Ostrov grad sviyazhsk construction plan. How to get to Sviyazhsk from Kazan. Museum of the History of the Civil War
Island-city of Sviyazhsk- administratively this is a small village (only 252 inhabitants) in the Zelenodolsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan. But it is difficult to find a similar place with such a rich history. After all, Sviyazhsk is a city that conquered impregnable Kazan.
Novograd Sviyazhsky
Mid 16th century. Between the Moscow kingdom and the Kazan Khanate - a fierce struggle. Ivan the Terrible wants to conquer the Volga region at all costs.
The Kazan Khanate is in deep crisis. Practically the only outpost of resistance to Russian troops, outnumbering the enemy in numbers and artillery, is Kazan.
In 1550, the army of Ivan the Terrible made a second attempt to conquer the capital of the Kazan Khanate. Unsuccessful: too far from Moscow to regularly supply troops with provisions and weapons. But, returning home, the governors noticed in the middle of the river a high hill with steep slopes and a flat top (Kara-Kermen). The "find" was reported to the king.
Engraving after a drawing by M. I. Makhaev (mid-18th century).
Grozny immediately appreciated the strategic value of the hill. The hill is surrounded on almost all sides by water; it is only 26 versts from Kazan, but it is not visible from the city. Ivan IV came up with a cunning plan - to build a fortress that would become a transit point for Russian troops.
1,000 km before the alleged fortress, in the Uglich forests, the king ordered to build wooden kremlin. The order was fulfilled. And in the spring of 1551, when the Volga opened up from the ice, the tsar ordered the fortress to be dismantled, logs loaded onto rafts and floated to Kara-Kermen.
On May 24, 1551, Russian troops and hard workers landed on the island. Work began to boil: 75,000 people worked day and night. In less than a month, a powerful military fortress grew up on an overgrown, unsociable hill, surpassing even the Moscow Kremlin in size. Two churches were erected next - Trinity and Christmas, as well as numerous outbuildings. The city-fortress first received the name "Ivan-city", and then - "Novograd Sviyazhsky".
Island-city of Sviyazhsk.
What to see in Sviyazhsk?
In the second half of the 16th century, Sviyazhsk received the status of a county town: the population grew, crafts developed, new churches and houses were built.
By the beginning of the 18th century, the city became "monastic". Kazan took over all economic, political and administrative functions. In Sviyazhsk, there were two monasteries - Trinity-Sergievsky (later - John the Baptist) and Uspensky. The city was considered a stronghold of spirituality and beauty.
The revolution destroyed the harmony. In 1918, Trotsky arrived in Sviyazhsk - the Red Terror began. They executed priests, destroyed churches (from 1929 to 1930 they destroyed 6 out of 12 churches that existed in the city), closed both monasteries.
In Soviet times, Sviyazhsk became a "city of unnecessary people." In 1928, a correctional colony for difficult teenagers was placed in the cells of the Assumption Monastery, and in 1943, an NKVD camp. Later, these premises were converted into a psychiatric hospital.
Only in the 1960s, after the filling of the Kuibyshev reservoir, when Sviyazhsk became an island, did its cultural and historical revival begin.
Scheme of modern Sviyazhsk.
Today the island-city of Sviyazhsk is like a portal to the past. There is no public transport, industry and modern buildings - only the picturesque nature of the Middle Volga and numerous architectural monuments.
In total, there are about 20 old buildings on the island: some are well preserved, others are dilapidated. Of the existing buildings: the Assumption Cathedral (1556–1561), the bell tower of St. Nicholas Church (1556), the Sergius Church (XVII century), the Church of Constantine and Helena (XVI–XVIII centuries) and others.
Nicholas Church, Sviyazhsk .
Cathedral Icons Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow at the John the Baptist Monastery in Sviyazhsk.
Church of Constantine and Helena, Sviyazhsk.
The pearl of the island is the Trinity Church (1551) - the first Orthodox church on the Volga and the only building that has survived from the time of Ivan the Terrible. It was built from huge larch logs without a single nail in just one light day.
Of course, the church was completed. In the 19th century, the hipped roof was replaced with an eight-slope roof, a porch was added, and the log walls were sheathed with hemp and painted ... The temple then looked faded and inconspicuous.
Trinity Church until 2009.
But in 2009, they decided to restore its historical appearance: they removed the paint, added a wooden terrace. They left only the tes (apparently, to protect the ancient logs from rain and snow). Now, not only inside, but also outside, the Trinity Church exudes the atmosphere of the era of Ivan IV. By the way, at the entrance to it there is a bench, on which, according to legend, the Terrible Sovereign himself sat.
Trinity Church now.
What to do in Sviyazhsk?
As in other historical places, the main "entertainment" in Sviyazhsk is sightseeing of architectural sights. This can be done both independently and using the services of professional guides.
The latter organize various excursion programs, including interactive ones (with historical performances and theatrical performances).
So, many such events are held by the State Historical and Architectural and Art Museum"Island-city of Sviyazhsk" (the program for 2015 can be found on their official website).
In 2012, after reconstruction, the Horse Yard was opened, the construction of which dates back to the 16th century. IN tsarist Russia it served as an inn for visitors, and in Soviet times as a utility block. Now the Horse Yard is an ethnographic center where you can plunge into the atmosphere of antiquity.
Horse yard.
A craft settlement was organized on its territory, where you can watch how horseshoes are forged, clay pots are made and fishing baskets are woven.
Craft freedom.
By the way, fishing is one of the main occupations. local residents to this day (even on the coat of arms of the city - fish). It is understandable: there is no industry, there is little space for agriculture, but there is plenty of water.
Sviyazhsk stands on the spot where the Sviyaga River flows into the Volga; navigation starts in April and ends in October. Almost all local residents have boats - in summer the Volga banks are literally strewn with fishing enthusiasts.
“Hunt” for pike and bream come even from other regions. Men joke: “Sviyazhsk - perfect place for fishing with my wife. She is in the city on an excursion, and you are calmly waiting for the bite.
How to get to Sviyazhsk?
Previously, it was possible to get to Sviyazhsk only by water. But in 2008, a dam with an asphalt road was built, which connected the island with the "mainland". Now you can get to the village both by river and land transport.
Motor ships at the pier of Sviyazhsk.
On water
Runs daily during the summer passenger ship along the route Kazansky River Station- Sviyazhsk .
Departure time: 8:20
Arrival time: 10:30
Ticket price: 100 rubles. (tickets sold one hour before departure, prices 2014)In the evening at 16:30 the ship departs back and arrives in Kazan at 18:45.
On weekends there are also additional sightseeing tours.
In addition, you can swim to Sviyazhsk by motorboat or boat from nearby Vasilyevo or Vvedenskaya Sloboda.
On the ground
Sviyazhsk is located 30 km from Kazan - 40 minutes by car. You can find directions online or use a navigator. But you can’t drive into the village by car - parking is provided below for cars.
Parking.
By rail
Electric trains run regularly from the central railway station of Kazan to the Sviyazhsk railway station, which is 14 km from the island, in the village of Nizhniye Vyazovye. From there, you can get to the island-city by hitchhike or taxi.
Why is it worth seeing Sviyazhsk?
Sviyazhsk is a small island embraced by the mighty waves of the great Russian river. In 1833 Pushkin visited Sviyazhsk. Since then, there has been a legend that the poet had in mind when describing Buyan Island in The Tale of Tsar Saltan. Of course, this is just a legend (Alexander Sergeevich wrote about the Swan Princess in 1831), but it is easy to believe in it, because Sviyazhsk is really an island of fabulous beauty. There you want to wander between churches and dilapidated houses, admire nature, stand on the shore and think about the past and the future.
Island-city of Sviyazhsk.
Sviyazhsk is a tiny village where most of the inhabitants are old people, but many world cities can envy its history. For more than 15 years, this place has been claiming to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Federal and local authorities they are doing everything to make Sviyazhsk a "global treasure". But many of those who visited this city (not tourists, but simple connoisseurs of history) note that restoration work is sometimes carried out roughly, without observing historical authenticity and respect for Russian culture (if only it looked like something old). That is why Sviyazhsk must be seen!…until it became a typical tourist ethnopark.
And finally: if you want to feel the silence and the historical grandeur of the island-town, go to Sviyazhsk in autumn or winter.
Sviyazhsk from the side of the dam.
30 kilometers from Kazan, at the mouth of the fast full-flowing river Sviyaga, there is a miracle island, the island city of Sviyazhsk.
The unique city-fortress, built in just four weeks, has been an all-Russian Orthodox shrine for several centuries, attracting many people from all over the country.
The amazing story behind this ancient city. On February 12, 1550, Tsar Ivan IV of Moscow laid siege to Kazan. The siege lasted eleven days, with many dead on both sides. On February 25, the king retreated. Returning home, the Russian troops stopped on the right steep bank of the Sviyaga. Here, Ivan IV liked the forested island “Round Mountain”, which, towering above the Volga, made it possible to control river routes, roads and Kazan itself. The tsar decided to build a fortress town here, which would help him capture the capital of the Kazan Khanate. He instructed the military engineer, clerk Ivan Vyrodkov, to draw up drawings of the fortress and begin construction, but not at the chosen place, but in the Uglich forests, in the patrimony of the boyars Ushatykh. All winter, a thousand kilometers from Kazan, they cut down a city with walls, towers and churches. In the spring of 1551, after a trial assembly, all the buildings were dismantled, loaded onto ships, and floated to the mouth of the Sviyaga.
The city was founded on May 24, 1551. The top of the mountain was hastily cleared of the forest, but it turned out that the material brought was enough for only half of the city, the rest had to be cut from local wood. An unprecedented case in the history of architecture - in four weeks on the Round Mountain, washed by the Sviyaga and Pike rivers, a whole wooden fortress city with powerful oak walls, golden-domed churches, painted huts, high towers and bell towers grew up. The city was named in honor of the founder Ivan-gorod, later they began to call " New town Sviyazhsky”, and soon the short name Sviyazhsk was fixed - from the Sviyagi River.
For almost 500 years of its history, Sviyazhsk has experienced a lot: ups and downs, poverty and wealth, fame and obscurity, reverence and desecration…
A powerful fortress after the conquest of Kazan turns into a large administrative and trading city where foreign embassies and foreign merchants arrive. Later, Sviyazhsk is a monastic town where life is simple, quiet and filled with grace, then it is a county town of the Kazan province, which in 1781 established its coat of arms - the shield depicts a city sailing on a ship, and under it are fish. This is a tribute to the miraculous construction of the city, brought from the Uglich forests. After the revolution, Sviyazhsk is a plundered, desecrated temples, which housed prisons and correctional institutions ...
Today the fortified city is being revived. As in the old days, the traveler is greeted by white-stone monastery walls, golden domes of churches, as before, people live here, perhaps the descendants of those who created this fabulous miracle, whose name is Sviyazhsk. hospitable island visited by many tourists from all over the country. You can get to Sviyazhsk by water. A pleasure boat is slowly approaching the amazing island, and Sviyazhsk is also slowly opening up to our gaze.
And immediately on the high coast of the island we are met by a modest White church with a low bell tower - the Church of Constantine and Helena, built in the 16th century. It is visible from all sides and surprisingly harmoniously fits into the natural environment of the island. This is the only posad church preserved in Sviyazhsk. Once it separated the upper part of the city - the fortress and the lower part - the settlement, where artisans lived.
And on the site of the border there was the Christmas Gate - the main entrance to the city. On both sides of the Rozhdestvensky Gate was the main Town Square. From the side of the settlement on the square there was a guest yard and shops. Trading rows descended to the Sviyaga River, there was a pier where ships with goods moored. Fairs were held annually on July 8 and September 25 (old style) on the day of patronal feasts in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Sviyazhsk.
The city was known for its merchants, who built wonderfully wooden and stone houses here for everyone. The first floor is a bakery, trading shops, shops, the second floor is living quarters for the merchant's family.
Walking along the streets of Sviyazhsk, it is impossible not to admire the wooden lace in which merchant houses are dressed. Bizarrely shaped balconies, intricate architraves, graceful entrance gates - all this creates unique look Russian town. Here, every house, every building has its own history. And the further we move along a narrow path deep into the island, the further we plunge into the depths of centuries, at a time when Sviyazhsk was, above all, a spiritual center. And here we have the Holy Gates - the entrance to the territory of the female John the Baptist Monastery.
One of the most interesting monastic ensembles in Sviyazhsk is the St. John the Baptist Convent, founded at the end of the 16th century. In 1795, it was moved to the site of the abolished Trinity-Sergius Monastery, where it remains to this day.
The monastery is surrounded by a stone fence separating the holy monastery from the vain world.
The most ancient building of the monastery is a wooden Trinity Church - the only structure that has survived to this day from those that were cut down near Uglich and delivered to the mouth of the Sviyaga in the spring of 1551. For almost five centuries, the history of this church has been a witness to many events that took place in Sviyazhsk. Fires and time spared her, and now she is a unique example of ancient Russian architecture. The shape of the Church of the Holy Trinity resembles a cross - a symbol of the Christian faith, facing east. Inside the church is more like a village hut. Wooden benches, massive doors, calm lighting, the aroma of unpainted wood create an atmosphere of home comfort. All the bustle of the outside world suddenly recedes. One gets the feeling that after long aimless wanderings, you have finally returned to a place where you are loved and expected, where everything will be understood and forgiven, warmed with affection and care.
This is the peculiarity of Russian wooden churches. A felled tree seems to continue to live here - it warms in winter and gives the desired coolness in summer. The feeling of something native, close enhances the subtle, barely perceptible smell of candle wax, which is soaked through the ancient walls. The simple decoration of the church is complemented by a four-tiered carved iconostasis, striking in its beauty. The Royal Doors are decorated with icons depicting the Annunciation and the Evangelist Apostles. Attention is drawn to the bright clothes of the saints and Latin inscriptions - alien to the Orthodox church. The origin of the iconostasis has not yet been established and is one of the mysteries of the Trinity Church.
In the center of the monastery is the Sergius Church - the first stone building on the territory of the monastery. The thick walls of the temple are lined with hewn white stone.
The building has two floors. Below were the cells for the monks, and above the church. At the temple there was a refectory, where the parishioners waited for the beginning of the service, treated themselves. The pilgrims who came to the monastery from afar on the days of great holidays were also accommodated there, this part of the temple was also used for funeral rites and for reading royal decrees.
The youngest temple of the John the Baptist Monastery is the Cathedral of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow". It was laid down in May 1898. The architect Malinovsky built it in the false Byzantine style common in those years. Decorated with a majestic dome, the cathedral still towers over the ancient monastic buildings. Anyone entering it, the temple strikes with a huge interior space. sunlight penetrates through the many windows that adorn the dome and arched ceilings of the cathedral. In the center of the temple, the sun's rays meet and bestow God's grace on everyone who enters with an open heart and a pure soul.
On the territory of the John the Baptist Monastery, the cells where nuns have long lived attract attention. Simple and unhurried was their life in the monastery. The modest decoration of the cells: a narrow bed, a table, a beveled lectern, helped to renounce worldly concerns and fully devote oneself to serving God. A little further away is the building of the abbess - a simple building that served as the home of the mother superior of the monastery.
This is how the ensemble of John the Baptist has survived to this day convent. And in the southern part of the island, travelers can see, perhaps, the most famous Assumption Monastery in Sviyazhsk.
It was founded in 1555 by Archbishop Gury. Two unique monuments from the time of Ivan the Terrible have been preserved here - the Assumption Cathedral and the St. Nicholas Refectory Church.
Cathedral of the Assumption Holy Mother of God was built in 1560 from white stone. The temple was built by Pskov masters with the participation of Postnik Yakovlev and Ivan Shiryai. A small temple delights with the harmony of lines. Fanciful architectural details give the Assumption Cathedral airiness and lightness. It seems that we have before us a fabulous tower, descended from a painting by an unknown artist.
Immediately after the construction, the Assumption Cathedral was painted inside and out. Unfortunately, the exterior painting of the temple has not been preserved. But the interior of the cathedral makes an indelible impression, and for a long time remains in the memory of anyone who once opened a heavy door and found himself under the arches. ancient temple. The amazing, fantastic world of frescoes excites with its splendor, it breathes from them distant antiquity. The caring hands of an unknown master breathed life into them, it seems that human suffering, dreams, joys and experiences are not alien to them. The artists who painted the Assumption Cathedral drew plots for their colorful compositions not only from canonical books, but also from the Apocalypse and apocryphal legends (the story of the first people in paradise, etc.). On the dome we see the image of the god Sabaoth. Dressed in white robes, shimmering with transparent pink and light green tones, Sabaoth sits on a golden throne on two pillows - green and red. He creates, blessing everyone with both outstretched hands. The fiery red circle behind the throne symbolizes the "impregnable light" in which the Lord lives. The blue band around the circle represents the sky and is filled with images of cherubs and two-winged angels. The footstool on which the feet of the creator rest, as well as the legs of the throne, also stand on a blue stripe. Looking at this image, you involuntarily recall the lines of Holy Scripture: "Heaven is my throne."
A little lower, the seven Archangels and the Guardian Angel appear. This heavenly host is the keepers of the Lord's throne. They have been given the right to mediate between heaven and earth.
On the walls of the Assumption Cathedral you can see interesting frescoes dedicated to the theme "Days of Creation". The artist develops the plot of the painting, moving along the wall from left to right, following the sunlight. One gets the impression of involvement in the events depicted by the ancient master. Bright colorful frescoes tell us about the creation of the world - step by step, day by day, in the same sequence as the Lord did.
Many frescoes are dedicated to the Holy Trinity, the lives of saints, the apostles, biblical events and, of course, the life of the Virgin Mary. The temple fresco “Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary” strikes with the richness of colors, brightness, clarity of lines.
She tells us about the last journey of the most holy woman in Orthodoxy, the Virgin Mary. It is in honor of this event that the Assumption Cathedral was consecrated.
There is also a fresco in the church that tells about the overthrow of Satan and his army, which is a rare image for Orthodox churches. Fallen angels cast down from the sky fly, unnaturally bent, head down.
You can talk endlessly about the splendor of the interior decoration of the temple. But only once, having seen it with your own eyes, you can feel the attractive power of ancient frescoes.
The temple painting of the Assumption Cathedral is understandable and close to everyone. Some, looking at vivid, memorable images, strengthen in their faith, others, who first came to an Orthodox church, involuntarily freeze, experiencing sacred awe and reverence for the extraordinary power of the talent of the ancient masters who managed to convey to us the majestic beauty of the interior decoration of the House of God. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the Sviyazhsk frescoes: after all, this is the only complete cycle of murals of the 16th century that has almost completely survived to this day.
Reluctantly leaving the Assumption Cathedral, we find ourselves in the monastery courtyard, where we can see the St. Nicholas Church - the oldest stone building in Sviyazhsk. It was founded in the autumn of 1555 almost simultaneously with the Assumption Cathedral. A year later, the construction was completed. It was necessary to build this small church, because the newly founded monastery urgently needed a room for church services, and the construction of the Assumption Cathedral, which had begun, could not be completed quickly due to the large amount of work.
A bell tower was erected next to the church. Exactly this tall building Sviyazhsk has a height of 43 meters. A steep staircase leads upstairs, along which the ringer once hastily climbed to breathe life, fill it with strength, and make five heavy bells speak. The bells called the monks to prayer, announced the end of the service, glorified the name of God. Their merry chime, long-drawn-out, mournful voice or disturbing tocsin brought joy, sadness or news of a fire to the inhabitants of the monastery walls.
From the lower tier of the bell tower, through the underground passage, there was an exit to the bank of the Sviyaga. Who used this secret passage? Maybe those unfortunates who, by the will of fate, ended up in an “earth prison” to pacify and correct disobedient monks and who somehow managed to get out of there and resort to the help of the Sviyazh brothers? Or maybe, using a secret passage, the monks could notice the enemy army approaching Sviyazhsk in time and, having warned the brethren, prepare for defense ... The true purpose of this passage is still one of the mysteries of the Assumption Monastery.
And on the territory of the monastery, we can see many more interesting buildings: fraternal cells, the rector's chambers - permanent and summer, hospital cells. These buildings live their own special life, each building here has its own history. We can touch the silent, cool stones and seem to be transported several centuries ago, to the times when the Assumption Monastery flourished, ranked seventh in the list of 1105 monasteries of the Russian Empire.
A significant part of the territory of the monastery was occupied magnificent garden- a symbol of paradise. In the summer heat, he gave the desired coolness to the inhabitants of the monastery. It was possible to take a break from everyday worries in a beautiful gazebo covered with wood chips and decorated with carved details. And in autumn, the garden gave rich harvests, being a source of food for the monastic brethren. The garden served the same purpose, where there was a greenhouse for growing early vegetables and seedlings.
A little further away you can see the old monastery cemetery. For many years, the inhabitants of the monastery found peace here. This cemetery became the last refuge for the martyrs who died in Sviyazhsk in the post-revolutionary period. Those years were a difficult test for the wonderful island of Sviyazhsk and its inhabitants. The destruction of temples, desecration of ancient shrines, constant arrests and executions are one of the sad pages in the history of the island. But, despite this, Sviyazhsk managed to preserve its originality - the appearance of an old Russian town with golden domes of white stone churches, slender bell towers, intricately decorated with merchants' houses.
Today, the ancient shrines of the island - the city of Sviyazhsk - are being revived. Since 1997, the Assumption Monastery began to operate again. The brethren, led by the rector Father Kirill, took responsibility for the reconstruction of the temples and buildings of the monastery, which are the architectural gems of Sviyazhsk.
Surrounded on all sides by water, the fabulous island attracts travelers like a magnet. A man who once set foot on a holy, full unsolved mysteries the land of Sviyazhsk, will forever keep in memory that special atmosphere of something sublime, indestructible, which, as it were, envelops the island, turning it into a miracle city.
Sviyazhsk was founded on May 24, 1551 as a strategic fortress of the Moscow kingdom. The city was built as a transit point for the conquest of the Kazan Khanate. The castle was erected under the leadership of Ivan IV the Terrible in just four weeks. However, after the Soviet regime and the remnants of the Gulag, he cannot recover for several decades. Sviyazhsk has become a haven for many artists, among them the main set designer of Tarkovsky's film - Stalker. Pushkin himself admitted that this is how he imagined his fabulous island Buyan. This is truly a magical and indescribable beauty place. My story is about the history of the island, its features, museums, sights and people. 
You can explore Sviyazhsk endlessly; it is not for nothing that several tens of thousands of exhibits are stored in its archive. The mountain on which the castle was founded was formed during the melting of glaciers. In the 8th-9th centuries, Suvars performed their rituals on the top of the mountain. The young Russian Tsar Ivan IV, seeing this place, decides to build a military base here. The need for a transshipment point arose because of the desire to achieve the capture of the Kazan Khanate. The numerous army of the Moscow kingdom was exhausted, reaching Kazan, the soldiers needed rest in a fortified fortress.
A flat area was prepared for the future hail, for this it was necessary to completely cut off the top of the mountain. About a thousand kilometers away, in the Uglich forests, all the structures of the future Sviyazhsk were completely erected, then the hail was dismantled and rafted down the Volga. In 28 days, 75 thousand people assembled a ready-made city, which was larger than the Moscow Kremlin. This became the only and unique example of the city's shortest bookmark. More than a thousand courtyards were erected, in which approximately 5 thousand people lived.
Larch was used in the construction, which eventually becomes as strong as stone and resistant to weather conditions. Many European cities stand on larch, for example, we all know Venice.
There is a wooden church on the island, which is 462 years old. On the logs you can see the notches that were put at that time for counting. Then it was believed that the saw tormented the tree and only a rough ax was used in construction. They built without nails, so that over time the tree would not rot.
The church was built in one light day. There is an altar in it, where Ivan IV prayed before going to Kazan, after which the conquest was successful. It is believed that this is the oldest wooden church on the Volga.
The decorative elements of the iconostasis are made of linden, while the icons themselves are stored in the State Museum of Fine Arts of Tatarstan. Now it is planned to return the icons to their original place, but not the originals, but their copies. In the 16th century, the church was illuminated thanks to special sliding openings, they were also used for ventilation.
The island held a large social program, 88 Sviyazhsk families were relocated from monastic buildings and architectural monuments to new homes. Previously, it was necessary to heat houses with firewood, and carry water from a well. All communications are provided in the new houses. A good example of resettlement was the Zemskaya hospital, now it is being reconstructed into a museum.
Sviyazhsk has a multinational population. Most of the 248 people are Russians, you can also meet Mari, Chuvash, Georgians, and there is even one baptized Tatar family. A little less than 100 years, Sviyazhsk has officially been a rural settlement, before that, in the 4th century, it was an island city. It has its own school with 27 children and a kindergarten with 14 children. The local police department has 3 employees.
In 1555, a monastery was founded in Sviyazhsk, in the first 5 years two churches were built: St. Nicholas Cathedral and the Assumption Church. The temples were erected by masons from the famous Pskov artel. The same people built the powerful walls of the Kazan Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow on Red Square.
Already in the 17th century, a 43-meter bell tower appeared - the tallest building in Sviyazhsk. In the 18th century, a fraternal building was built.
The first abbot of the monastery German in 1564 was invited to Moscow. Ivan the Terrible was going to raise him to the rank of chief metropolitan of the whole country. But German refused, because he did not agree with the tsarist policy of the oprichnina.
Another temple was built in the pseudo-Byzantine or old Russian style with the money of Mother Apphia. Mother did not live for several years before the opening of the temple and died in 1905, her grave is in the basement of the church. The architect was Pavel Malinovsky, who designed the Trinity Cathedral of the Raifa Monastery and the Church of the Great Martyr Barbara in Kazan.
In 1911, the cathedral was painted, but due to a technical error of the artist, an update was needed after 3 years. The paint had to be applied to the canvas and then glued to the walls. In 1914, ordinary linoleum was used instead of canvas. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Joy of All Who Sorrow means those who ask the Mother of God for joy.
Monasteries used to be the richest organizations, they had their own production. They were the largest landowners of that era, for this reason the Soviet government disliked them. 4 kilometers from the island, Leon Trotsky participated in the battle against the white movement, where his detachment retreated. Having sailed to Sviyazhsk, he came out on Rozhdestvenskaya Square, where he delivered a fiery speech about how priests had fooled people's heads from time immemorial. After that, a monument to Judas Iscareot was erected on the square, as the first revolutionary on earth. The monument stood for several weeks, after which it was destroyed by local residents.
On May 15, 2011, the opening of the Sviyazhsk Museum took place. Prior to that, the building housed a boarding school, and in the 20th century, the execution prison was a kind of prototype of the Tatar Alcatraz. The wall, near which the prisoners were shot, had to be dismantled, since there was a mass grave under it. But the yard for walking prisoners was preserved.
We managed to restore cell number 8 and turned it into a small museum. Photographs of prisoners taken from the archive hang on the walls. Items of everyday life of prisoners are presented.
Up to 18 prisoners were kept in a small cell. The prisoners experienced terrible diseases that led to the development of gangrene and amputation. Among the exhibits is a real prosthesis, which had to be worn by a victim of political repression in order to alleviate his short life waiting to be shot.
More than 5 thousand people died in the Sviyazhsk branch of the Gulag. Here was the outstanding Tatar poet Hassan Tufan and the inventor of the famous game Pirates - a famous artist and representative of the eminent family of Golitsins. Here he created many of his masterpieces, copies of which are in the museum. The population density of the prison was constantly exceeded, in some years by almost three times.
Every year the island is visited by a large number of artists, many of them stay here to live. The residents themselves joke about such people that they came for a few days, but stayed for several decades. Among these artists is Rashid Safiullin, the chief set designer for Tarkovsky's film Stalker. He draws Sviyazhsk in different times of the year.
Many are sure that the island of Sviyazhsk is the same Buyan island that Pushkin described in his fairy tale. The story says that the great poet visited the island two years after writing The Tale of Tsar Saltan. During his visit, he admitted that this is how he imagined the fabulous island of Buyan. Artists Golubtsov and Artamonov recreated the kaleidoscope of life ordinary person on the island:
People live in their houses.
They leave for work.
Take care of children and read a prayer.
And their souls ascend to heaven.
By the way, Sviyazhsk was not always an island. In 1957, people woke up and said, "Now the sea is around us." As a result of the formation of the Kuibyshev reservoir, the road connecting the capital and the island was flooded. Before that, the lands of Sviyazhsk were 70 hectares larger, now all this is hidden under water. There was a possibility that Sviyazhsk would be completely flooded, but people did not move. Until 2008, the island could only be reached by water.
Another feature of the island is the absence of a civil cemetery, it is located on the opposite bank. Previously, the body of a deceased person could be delivered either by water or by ice. In the spring it was impossible to get to the cemetery. If you believe the legend of the island, then in the spring people simply did not die, and women in labor were delivered to the mainland in advance.
There is a monastery cemetery on the island. Only ministers or honorary patrons were buried here. The richest benefactor was Kamenev, his family was buried on the island, but the burial was completely lost during the years of Soviet power.
The most important and elegant place in Russian homes is considered to be a stove. To make the stove even more elegant, it was customary to decorate it with handmade tiles. A clay tile successfully reflects the way of life and originality of its era.
Quite recently, the exhibition "The Way of the Tile" opened in Sviyazhsk. It presents the tiles of Moscow, Yaroslavl, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, New Jerusalem and other cities. To meet a whole and preserved tile is a rarity. In the exposition you can see quite interesting exhibits.
During its existence, the island-town of Sviyazhsk did not survive the hostilities. Big history small island many states can envy. It may take more than a dozen years to study the grains of history collected here. It remains only to envy the people who live and find themselves in this historical place.
Sixty kilometers from the capital of Tatarstan, the ancient beauty of Kazan, annually visited by thousands of tourists from different corners our country and from abroad. What draws them to these places? In our article we will talk about this amazing place.
Sviyazhsk is the name of an island and a small rural settlement. It is located in the Zelenodolsk region of Tatarstan, at the confluence of the Sviyaga and Pike rivers. This is an amazing island with ancient architectural structures, it became a monument of Russian history and architecture in Tatarstan.
The island of Sviyazhsk separates from Kazan no more than sixty kilometers. Pre-revolutionary, old street names are still preserved on the island: the main street- Uspenskaya, stretching from south to north across the entire island, Troitskaya Street runs parallel to it, and to the north - Nikolskaya. All of them are crossed by Alexandrovskaya street.
Population
Sviyazhsk in Tatarstan is inhabited by a little over two hundred people, which on the scale of our country is comparable to a very small village. The island is beautiful at any time of the year and in any weather. Picturesque summer sunsets and quiet streets covered with snow, without any signs of car traffic. Getting on a fabulous island, you feel like in another dimension. And if you take into account the ancient buildings around, then this impression only intensifies.
Story
The history of Sviyazhsk is inextricably linked with the development of these places by the Russians, or more precisely, with the conquest and further annexation of the Kazan Khanate to the Russian state.
In the 15th century, there was a cone-shaped hill covered with centuries-old forest - Mount Kruglaya, around which the Sviyaga and Pike rivers flowed. And by the middle of the 16th century, the powerful fortress of Ivan the Terrible was located here.
It is known that since 1547 the Russian tsar repeatedly undertook campaigns against Kazan, but all of them failed. Returning after one of them (1550), young Ivan the Terrible saw the ideal location in the military-strategic plan of Mount Kruglaya and decided to be a Russian fortress here.
The tsar entrusted this difficult task to the first, who left a big mark in the history of our country, military engineer Ivan Grigorievich Vyrodkov. And it should be recognized that this most talented specialist found an ingenious solution. The fortress was completely cut down near the city of Uglich. All its details were numbered, fused and assembled on Bald Mountain.
It was a grandiose project - the Sviyazhsk fortress surpassed even the Moscow Kremlin in size. It was cut down in 1551, and in less than a year (1552) Kazan fell. So on the banks of the Sviyaga, Volga and Pike, this island city and a powerful fortress appeared in record time.
During its nearly five-century history, Sviyazhsk has experienced ups and downs, wealth and poverty, obscurity and glory. But time steadily moved forward, the town grew, developed, the first monasteries and churches appeared on its territory. After the conquest of Kazan, the powerful fortress turned into a large commercial and administrative center for those times, where foreign merchants arrived and foreign embassies were located.
Later, Sviyazhsk turned into a monastic town, where life became quiet and filled with grace. Even later, Sviyazhsk became county town Kazan province, which received its coat of arms in 1781. A city sailing on a ship is depicted on a shield, under which fish are splashing. This is a kind of tribute to the unusual and very original construction of the city, which was actually brought from the Uglich forests.
An unenviable fate awaited the town after the revolution - these were defiled and plundered temples, which housed correctional institutions and prisons. And then came an even darker time when picturesque island Sviyazhsk in Tatarstan became one of the Gulag camps.
At the end of December 1955, part of the city was flooded. This happened due to the launch of the Kuibyshevskaya GRES. The road that connected it with the land went under water, and Sviyazhsk turned into a real island.
The newest history of Sviyazhsk began in 2008. Until that time, local residents lived on the island, until a dam with a highway was built, again connecting Sviyazhsk with the mainland. The implementation of the well-known program "Renaissance" began in 2010, during which it is planned to turn Sviyazhsk in Tatarstan into a museum-reserve of republican significance. Large-scale restoration and restoration work is underway here.
Sviyazhsk: description of the modern island
Today, the ancient city-fortress is experiencing a rebirth. As in the past, participants of excursions in Sviyazhsk are greeted by white-stone walls of monasteries, gilded domes of churches, as in ancient times, people live here, and perhaps among them there are descendants of those who once created this man-made miracle.
city architecture
Sviyazhsk in Tatarstan, thanks to isolation from the outside world, after the transformation of the town into an island, kept intact unique architecture and the layout of the county town of the 19th century. Today, most of the local population has been relocated to municipal apartments, and their houses are being reconstructed and transferred to various institutions and organizations.
The estate of the merchant Kamenev is a vivid example of the architecture of Sviyazhsk. It was built in the 19th century. The building is made in the style of classicism, but with some elements wooden architecture. The building was restored in 2010, and today it houses a hotel.
Rozhdestvenskaya Square is the architectural and historical center of Sviyazhsk. There are several interesting objects around it: fire barracks, a city school, a vocational school. The square offers a stunning view of the Volga, so guests who took part in an excursion to Sviyazhsk like to relax here. They take great photos, but even those cannot fully convey the beauty of these places.
Sviyazhsk in Tatarstan: attractions
This building is well deservedly considered calling card islands. The Assumption Monastery in Sviyazhsk was founded in 1555. This happened just three years after Kazan fell. The first rector of the monastery was Archimandrite Herman. Today he is considered the patron saint of the city. An interesting fact: when they wanted to desecrate his relics in 1922, such a strong thunderstorm began that the atheists, frightened, abandoned their dirty work.
The ensemble of the monastery is a unique historical and architectural landmark, which has no equal in the Middle Volga region.
John the Baptist Monastery
Until 1917, this monastery was for women, and after the revolution and to this day it is for men. It was founded in the 16th century and was named Rozhdestvensky. The first buildings were wooden, then stone and brick, but the most ancient buildings, unfortunately, have been lost due to frequent fires and rebuilding.
The monastery was actively expanded in 1796, when the bell tower and St. John the Baptist chapel of St. Sergius Church were built. Hard times came for the monastery with the advent of Soviet power: in 1919 it was closed. True, its entire territory was declared a museum-reserve of architecture and history. Even in 1959, the restoration of the central cathedral was carried out.
Temples of the ancient city: Assumption Cathedral
The temple was built in 1560 in the Pskov-Novgorod style. The construction work was supervised by Ivan Shiryaev and Postnik Yakovlev, the authors of the world-famous This is one of the two temples of Sviyazhsk and Russia, in which frescoes from the era of Tsar Ivan the Terrible have been preserved - their area inside the cathedral is one thousand and eighty square meters. The second temple was preserved in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery of Yaroslavl.
Quite a few frescoes of both earlier and later periods of the history of our country exist and have been perfectly preserved, and there are only a few frescoes of the 16th century. This is a unique monument and rarity of ancient Russian art of the 16th century. Of particular interest to specialists is the fresco of the holy warrior Christopher with a horse's head. In iconography at that time, images with a dog's head were accepted, later all animal-like images were destroyed.
No less interesting are the altar images of Tsar Ivan the Terrible himself, as well as Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow. In summer, the shrine with the relics of Herman is located in the premises of this cathedral.
Trinity Church
The history of the construction of this church is interesting: along with the materials for the Sviyazhsk fortress, logs for this temple were also brought in 1551. Amazingly, the church was assembled within a day, without a single nail. Researchers and historians consider Prince Nikita Serebryany to be the founder of the Trinity Church. Documents have been preserved that testify that here Ivan the Terrible himself prayed on the eve of
This is the oldest monastery church. It was cut down near Uglich along with other structures of the fortress. The interior of the temple changed several times, but the design of the iconostasis remained unchanged. The church was completed several times and sheathed with boards. Today appearance The temple has been completely restored. Today it is the only remaining of the first wooden buildings that can take pride of place in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Temple of Constantine and Helena
One of the surviving churches on the island, not part of the monastery complex. It was built in the second half of the 17th century on the site where there used to be an ancient wooden temple, erected in the memorable year 1551. In Soviet times, there was a museum within its walls, and since 1993, services have resumed there.
Church of Sergius of Radonezh
This church in Sviyazhsk in Tatarstan was built in 1551. It was originally wooden. During the reign of Boris Godunov, a stone temple was erected in its place from white limestone, and it was re-consecrated in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh the Wonderworker. This is confirmed by a wall inscription dated 1604. For the winter, the shrine with the relics of St. Herman is transferred to the premises of this temple.
Nikolsky temple
The oldest monastery church is Nikolskaya. It was built in 1956 from hewn stone. The work was carried out by the Pskov artel of Ivan Shiryaev. Much later, a bell tower (four-tiered), forty-three meters high, was added to it. This is the tallest building on the island. The cell of St. Herman has been preserved in this temple. Only the monks of the monastery are allowed to pray here.
Memorable places of the island
Many memorable places Tatarstan attract tourists. One of the main attractions of the republic is Sviyazhsk, in the history of which, unfortunately, gloomy events civil war in Russia and Stalin's repressions left their unhealed mark. This is eloquently told by the monuments of the island.
Now, probably, few people know how many people were killed on the island in custody. This is due to the secrecy and inaccessibility of the archives. After the victory over Nazi Germany, Sviyazhsk turned not only into a prison, but also into a kind of "isolation" for the disabled, crippled at the front and in the camps. Stalin did not want invalids to fall into the eyes and evoke sad feelings among the people. In those years, in the country that defeated fascism, many monasteries turned into the last refuges for mutilated people.
Many members of the intelligentsia died in captivity on the island. Among them is the talented Tatar poet Hassan Tufan. He spent ten years in the Sviyazhsky camp, and after that another seven years in Siberia. All this time he was creating: he wrote poems that were dedicated to his wife.
The place in Sviyazhsk was not chosen by chance. When restoration and restoration work was carried out in ancient structures, a mass grave was discovered, which dates back to the forties of the last century. The remains of the unfortunate did not disturb, and a memorial was created at the burial site.
The sculpture depicting an intelligent prisoner who releases a dove through the bars has become a symbol of all the victims of the regime innocently imprisoned in the local prisons. The author of the monument was a sculptor from Tatarstan Mahmud Gasimov.
Wall of the Communards and stone obelisk
The post-revolutionary period also left its mark on the history of the island. Near the central square is the "Wall of the Communards", as well as a small and rather modest obelisk.
This is the place where the Red Guards were executed in 1918. Every tenth soldier of the military unit, which was stationed on the island, was killed on the orders of Trotsky after an unsuccessful attempt to dislodge white troops from Kazan.
Secular buildings of the island
Sviyazhsk in Tatarstan was a county town and had a characteristic architecture of its time. The buildings of the nineteenth century were practically not rebuilt, and therefore they are perfectly preserved. Here tourists will be able to see residential Uspenskaya and Nikolskaya streets, state-owned houses and barracks of the engineering regiment on Uspenskaya street, the building of a craft school, a city school on central square islands and other structures.
Museums and entertainment
Sviyazhsk in Tatarstan has a small museum where you can visit exhibitions that tell about the history of the island. Its employees organize walking tours, offer guests interactive program"Shooter fun". Today, the most interesting complex of the Horse Yard has been restored, blacksmithing and pottery are being revived.
The museum complex includes workshops, a working stable, a restaurant, a guest house and a souvenir shop. Many poets, writers and artists sing of the wonderful island in their work. "Enchanted by the Island" is a whole complex of structures that store ancient history settlement since its inception.
If you happen to visit Sviyazhsk, do not miss the opportunity to drive around the island in a carriage. At the Horse Yard, as in the distant past, beautiful and well-groomed horses live. They can be fed and stroked. And all lovers of equestrian sports will be offered to ride them around the island. Here, on the territory of the Horse Yard, there is a craft settlement.
Tourists not only visit the workshops, but also have the opportunity to take part in the creation of souvenirs using ancient technologies. Everyone is invited to try their hand at leather, pottery, blacksmithing, learn how to weave real bast shoes from a vine, and learn the basics of woodcarving. Tourists who come to the island for three days, from Friday to Sunday, can take part in the craft program.
Another interesting place on the island is Lazy Torzhok. It is located very close to the central Christmas Square. Here guests will be offered to put on armor and feel like real ancient warriors - the defenders of the fortress - and will be allowed to shoot from medieval weapons.
How to get to the island?
Probably, many readers, after reading the article, will think about visiting Svyazhsk. How to get to amazing island? Not as difficult as it might seem. Since the island-grad is located very close to the capital of Tatarstan, we will present you with several options on how to get to the island from Kazan.
By bus
From the "Southern" bus station of Kazan every day at 8.40 departs for Sviyazhsk scheduled bus. On weekends, additional buses run from the Central Bus Station. The journey takes an hour and a half.
Motor ship
From Kazan you can get to Sviyazhsk by boat. True, this option can only be considered from the first of May to the end of September.
By boat
Every day from 8.20 a passenger boat departs. Travel time is over two hours. But this longer option guarantees you the opportunity to admire the magnificent Volga landscapes, as well as see interesting places Tatarstan from the river.
bus-boat
Combined option that allows you to combine bus route and river walk. In this case, you should take a bus to Vasilyevo, and then transfer to a boat.
By car
We recommend motorists to move from Moscow to Kazan along the M7 highway. After passing the village of Isakovo, turn right at the junction. An old wooden mill can serve as a guide for you. Then move to the sign "turn to Sviyazhskoye" and turn right.
Motorists should be aware that entering the city by car is prohibited. The car should be left in paid parking.
October 30 is approaching - the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Political Repressions. Recently I happened to see the island city of Sviyazhsk, on the Volga, not far from Kazan. Here, since 1936, there was a prison of the NKVD of the TASSR, where from 1937 to 1948. 5 thousand repressed died.
In general, the history of Sviyazhsk very rich. The city was founded as a fortress in 1551. In the middle of the 16th century, a fierce struggle for dominance in the Middle Volga region was going on between the Kazan Khanate and the growing Moscow kingdom. From 1547, Ivan the Terrible made unsuccessful attempts to defeat the Kazan Khanate. Even with a numerical superiority and artillery, the Russians could not take Kazan. The border of the Kazan Khanate lay only 20 kilometers west of its capital, along the Sviyaga River, and Ivan the Terrible needed a well-fortified fortress, since the Moscow troops, cut off due to difficulties in communication with Moscow, could not besiege Kazan for a long time.
It was decided to build a fortress at the mouth of the Sviyaga at a distance of a day's march to Kazan, on the Round Mountain - a high hill with a flat top and steep slopes. There were marshes around the hill. The fortress was cut down and built on Upper Volga, in the Ugolch forests, for 1000 km. The built walls and towers of the fortress were brought in the spring on rafts and assembled here. Thanks to such tricks, the Tatars did not find out about the construction site. And soon Kazan was taken.
Sviyazhsk became a real island after the construction of the Kuibyshev hydroelectric power station - the reservoir flooded the adjacent lowlands. It was in 1957, at the same time most of the 3.5 thousand local residents left their homeland. For many years, the only way to get here was by water. But in 2005, a dam was built, along which now you can get here by car. With a dam, Sviyazhsk looks so funny from space :)
Back in 2008, the monasteries and numerous churches of Sviyazhsk lay in ruins. In 2009, Sviyazhsk was classified as an object cultural heritage of republican significance in the form of a place of interest (within the boundaries of the Sviyazhsky rural settlement). Under his wing, Sviyazhsk was taken by the former President of the Republic M. Shaimiev and the Republican Fund for the Revival of Historical and Cultural Monuments. In Sviyazhsk, they said that Mintimer Sharipovich comes here every 2-3 weeks, inspecting the progress of restoration work. A lot has been done: all engineering networks have been equipped, gas has been supplied, residents have been relocated from the cramped cells of the former monastery, where they lived for decades without basic amenities ...
1.
View of the Assumption Monastery of the 16th-20th centuries.
2. The dam and the road along which we arrived from Kazan are clearly visible from above, from the monastery walls:
From Kazan you need to go here along the M-7 highway towards Moscow, after the bridge over the river. Sviyaga turn right at the sign.
3. At the monastery wall - a monument to the victims of political repression (sculptor M. Gashimov):
4. We are first taken to the museum of the history of Sviyazhsk, past the monastery. We will return here later.
Now about 350 people live in Sviyazhsk. They were moved from old wooden houses to newly built municipal cottages. And after the repair, there will be shops, workshops of arts and crafts, etc. in the "wooden houses" after the repair.
5.
The Museum of the History of Sviyazhsk is located in a complex of state-owned buildings built in the 1838-1840s. Restoration has just finished here and there is no permanent exhibition yet.
9.
10. Model of the once densely populated Sviyazhsk
12. The museum presents things found by archaeologists. Here, for example, is a nice fragment of a tile
13. Sviyazhsk on an 18th-century engraving. Doesn't it remind you of anything?
A.G. Rudakov, M.I. Makhaev. View of Sviyazhsk at the water field by the full moon. 1769
In the light, what a miracle:
An island in the sea lies
The city stands on the island
With golden-domed churches,
With towers and gardens...
A tempting version: as if Sviyazhsk is the prototype of Pushkin's wonderful city. However, no. Pushkin learned about Sviyazhsk after he wrote the fairy tale :)
14.
View of Sviyazhsk. Unknown artist. Ser. 18th century
15. Sviyazhsk from a bird's eye view in summer
16. and in winter
Part of the current exposition of the museum is paintings with views of the historical and present Sviyazhsk, portraits of its inhabitants.
17.
City-town of Sviyazhsk. R.T. Safiullin. 2010.
18.
Another painting by R.T. Safiullina from the cycle "Seasons"
19 and 20 are also works by R.T. Safiullina
20.
Works by Rashit Safiullin and other artists dedicated to Svyaizhsk can be viewed
The history of Sviyazhsk is closely connected with the civil war. In the summer of 1918, Kazan was captured by the White Czechs. As Leon Trotsky, who was sent to Sviyazhsk to command the offensive operation against Kazan, wrote: "For a month, the fate of the revolution was decided anew here." The forces of the Volga river military flotilla were pulled into the area of Sviyazhsk station, an armored train arrived there, and an airfield was located on the field nearby. Trotsky, for the first time in the history of the civil war, used in Sviyazhsk the method of the so-called "decimation" - the execution of every tenth fighter from the units retreating from the front. He went down in history with the installation in Sviyazhsk of a monument to the "first revolutionary", for the role of which it was decided to elect Judas Iscariot, the apostle who "rebelled" against Jesus Christ.
We were told on the tour. that no documentary evidence that the monument really existed has yet been found.
21. Another building of the complex of state structures, where the prison was located in the 1930-40s:
22. Scheme of the buildings of the Sviyazhsk prison No. 8 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan. 1946
23. Genuine prison door
In Sviyazhsk, Vladimir Mikhailovich Golitsyn (1901 - 1943), a descendant of an old princely family, served time and died. In 1918-19. he was in charge of a poster workshop in Bogoroditsk, then he made Windows of GROWTH in Tula. In 1920 he enlisted as an artist in the Arctic. In 1922, being an employee of the floating Marine scientific institute Arctic, went to Novaya Zemlya as part of the first Soviet expedition.
Later he worked as an artist, in 1923-25. - in the Handicraft Museum. In 1925, for painting wooden boxes in the Old Russian style, he was awarded a gold medal at the International Exhibition in Paris. He worked as a decorator at the Bogoroditsky Theatre, illustrated books, collaborated with the magazines "Krugosvet", "World Pathfinder", "Pioneer", "Knowledge is Power". Invented over a dozen board games for children.
He was first arrested in 1925, then in 1926 he was kept in Butyrka. In 1941, he was again arrested, convicted, and from June 1942 he was in the penal colony No. 5 of Sviyazhsk. On December 29 of the same year, he was determined to be transferred to Yeniseisk, despite severe exhaustion. However, February 6, 1943 p. died, diagnosis - exacerbation of pellagra. Rehabilitated in 1958. In 1983, on the western wall of the Assumption Monastery, in memory of V.M. Golitsyn and his relative S.V. Olsufieva in the Sviyazhsk penal colony No. 5, memorial plaques to I.V. Golitsyn and M.A. Trubetskoy.
Sofya Vladimirovna Olsufieva (1984-1943), together with her husband, archaeologist and art critic Yu.A. Olsufiev, father Pavel Florensky and S.P. Mansurov in 1918 in Trinity-Sergiev Posad created a commission for the protection of monuments of art and antiquity, participated in the rescue of the relics of Sergei Radonezh. Yuri Aleskandrovich Olsufiev was shot in 1938. Sofya Vladimirovna worked at the Kuskovo Museum-Estate before her arrest. On November 1, 1941 she was convicted, she was in Sviyazhsk from December 1942. She died on March 15, 1943, diagnosed with an exacerbation of pellagra. In 1991 she was rehabilitated.
26.
V.M. Golitsyn. Arkhangelsk. Sketch for painting a wooden box. 1923-24 Copy
27.
V.M. Golitsyn. Red Army soldiers. Sketch for painting a wooden box. 1923-24 Copy
The museum contains manuscripts of the books by Andrei Gurevich Loshadkin (1881-1942) "Garden, vegetable garden, apiary and fish pond or auxiliary branches of agriculture", " Short Course gardening", "Pumpkins, melons, watermelons", etc., written in 1930-1940 in the Sviyazhsk prison. He is a graduate of the Kazan Art School, studied at the St. courses. Worked as an agronomist in Kazan and the province. In 1931 he was arrested, then released, but in 1938 he was arrested again. He was serving a sentence in the Sviyazhsk penal colony No. 5, worked here as an agronomist, drawing and writing books in the evening and at night. Died 2 August 1942 in Sviyazhsk from dysentery, rehabilitated in 1986.
29.
Drawings by A. Loshadkin
30.
Fraternal building of the Dormition Bogoroditsky Monastery Sviyazhsk, where ITK No. 5 was located
After the colony was transferred from here in the mid-1950s, there was a branch of the republican psychiatric clinic.
The hospital was closed in the late 1980s, at the same time several churches were returned to believers. The branch of the Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan is located on the island.
31. One of the streets of Sviyazhsk:
32. Public housing
34. Shop
35. We crossed the island and came to the Church of Constantine and Helena (end of the 17th century) on the opposite bank from the Assumption Monastery
36. In the distance, on the other side, you can see the church of the Makariev Monastery
37. House of the Mayor F.P. Polyakov, late 19th century.
38. House of Illarionov - Medvedev - Brovkin, late 19th century
39. Almshouse (beginning of the 20th century), where we were fed deliciously (now there is a hotel with all amenities and a cafe). From the balcony of this building, Trotsky spoke at rallies in 1918.
40. Moskovskaya Street with the above houses
41. The local school is located in the building of the county hymansion (XIX century). There are few children in Sviyazhsk; children from nearby villages and villages are brought to school. There is also a kindergarten in the same building.
42. Near the gymnasium - a hill with the ruins of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin (XVI century), destroyed in the 20-30s of the last century. In Sviyazhsk, all the places of the destroyed churches are marked with crosses, and similar information stands are at the restored monuments
43. Not far away is a monument to the Sviyazh people - participants in the Second World War
44. Buildings of the fire train and the vocational school, 1870s
45. All this is located on the central square of Sviyazhsk, here and flower sculptures There is:
46. Manor of merchant F.T. Kamenev, late 19th century. Now this is a hotel
50. There are many other places like these crosses in Sviyazhsk. And this one is near the preserved ruins of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (XVII century). Opposite was another church - St. Sophia. Both temples were destroyed in the first half of the 20th century.
51. Somewhere around here it is planned to make such a thing
52. And we are walking along Troitskaya Street to the John the Baptist Monastery past a wooden two-story house built at the end of the 19th century:
53. John the Baptist Monastery used to be a women's monastery, now it is being revived as a men's one. There are three temples on the territory of the monastery. Cathedral in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow", beginning of the 20th century:
54. Nearby is the oldest not only in Sviyazhsk, but throughout the entire Middle Volga region, the wooden Trinity Church, built simultaneously with the city in 1551 (the foundation remained from that time):
55. The Sergius Church was built during the time of Boris Godunov, at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th centuries. and is dedicated to Sergei Radonezhsky - the patron saint of Sviyazhsk:
56. On the territory of the monastery, several buildings were preserved, where the nuns lived, buildings of the late XIX - early XX centuries.
57. And we return to the Assumption Monastery
58. Playground
60. Restoration work is in full swing in the Dormition Monastery
61. The first thing we see is the church of St. Herman (XVII-XX centuries) with a fraternal corps
65. View of the oldest stone building Sviyazhsk - St. Nicholas Church with a bell tower (the bell tower was added later) and the Assumption Cathedral (1556). The cathedral (he is on the right) was built by the Pskov artel under the leadership of Postnik Yakovlev and Ivan Shiryai, famous masters to whom Russia owes one of its symbols - the Pokrovsky Cathedral (St. Basil's) on Red Square in Moscow.
66. Next to the cathedral is the monastery cemetery. Gravestones were recently found in various places on the island, including on the roads, and moved here. There are also monastic graves of recent years
67. In the Assumption Cathedral, more than 1000 square meters. meters of frescoes of the XVI century. This is a unique ensemble, preserved only in Sviyazhsk, which also includes a fresco of Christopher "Pesyeglavets" beloved by tourists - a saint who was depicted with the head of a horse and a dog.
68.
Christopher "The Pesiehead"
70. Restoration work is currently underway in the cathedral. Due to the gigantic length of the post, I no longer show the frescoes to anyone who is interested - you can see it in my album Sviyazhsk on Yandex photos
71. The building of the monastery school XVII-XIX centuries.
72. Archimandrite Corps of the 17th century:
73. The gate Ascension Church is being restored. Work is carried out even at dusk, when we leave the island city
74. Amazing place... It struck everyone who was on the tour - both Kazanians who had been here even before the restoration work ("how much has been done in such a short time!") And us, who did not know anything about Sviyazhsk before. I was not at all jarred by the remake (but there are negative feedback on this topic on the net) - after the stories of Kazanians, what used to be here - complete devastation and desolation. I want to come here again, to see the city in all its glory.
