnable fortress.

Visual scheme.

Pskov Krom is the most great fortress in Europe. Its area is about three hectares, and the length of all the fortress walls reaches nine kilometers. It is located on a cape at the confluence of two rivers: the Pskov and the Velikaya, which, skirting the crome, served as a natural barrier to enemies.

The gates of Krom, over which the icon of the Holy Trinity hangs, are called Trinity or Great. Above them rises the Trinity Tower.

Zahab of the Pskov Krom.

Zahab is a fortification in medieval fortresses, a fortification that protected the fortress gates. The word “zakhab” comes from the ancient Russian “okhaben”, which means “sleeve”. Usually this is a long, narrow corridor, really resembling a sleeve. As a rule, it was a long, narrow corridor connecting the outer fortress gates in the tower with the inner gates leading inside the fortress. Zakhabs of Russian fortresses were 20-40 meters long, 3-5 meters wide and could be located both outside the fortress walls and inside. Very often the zahab had one or more turns to slow down the movement of the attackers while passing the zahab.
In addition to the actual function of additional protection of the gate, the zahab was also a defensive trap - breaking through the outer gate, the attackers found themselves in a narrow corridor not visible from the outside, under the crossfire of the fortress defenders, and, as a rule, were exterminated or suffered significant losses. Wikipedia.

Here you can just see how it was convenient to deal with the enemy who fell into such a trap from the walls of the fortress.

In the middle of the inner courtyard of Krom rises the Holy Trinity Cathedral. This is the fourth temple, which was built on this site in 1699, and, unlike its predecessors, has been perfectly preserved to this day.

The cathedral is complemented by a detached bell tower, built in the same architectural style as the main temple.

As written in the chronicles, the first temple on this site was built by order of the Grand Duchess Olga, after she had a vision in the form of three rays pointing from the sky to this place. That is why the cathedral was named after the Holy Trinity.

Surprisingly, photography is allowed in the temple, although strictly without a flash.

Inside, there is a seven-tier wooden carved iconostasis of incredible beauty.

The temple is also famous for its shrines: the relics of the holy princes Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont-Timothy are kept here. There are also miraculous icons of the Mother of God.

Behind the cathedral is an administrative building.

On the territory of Krom there is a memorial cross erected on the site of the Annunciation Cathedral destroyed in the forties of the last century, behind which you can see the tower of Prince Dovmont or the Smerdya tower.

Next to it there was once the Smerdya Gate, near which Zakhab, now known to us, was also built. In the Middle Ages, the Dovmontov Tower looked different, but during the restoration of the Pskov Kremlin in 1866, it was remade in the Western European style. A forged weather vane depicting a Russian warrior is installed on top of its roof.

Each tower or the other architectural monument marked with a plate. In general, Pskov Krom at one time had about forty defense towers, but, unfortunately, not all of them have survived to our time.

And this famous tower- Kutekroma, whose name comes from ancient word"Kut", meaning corner, and "Krom" - the Kremlin, which means a tower located on the edge of the Kremlin.

Vlasievskaya Tower, which had to suffer not only during the wars, but also in our seemingly calm and peaceful times. On April 27, 2010, the tower completely burned down, along with the restaurant and other premises located in it. The fire even spread to the neighboring Rybnitsa tower, where there was a souvenir shop.
Now both towers are completely restored.

The fortress walls, reaching a thickness of up to six meters and a height of up to eight meters, had walking platforms and a wooden roof for the convenience of soldiers when repelling an attack.

This is how they look from above.

Also, special conical windows for archers were provided in the walls.

Just in case, the holes in the walls are welded with bars.

The highest wall of the Pskov Kremlin is Persi, from the Old Russian word persi, which means chest.

Thanks to its impregnability and, of course, the strength and courage of Russian soldiers, Pskov Krom withstood about 30 sieges, and appears before us almost in its original form.

A prototype of the legendary Dovmont sword is posted on Persia.

The ruins of Dovmont's city, named after the Lithuanian prince Dovmont (baptized by Timothy), who ruled Pskov from 1266 to 1299. Now these ruins are constantly being archaeological excavations. Prince Dovmont-Timofey was famous for his courage, he led about 10 military campaigns and successfully repelled enemy raids on the Pskov lands, for which he was ranked Russian Orthodox Church to the saints.

The walls of the Church of St. Alexei the Metropolitan, one of the eighteen once located on 1.5 hectares of the area of ​​​​Dovmontov city.

There is also a small souvenir market here.

The set of souvenirs is standard, but, of course, on the theme of the heroic glory of the Pskov Krom.

Holy Trinity Cathedral with a bell tower is the main landmark of the Pskov Krom location.

And finally one more interesting fact from the history of Pskov: in the center of the city there is a monument to Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, called "The Poet and the Peasant Woman", although he is better known as a monument to the poet and his beloved nanny Arina Rodionovna.

Attractions

Pskov Kremlin (Krom)

Main fortress Pskov region, which keeps the historical memory, and has seen a lot. majestic architectural monument and Cultural Center Pskov. Not to see the Pskov Krom - not to understand Pskov.

History of the Pskov Kremlin

The appearance of pagan settlements in these places was marked by the middle of the first millennium AD, and the first mention of Pskov as a fortified city dates back to 903. The location of the city necessitated constant protection from the attacks of Western enemies. At that time, the fortifications were simple, and consisted of earthen ramparts and a wooden fence. The stone citadel (Krom) was built already in the 13th century.

Gradually territory Pskov Kremlin expanded. The city grew, and military technology improved and more and more protective measures were required. In 1270-1280, another defensive line was erected on the southern borders - Dovmontov city, named after its builder, the Lithuanian Dovmont (who took the name Timothy at baptism).

The resulting territory of Krom was called Zastenya. And the construction of the Kremlin continued. In 1309, another stone ring covered the walls of Zastenye, in 1375 - the wall of the Old City, in 1482-1484 the walls of Zapskovye were built. And after the annexation of Pskov to the Moscow Principality, unique fortifications were created to block the inner harbor of the city, and thus completely close the territory of the city during an attack. They were complex structures for those times in the form of stone walls above and below, thrown from one bank to another, equipped with gates and arches.

Towers of the Pskov Kremlin

Towers of the Pskov Kremlin also constantly upgraded. The most famous towers of the Kremlin include:

• Kutekroma, a rather large, five-tier corner tower, standing near the confluence of the Pskov and Velikaya rivers. Unusual name this is how it is translated - “a tower in the corner of the Kremlin”, from the Old Russian words “kut” - “corner”, and “krom” - the Kremlin.
• Vlasievskaya tower, which once housed the Pskov customs.
• Rybnitsa Tower, she is the tower of the Holy Gates.
• Dovmontova, aka Smerdya tower.
• Flat tower.

In total, by the end of the 17th century, the number of towers of the Kremlin reached 39, and the total length of the walls was 10 versts (that is, a little less than 11 km). Unfortunately, time and wars, especially World War II, did not spare many parts of the Kremlin ensemble. However, since the 50s of the 20th century, restoration work has been underway, and today Pskov Krom is a full-fledged museum that attracts many tourists on vacation in Pskov.

Attractions

In addition to the walls of the Pskov Kremlin itself, you can see other sights on its territory. And, of course, the crown and heart of the whole ensemble is the magnificent Trinity Cathedral, one of the first monuments of architecture and culture that comes to the traveler when thinking about what to see in Pskov. Also here you will see the equally famous Trinity bell tower, Prikaznye, built in 1693, and much more.

February 13th, 2017 01:22 am

Today we will take a walk around the Pskov Kremlin. As is known, Pskov Kremlin(Krom) is the core of the Pskov fortress. It is located on a narrow rocky cape at the confluence of the Pskov River with the Velikaya River. Therefore, we will walk along the banks of both rivers under its very walls, look at the walls and towers of the original Pskov fortress not only from the usual panoramic points, but also from the bottom up, truly feeling their power and impregnability.

The narrow rocky cape at the confluence of the Pskov River with the Velikaya River, where the Kremlin is located, is considered the birthplace of Pskov, which developed on the basis of an older Slavic settlement. In the chronicle of the XII century. it is said: "... but about Pleskov city from the annals, it is not remembered from whom it was created and by what people; only uvedohom, as if he was already at the time when the Princes Rurik and his brother came, from the Varangians in Slovene princes."

The data of archaeological excavations in the northern corner of the modern Kremlin indicate the presence there in the 8th century. wood-and-earth fortifications along the western border of the cape, and about a stone wall dating back to the 10th-13th centuries. The assumption about the presence of a stone wall is confirmed by the annalistic mention in 1065 of the unsuccessful siege of Krom by the Polotsk prince, who failed to destroy the wall with stone-throwing tools.

In general, the people of Pskov had to constantly fight from time immemorial, so the construction of reliable fortifications was a matter of vital importance for them. The fortress of Pskov was constantly expanding and by the 16th century it consisted of five fortress rings. The total length of the walls was almost 10 km, and the power of the fortress walls was strengthened by 40 towers. At that time, the Pskov fortress was one of the largest not only in Russia, but also in Europe.

Of course, much has not survived to this day, but to this day fragments outer ring fortress wall medieval city are very clearly visible in the modern city and, if desired, you can even get around it. But today we will not do this, but will limit ourselves to the area around the Kremlin - Krom and Dovmontov city, which we see in this picture.

illustrationfrom here .

And this is what the Pskov Kremlin looks like from a bird's eye view.


photo from the internet. author unknown.

Photographer Alexander Ivanovich Chaika. Photofrom here .

We will start our walk from the Rybnitsa Tower (or the tower of the Holy Gates) and from there we will go towards the Velikaya River.
But first, a few words about this tower, the history of which is rather confusing...

In Pskov, from time immemorial, there was a fish market, which was located on the left bank of the Pskov River under the fortress walls, stretching from the Lower Grids to the Trinity Cathedral. This area, for obvious reasons, was called Rybniki. It is known that at the beginning of the 15th century, the Rybnitsa gate existed in the fortress wall that separated the Dovmont city from the trading shops, and at the end of the 15th century a tower was built above these gates, which naturally also became known as Rybnitsa. It was a quadrangular tower covered with a hemp, which became the first of its kind in Pskov. The image of the four-pitched tent of the Rybnitsa Tower has been preserved on icons with a view of Pskov. Erected above the Pskova River, the Rybnitskaya Tower protected the approaches to the city from Zapskovye. However, in the 18th century, when the tower had already lost its important strategic importance, it was dismantled.

The tower that exists today has no direct relation to that historical Rybnitsa tower, except for the name. It was built in 1970-1972 according to the design of the Moscow architect A.V. Vorobyov, which was completed without proper historical and architectural research. Moreover, the place under the tower was chosen by him arbitrarily. And then the name Rybnitskaya stuck to it. How such arbitrariness was allowed in those years with full state funding, I don’t know. But, nevertheless, this is what happened.

I must say that this tower has another name - the tower above the Holy Gates. In Soviet times, for obvious reasons, this name was not often used. And these gates themselves, through which one could enter the Kremlin, were immediately closed and for many years there was a souvenir shop in them. But after the fire in 2010, which destroyed her wooden tent, the store did not return there, and after the restoration of the tent, the gates themselves were opened.

Since we decided to bypass this part of the fortress from the outside, we will not enter the territory of the Kremlin. And after the conversation, we continue our journey and go to the Vlasievskaya tower.

The Vlasyevskaya Tower was built in Pskov in the 15th century at the same time as the Rybnitsa Tower. She, too, was over the gate and also had a serious strategic importance, because defended the city from the west, from the Velikaya River. Through the Vlasiev tower led the only travel gates to central part Pskov from ferry crossing from Zavelichie, so they were very strictly guarded. The tower got its name from the church of St. Blaise, which stood nearby.

The tower that we see today was also rebuilt in the 60s of the XX century, because. Pskov during the war was almost completely destroyed. However, unlike the Rybnitskaya Tower, the Vlasyevskaya Tower was built according to the project of the architect A.I. Khamtsov, which was based on scientific, historical and archaeological research. So the modern tower was recreated on a historical foundation and in accordance with the descriptions and graphic materials of the 17th century. The only thing that had to yield to modernity was that the passage gate was moved from the tower and built next to it. And this was primarily due to the need to take into account the dimensions of modern transport, because. according to the plan, these gates were supposed to remain travel gates. However, now transport practically does not go here, and a restaurant has been opened in the tower itself. The tower was also badly damaged during a fire in 2010 and the return of the restaurant there was a big question. But later it was decided that the restored tent would be occupied by the Pskov Museum-Reserve, and the restaurant would remain in the tower itself. Now in the tent of the Vlasyevskaya tower there is an observation deck.

Continuing our journey, we turn right from the tower and walk along the embankment of the Velikaya River along the fortress walls. This part of the wall closes Krom and Dovmontov city from the west, from where the enemies usually liked to come to our land ...

Dovmontov or Smerdya Tower. In the Middle Ages, a powerful round Smerdya tower stood here, through which Smerdya gates led to the territory of Krom. Neither the gate nor the tower survived. The tower was reconstructed in the middle of the 19th century according to the project of the famous Russian architect KV Ton. For some reason, they made it octagonal, outwardly very similar to the towers of the Baltic and German castles. Such towers have never been built in Pskov. Then it was renamed Dovmontova. So, looking at this tower, you need to keep in mind that it has nothing to do with historical Pskov.

If you look at the opposite bank of the Great River from here, you can see examples of old and new Pskov architecture - on the left is the Church of the Assumption from Ferry, built in the 16th century, and the Olginskaya Chapel, built in 2000.

Fortress wall with masonry from different times...

And this tower is named after Kutekroma

The Kutekroma Tower was erected on this site in 1400. Its name consists of two parts. "Kut" - corner, Krom (Kremlin) - the place where it was erected. It turns out that Kutekroma is a tower standing in the corner of Krom. But in the Middle Ages, the people of Pskov were not limited to only one name of this tower. She was also called Kutnyaya, Kromskaya, Kamennaya, Dozornaya and Krasnaya, i.e. "beautiful". And she is really very beautiful and folded very proportionately. The height of the tower is 30 meters and the diameter is 10.5. And this tower had one more name - Kutny bonfire. Well, with the word "kutniy" we have already figured out. But the word "bonfire" in Pskov in the old days was called wooden towers. And then this name was transferred to the stone towers. So it turns out that Kutekroma is generally the champion among the Pskov towers in terms of the number of names.

Kutekroma was badly damaged in 1615 during the siege of the city by the troops of the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf, when the enemy troops were constantly firing cannons at this part of the fortress from the opposite bank of the Great.

After the siege was lifted, the Pskovites restored it, of course. But in 1701, a more tragic fate awaited the tower, when, in preparation for the participation of Pskov in northern war it was half destroyed. The upper part of it was dismantled for the construction of the Petrovsky bastion, and the lower part was covered with earth and included in the bastion, called the Red Battery.

It was restored again in the 60s of the XX century, when large-scale restoration and restoration work was carried out in the Pskov Kremlin. And they restored it in its former form: five-tiered, with a wooden tent, a watchtower and a metal ensign.

This part of the fortress wall ends with the Flat Tower. Pskovians in the old days affectionately called her Plokusha. This is one of the towers of the Lower Lattices. Right behind it is the place where the Pskov River flows into the Velikaya River.

And before I dive into the secret fortress hole and go inside the fortress, I will show you some panoramic photos of what this part of the wall looks like from the river, for example. And I will also say a few words about the lower gratings.

Kutekroma Tower

And this is the Lower lattices, which form two towers - Flat, I already mentioned it and Voskresenskaya (or High).

Both of these towers were built in 1500 to protect the entrance to the Pskov River. Later, a wooden wall was built between them, and then a stone wall with water gates. These structures were called the Lower Lattices. Almost destroyed by the beginning of the 20th century, they were restored in 1968, during the complex restoration of the Kremlin.

And in order to better imagine what the Lower Grids were, I present here their graphic reconstruction created by Yu.P. Spegalsky (from his famous album "Across Pskov of the 17th century")

(It goes without saying that the city also had the Upper Bars, blocking the entrance to the Pskov River from the other side. They were located much higher upstream, in the region of Gremyachaya Gora. But we will get there some other time.)

And another panoramic shot...

But we keep walking. This passage leads inside the fortress, to the embankment of the Pskov River. That's where we're going...

And now we are already in the fortress ...

And we will continue to consider the towers of the Pskov Kremlin. Here is Kutekroma already known to us.

And now, with our heads up, we look at middle tower. If you remove a couple of meters of late layers of earth under our feet, then the impression would be completely stunning.

This tower was placed in the eastern part of Krom over the banks of the Pskov River. It is believed that its name - Middle, comes from the fact that it was located in the middle of the eastern fortress wall, between the Kutekroma and Troitskaya towers. It was also called the Snetnaya tower. Here it was saved to snatch "to the dogs for poison", i.e. food for dogs that guarded this part of Krom, where there were cages with city food supplies, various goods, weapons and other goods were stored.
At the end of the 60s of the last century, the foundation of the Middle Tower was explored and in 1972 its restoration was completed. The tower is 30 meters high and 11 meters in diameter.

Trinity Cathedral and the bell tower also rise above the steep. (I plan to tell more about the Trinity Cathedral in one of the following publications, when we will walk directly around the territory of Krom and Dovmont city)

The bell tower was built on the site ancient tower"on Radchina shoot". Square in plan, multi-storey, completed with tiered spans of ringing, decorative tier tower clock and a spire with a cross. The upper tiers are built on at 18 - 19
centuries

Well, the last tower in the ring of fortifications of Krom, which we have not talked about yet, is the Trinity Tower, it was also called the Sentry, because. it housed the city clock. The descriptions of the 17th century say this about this tower: "... and over those Trinity Gates a corner was made Round Tower.., yes, the city clock was made on the same tower. "The Trinity Tower collapsed at the end of the 18th century. And it was restored in our time - by 1988.

Bottom grids

Middle tower

Trinity Cathedral, the bell tower and the Middle Tower. View from Trinity Bridge.

This is how the walk turned out...

When creating the publication, I used the materials of the sites -

So, last time we took a walk, looked at its powerful fortifications from the outside. Today we will continue this walk and walk through the territory of the Pskov Kremlin - we will examine Krom and Dovmontov city.

We come here through the gates of the Rybnitsa tower (or the tower of the Holy Gates)

We get to the territory of Dovmontov city. About what Dovmontov city is, about its significance in the life of medieval Pskov we will talk a little lower, and now - the first thing that immediately catches your eye - is an impressive fortress wall, which is called - Percy, i.e. "breast". And now this powerful chest covers Krom - the original fortress of Pskov, where for a thousand years now the main shrine of the Pskov land has been standing - the temple in the name of the Holy Trinity. So we're going straight to that right now.

Percy is the southern wall of Krom (the first ring of the Pskov fortress). For the first time, a stone wall was erected on this site no later than the middle of the 13th century. At that time, it was of decisive importance in the defense system of Krom, and until the middle of the 15th century, the Pskovites paid it Special attention. It was repeatedly rebuilt and fortified, and the Pskovites also dug a deep ditch in front of it, called Rowing.

Two towers rise along the edges of Perseus: Dovmontov (or Smerdya) on the left, and Troitskaya (or Sentry) on the right. In the old days, at the foot of the towers, gates were built - Smerdya and Great (or Trinity). In Persia, a bell tower was also built, with the help of which the Pskovites were convened at a veche.

Let's go to Krom through the Trinity Gate, over which in 2003 a mosaic icon of the Holy Trinity was erected

And immediately we get into trouble. Zahab is such a cunning fortification in the form of a narrow corridor. If suddenly the invaders made their way through the main gate, then in fact they fell into a trap, because in front of them another closed gate appeared on their way, and from above, from the walls of the fortress, stones fell on them, hot resin poured, and so on .. .

From Zahab we go to the Trinity Cathedral on Veche Square.
According to legend, the place where the temple was to be built was chosen by Princess Olga herself. I already mentioned this when. Tradition says that after Princess Olga became a Christian (and this event took place in 957 in Constantinople), she visited her native Pskov places. Stopping on the left bank of the Velikaya River, she saw how three sunbeams converged at one point on a high, forested, rocky cape of the opposite bank and said: "In this place there will be a temple Holy Trinity and the city will be great and glorious". After that, she sent people here who built the city and erected in it the first Christian church in Rus' in the name of the Holy Trinity.

Initially, the temple was wooden, but in the XII century it was renewed in stone. It is assumed that it was erected by Smolensk architects, because. its own architectural school in Pskov by that time had not yet developed. But in 1363, the top of the cathedral collapsed and it was dismantled, and by 1367 a team of Pskov craftsmen built a new Trinity Cathedral in its place. The temple was built from a local limestone slab, with two aisles and three domes - as an image of the Holy Trinity. This cathedral stood for more than three hundred years and, already quite dilapidated, was once again rebuilt at the end of the 17th century - by 1699. The new cathedral looked completely new: it became much higher - its height is 72 meters and was crowned with five domes, symbolizing Christ and the four Evangelists, which corresponds to the traditions of Moscow architecture of the 17th century. This is how he appears to us today.

Since the cathedral was almost always active, with the exception of a few years in the 1930s, its interior and decoration have largely been preserved. So if suddenly you find yourself nearby, even without being a believer and religious person, go there anyway. Inside the cathedral it is very beautiful and there you can see a stunning seven-tiered iconostasis of the 17th - 18th centuries. However, in today's walk we will not go inside, because. Trinity Cathedral I will be devoted to a separate publication.

The bell tower, which we can see today next to the cathedral, was built here in the 18th century. However, the exact date of construction and the author of the project are not known. From the descriptions of the Pskov fortifications different years It is known that before the beginning of the eighteenth century. The Trinity bell tower was located on the southern wall of Krom - in Persia. The new bell tower, built into the eastern wall of Krom, is recorded for the first time in the fortification plan of 1706. Researchers do not rule out that it was erected over the base or on the site of the ancient tower "on Radchina vskhod", which had already been destroyed by the time the new bell tower was erected. Subsequently, the bell tower was repeatedly subjected to alterations and the form we see it now acquired by 1821. The bell tower has four levels of ringing and to this day several very ancient - XVI century (!) - bells are preserved on it.

A few years ago, a small church museum was opened in one of the premises of the bell tower, the central exhibit of which is the Model of the Pskov Kremlin, as it (presumably) was in the XIV-XV centuries - during the period when Pskov was a free city and the capital of the veche republic. (I will have a separate story about the Layout, which I plan to publish a little later). Well, in the meantime, we're moving on.

We survey the spacious Veche Square. The people were convened here to solve the most important economic, political, military and other issues of the life of the Pskov state. Although, of course, the real Veche Square is located several meters below the current ground level, under a powerful cultural layer, "overgrown" over the past centuries....

In the center of Veche Square today you can see the Memorial Cross. It was erected in 2003 on the site where the Annunciation Cathedral once stood, built in 1832-1836 for worship in winter time(Trinity Cathedral was not heated). The Cathedral of the Annunciation was blown up in 1933 after it was not recognized as an architectural monument.

Blagoveshchensky cathedral. Photo from the 1900s (picture taken )

The towers already known to us from the previous walk - Troitskaya ...

Dovmontov (Smerdya) tower (I have already talked about these and other towers, so I will not repeat myself here)

At the foot of the Smerdya Tower there was once the Smerdya Gate

Trinity Cathedral and bell tower

Now we will go further, beyond the Trinity Cathedral, to the most secluded part of the medieval Krom, where in those days the entrance was extremely limited. Once here, don't be surprised by the large space that doesn't contain any buildings. Nobody has ever lived here. Just know that there were vaults throughout this area - private and public. There were cages in which food supplies, property, as well as everything necessary for military needs were stored. Needless to say, it was a specially protected area, which was guarded by guard dogs - "Kromsky dogs". Theft on Krom was considered a serious state crime and was punishable by death.

You can see the Kutekroma tower in front (the wooden covering is being replaced on the spindles)

In 1843, on the territory of Krom, next to the Trinity Cathedral, the House of the clergy was built. Now it is at the disposal of the Pskov diocese

Near Kutekroma, a kind of attraction settled for practicing archery and crossbow, as well as throwing knives, axes, etc.

I don’t know how the owner of this attraction leaked into Krom in such a manner, but in my opinion, this is generally out of place here ...

Once again - Kutekroma.

Unfortunately, the exit to the Lower Grids is still closed, let's hope that by July 2019 these gates will still be opened and everyone will be able to admire beautiful view, opening at the confluence of the Pskov and Velikaya rivers, framed by the Lower Lattices.

We turn around and head back.

Another building, in addition to the House of the clergy, that can be seen in this part of Krom is the Powder Cellar or, in the old-fashioned way, the Green Chambers. The existence of the Green cellars here was first mentioned in the annals in connection with a fire in 1609, due to which gunpowder exploded, which led to the destruction of not only the cellars themselves, but also part of the fortress wall. Subsequently, the Powder Cellar was rebuilt and was used for its intended purpose until the end of the 17th century. But in 1701, in connection with the beginning of the Northern War, by decree of Peter I, an earthen fortification was built along the eastern wall of the Kremlin, which included the Powder Cellar. Then it was covered with earth.

The powder magazine was restored in the 1970s. Above the first floor historical building walls were erected. But since the issue of further adaptation of the Powder Cellar was not worked out, the work was never completed. However, in 2014, in Pskov, they again thought about the possibility of using this building and even some construction work was carried out, as a result of which the Powder Cellar received new form roofs with red pipes sticking out of it, and the porch was also rebuilt. However, for more than a year, the construction here has calmed down, and the issue of further adaptation of the building has not yet been resolved.

Middle tower. She still stands without the flag that fell from her three years ago.

But behind this wooden fence there is a toilet like a toilet, a hole in the floor with all the "charms" of toilets of this type. Also a kind of local "attraction" ... :-(

Well, let's look at the Middle Tower again and we will already be moving towards the exit from Krom....

Having bypassed the Trinity Cathedral, we again dive into the zahab

And we are again at the Trinity Gate, which means that we bypassed the first ring of city fortifications ancient city. Now we have to walk around the territory of Dovmontov city, which is not only a separate territory surrounded by a fortress wall - the so-called. the second ring of city fortifications (in fact, there were five of them in the Pskov fortress), but also unique phenomenon in the history of urban planning of ancient Russian cities.

For the first time Dovmontov city was mentioned in written sources under 1382 as "Domantov wall". This name comes from the name of Prince Dovmont, who reigned in Pskov from 1266 to 1299. Prince Dovmont came to Pskov from Lithuania, here he accepted the Orthodox faith, receiving the name Timothy at baptism. The Pskov prince Dovmont-Timofey is a legendary person. He became famous for many of his deeds: he was a brilliant military commander, a wise ruler and urban planner: under him, stone church construction began to flourish in Pskov. Well, in general, the very fact that he reigned here for thirty-three years and the people of Pskov were pleased with him is a fact that speaks volumes. Shortly after his death, Prince Dovmont was kakonized and to this day is one of the heavenly patrons of Pskov. You can read more about the life and deeds of Dovmont with me, and we will return directly to the city of Dovmont.

In short, from the end of the 9th to the 13th centuries, the territory of the future Dovmont city was occupied by the Pskov settlement, which housed the houses and workshops of artisans. Here were a small trade area and one of the first stone buildings in Pskov - the Church of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica, built in 1138. In the last third of the 13th century, Prince Dovmont moved the prince's court here, and the territory of the settlement was surrounded by a stone fortress wall. In the XIII century, in addition to other buildings, everything grew here more churches. By the time the independence of Pskov was recognized (1368), Dovmontov became the church-administrative center of the Pskov land. In the city of Dovmont, the management of industrial, merchant and church associations of the city was concentrated. Public buildings - corporate gridirons, huts and churches with courtyards attached to them, ousted from here not only the ordinary courtyards of the townspeople, but also the princely court with all its institutions and buildings.

Dovmontov city. Illustration from the magazine "Foma"

In the XV - XVI centuries here, on the territory of 1.35 hectares, there were seventeen or eighteen temples at the same time, many of which were far from small. They had side chapels, narthexes, galleries, tents, tombs, and although cramped, but still courtyards and cemeteries with fences and gates. In these cemeteries, both noble people and those Pskovites who had special merits before Pskov were buried.

Dovmontov city.

After the annexation of Pskov to the Muscovite state (1510), the significance of the city of Dovmont as an administrative and ecclesiastical center gradually began to fade away, and the temples of the city of Dovmont fell into disrepair. In 1701, during the preparations for the Northern War, by decree of Peter I, construction began defensive structures. Thus, three churches near the eastern wall of the city of Dovmont were partially dismantled and covered up, including the Church of the Nativity of Christ. From him, this part of the new fortifications was named the Christmas Batteries. The remaining churches of the Dovmontov city during the years of the Northern War (1700-1721) were turned into warehouses for military ammunition. By the end of the XVIII century. there were only four temple buildings left. In 1828, the last church of the Dovmontov city was dismantled on a slab.

In the 1960s-1970s, large-scale archaeological research by the specialists of the Hermitage. In addition to a huge number of historical artifacts that tell us about the life of the ancient Pskovites, as a result of these excavations, the foundations of the temples of the Dovmont city were uncovered. Subsequently, some of these foundations were brought to the surface by contours. Such a hello from our past glorious city Pskov.

Well, what else, besides the foundations of ancient temples, can we see today in the Dovmont city?

Of course, the large-scale forged composition "Shield and Sword", which is fortified on the Persians, immediately attracts attention. The composition was opened in 1972 as a tribute to the ancient warrior city, which for more than 500 years guarded the western borders of Ancient Rus'. The author of the composition is the famous Pskov restorer and blacksmith V.P. Smirnov (1922 - 1996)

Dovmontov (Smerdya) tower

View of the Rybnitsa Tower (Holy Gate Tower) from Perseus

There are also the Order Chambers and the tent of the Vlasiev Tower is visible.

Prikaznye chambers - the only administrative building of the XVII century preserved in Pskov. Stone chambers were erected here in 1693-1695. in place of the old wooden Prikaznaya hut. However, as the Order Chamber, it did not last long, since in 1701, in connection with the Northern War, it was adapted for an arsenal. In the XVIII - XIX century there was a spiritual consistory, then trading shops and a tavern. Today there are museum expositions, museum shop and tourist information center. But in more detail we will talk about the Order Chambers in one of the subsequent publications.

View of Percy from the porch of the Mandatory Chambers

Not far from the Order Chamber there is an ascent to the Vlasiev tower, with observation deck which open interesting views on Krom, Dovmontov city and the city lying outside these fortress walls. .)

And on the other side of the road leading to Krom, you can see the temples of the Christmas battery, which I already mentioned above. These are the temples of the Nativity, the Intercession and the Holy Spirit. They were filled up by order of Peter I in preparation for the Northern War. When the archaeological expedition of the State Hermitage under the leadership of VD Beletsky discovered them, it turned out that the walls of these temples were almost completely covered with frescoes of the 14th century (!) while the fresco painting was in fairly good condition.

The frescoes were removed, transferred to the Hermitage storages, and it was assumed that when the Museum of Frescoes was created in Pskov, they would be returned back. However, the matter never came to the opening of the museum of frescoes in Pskov, and the frescoes of the Dovmontov city remain in the closed funds of the Hermitage. Therefore, not many people know about their existence. But in January of last year, it was held in Pskov, and in April of this year it was released, for their removal, conservation, restoration and further preservation by the Hermitage specialists. The peculiarity of this film is that the events of those years are told by their direct participants.

As for the temples of the Rozhdestvensky battery themselves, in the early 2000s, when plans for the museumification of the Pskov Kremlin were very actively discussed, they began to be restored, but they were never completed, since there were serious disputes about how they should look and whether they can be restored at all...

Well, perhaps we all looked and our walk around the Pskov Kremlin came to an end.

It remains for me to summarize the promises about future publications on the topic of the sights of the Pskov Kremlin, which need to be discussed in more detail:
- Trinity Cathedral and bell tower
- Model of the Pskov Kremlin
- Command chambers and museum expositions located in them.

So there will be more to come. Don't switch... :-)))