The Fortress Named after St. Dmitry Rostovsky

          

The beginning of the history of our city is connected with the construction of Temernik Custom and the Fortress named after St. Dmitry Rostovsky. During the period of the Azov wars of 1695-1696 Peter I being on the territory of modern Rostov searched for a place for a future fortress. He liked the abrupt bank of the river Don near Bogaty Spring. However this plan had not been realized as after the defeat in 1711 Russia had to destroy some important fortresses in the South and to give Azov back to the Turks.

The presence of the Turks, the Tatars and other hostile                                        peoples on the left bank of the Don made the Russian government found the St.Ann’s fortress. It was built in 1731 on the island situated between the Don and Aksay. But in due course the Russian government decided to find a more strategically convenient point on the Don territories as the location of the St.Ann’s fortress had been considered disadvantageous.

In summer 1749 the leader of the Don Army ataman Daniil Efremov received the decree of the Russian empress Elizaveta Petrovna, the daughter of Peter I, to found a custom-house in Cherkassk – the main town of the Don Cossack Army. But free-loving Cossacks were against this order as it limited their own trade with Russian and foreign merchants. They wrote a letter to the empress reminding about special privileges for the Cossacks: duty- and tax-free trading. And as the Don Army played an important role in the defense of the Southern borders of the country she changed her mind. On 15-th of December, 1749 it was decreed to build the custom up the river Don, near Bogaty Kolodetz. Bogaty Kolodetz was the name of a rich spring of fresh water around which a small settlement appeared. However, the construction started only in March 1750 and quite at the other place: on the left bank of the Temernik. So this custom was called Temernitskaya. Later different buildings appeared around it and in 1761 the Russian government decided to build a fortress at its place which was called then in honour of St.Dmitry Rostovsky. By this time in 1761 according to the decree of Katherine II the St.Ann’s fortress had been dismantled.

On September 23, 1761 the ceremonial laying of the foundation-stone of the St.Dmitry Rostovsky‘s fortress took place. The fortress was called so in honour of St.Dmitry, the metropolitan and a wonder-worker from Rostov the Great. The new fortress was situated on the steep right bank of the Don near the settlement of Bogaty Kolodetz («Rich Spring»), located near the mouth of the Temernik river. The fortress was built under the supervision of the engineer-colonel Alexander Rigelman, its constructor and a commandant. Major-general Somov was appointed the first commandant of the St.Dmitry’s fortress. All the soldiers, offices and guns of the St.Ann’s fortress were transferred to the new one.

The St.Dmitry’s fortress was very important at that time. In the first place, it defended the Russian border from the nomadic tribes, and in the second place, it was a trade point connected with the South of Russia. And at the same time with the help of its soldiers the Russian government could control the Don Cossacks. The territory occupied by the fortress was limited by present day Krepostnoy by-street in the East, Chekhov street – in the West, M. Gorky street – in the North and Stanislavsky street – in the South. It was built in the form of a sixteen-pointed star opened from the side of the Don so the enemies were always under the fire. A deep moat ran around the fortress which had six gates. It occupied the highest part of the right bank of the river and that was very important from the strategic point of view. The area of the fortress was about 1 sq. km. In the middle of the fortress there was a church of the Robe of Our Lady (the church has been recently built in this place). There were also seven longitudinal and seven transverse streets inside of the fortress. The central street got the name Bogotyanovskaya (now Kirovsky avenue).

By 1835 the fortress had lost its military importance because it was already located deep inside the Russian lands. The troops were sent to Anapa and the fortress was dismantled. Now only the Krepostnoy Lane reminds us by its name about the existence of the fortress, which had given the name to our city.

VOCABULARY

1 fortress – крепость

2 hostile – враждебный

3   disadvantageous – невыгодный

4 decree – закон, декрет, решение

5 duty - and tax - free trading – беспошлинная и безналоговая торговля

6 the ceremonial laying of the foundation-stone – церемония закладки фундамента

7   the metropolitan and a wonder-worker – митрополит и чудотворец

8   the mouth of the Temernik river – устье реки Темерник

9   the engineer-colonel and a commandant – инженер-полковник и комендант

10  in the first place... in the second place... – во-первых, во-вторых...

11  the nomadic tribes – кочевые племена

12 a moat – ров с водой

13  the church of the Robe of Our Lady – церковь Покрова Пресвятой Богородицы

14 a sixteen-pointed star – шестнадцатиконечная звезда

15 Krepostnoy Lane – Крепостной вал

 

EXERCISES

1 Answer the following questions:

1 Why did the Russian government decide to build a fortress on the bank of the Don in 1731?

2 What was its name?

3 Why was it changed by the St.Dmitry’s fortress?

4 Why was it called so?

5 What were the functions of the St.Dmitry Rostovsky’s fortress?

6 Describe its territory.

7 What reminds us of this fortress now?

8 Why was it dismantled?

 

 

TEXT 6

St. Dmitry Rostovsky: a Legend and a Real Person

 

Dmitry Rostovsky had died fifty years before his name was given to a new fortress but the status of a saint had been imposed upon him only four years before this event.

The biography of Dmitry Rostovsky is a bright example of great innovations introduced by Peter I. He was born in the family of a cossack Savva Tuptalo in December 1651 and his initial name was Daniil. As a boy he was smart and curious and passionately wanted to study. He got education in Kiev, then he became a monk and took a name of Dmitry. He knew several foreign languages, traveled much and possessed a rare talent to communicate with people. He became the metropolitan of Rostov the Great and Yaroslavl.

He left many books among which there are not only religious but historical, poetic and drama works. One of them – Christmas Drama – was staged in Rostov some years ago and had a success.

Being the metropolitan he stayed an unpretentious person who took care of education, health protection and hated bribery and ambitions. When he died in 1709 he left no gold or money but several unfinished papers which were put into his coffin according to the will.

There are following words in one of his books: «There are three main Christian virtues: faith, hope and love. It is impossible to find salvation without them. Which of them is the most important? – LOVE. Love to God, to one’s neighbour, etc. This virtue is immortal and eternal. It will stay for ever».

We should remember the will of the man whose name our native city bears – to keep love! For the sake of the present and the future!

 

TEXT 7