Old Cherkasy. About the village

We continue our journey through the Rostov region and today our stop is in the village of Starocherskasskaya. Cities will still be on our way. I just wanted to diversify our trip a little today.

The city of Cherkassk - the capital of the Don Army - now bears the name of the village of Starocherkasskaya and is one of the main tourist centers of the Rostov region. In 1970 on the initiative of the writer M.A. Sholokhov, the Starocherkassk Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve was created here, thanks to which the traditional Cossack life remained carefully preserved in the architecture of the village and the arrangement of streets. The main architectural attraction of Starocherkassk is the nine-domed Military Resurrection Cathedral (1706-1719), in which the oath of allegiance was taken to the tsar and fatherland the legendary Cossack ataman Platov. It is unique in its architecture and interior decoration, the most ancient temple Don, built on the initiative of Peter I and with his personal participation, the tsar laid several bricks in the altar part of the cathedral. Next to the cathedral, a hipped bell tower, 48 m high, shot up (the only one in the south of Russia), in the basement of which there used to be a prison and a military archive was kept. The square in front of the cathedral - Maidan - has the status of a separate landmark 6 this is the place of traditional Cossack gatherings. Starocherkassky The historical and architectural museum-reserve is included in the UNESCO international tourist directory, and the entire village of Starocherkasskaya is included in the “List of Historical Cities (Settlements)” Russian Federation", having valuable urban ensembles, complexes, and an ancient cultural layer.

35 km from Rostov-on-Don up the Don River, on the right bank there is the village of Starocherkasskaya - the oldest locality Aksai district. The village has road and river connections with the regional center. There are no more interesting place, associated with the history of the Don Cossacks than the village of Starocherkasskaya. It was already a Cossack town in 1570, and the first documentary mention dates back to 1593. Half a century later, Cherkassk (that was the name of this town) became the capital of the Don Cossacks. Here Stepan Razin called on the poor Cossacks to go to Moscow; Cherkassk was the center of the peasant war under the leadership of Kondraty Bulavin. On August 18, 1696, the first salute in Russian history was given in Cherkassk in honor of the capture of Azov. In 1805, the capital of the Don Army Region, due to the constant flooding of the river, was moved to Novocherkassk, and Cherkassk was “demoted” to the village. Attractions. The streets and monuments of the former Cossack capital have a very remarkable feature: they lead not only from house to house, from monument to monument, but also from century to century, from era to era, each of which gave birth to heroes who became the pride of the history of our Motherland. Here you can almost physically feel long-gone times and events, as if you were touching the shoulders of people who lived a long time ago and hearing their voices.

Interesting memorial Complex Ataman's estate of the 18th - 19th centuries, the only Ataman's estate in the south of Russia. Of particular interest is an old house with bars on the windows and cast-iron metal doors - this building belonged to the trading Cossacks Zhuchenkovs. Various thematic exhibitions are located here, which will give tourists many pleasant moments. In Starocherkassk, the house where the leader of the Peasant War of 1707-1709 died is still preserved. Kondraty Bulavin. The Peter and Paul Church (1751), in which the famous Ataman Platov was baptized, is of enormous memorial value. The magnificent Transfiguration (Ratnaya) Church (1740) rises on the Ratny tract. From here, in ancient times, Cossack freemen went on campaigns against the enemies of the Russian land. By attacking the Turks and Tatars, the Cossacks thereby defended the southern borders of the Russian state. Nowadays it is quiet on the Ratny tract, peaceful in the ancient cemetery. Only history experts can tell where the Platovs, Ilovaiskys, and Orlovs are buried. Atamans of the 17th-18th centuries and many heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 found their final resting place here. Three kilometers from the village of Starocherkasskaya, on the Vasilievsky Hills, the majestic ramparts and ditches of the Annensky fortress (1730) have been preserved. The monastery tract, located not far from the village, is known for the fact that the remains of Cossacks who heroically fought in all the wars that Russia has ever waged rest here.

Atamanskoe Efremovskoye Compound. In that architectural complex concentrated architectural monuments XVIII—XIX ...

Bulavin's house (first half of the 18th century). Photo: Yaroslav Blanter

On the protected territory of the village of Starocherkasskaya there are about 100 historical and cultural monuments of the 18th - 19th centuries. And the first among these monuments is the military Resurrection Cathedral, built on the swampy Cherkassy Maidan. It was founded on the initiative of Peter I and with his personal participation. Tsar Peter I laid several bricks in the altar part of the cathedral. The history of the Resurrection Cathedral is inextricably linked with the name of the ataman of the cathedral, Stepan Razin. He was born in Cherkassk. A powerful metal chain is still preserved here, with which, according to legend, Stepan Razin was chained while waiting to be sent to Moscow for execution. The chain was specially displayed in the gallery of the cathedral in order to intimidate the freedom-loving Cossacks and force them to abandon their attempts to overthrow tsarism.

In 1756-1761, the Efremovs built a house Donskaya Church in the name of the Don Mother of God on the territory of the farmstead.

Ataman's Compound:

Matvey Ivanovich Platov (1751-1818) - Russian military leader, count (1812), cavalry general (1809), Cossack. Participated in all wars Russian Empire late XVIII - early XIX centuries. Since 1801, he has been the ataman of the All-Great Don Army. Right on the facade of the building there is a memorial plaque to our hero, erected in 2003 by the Cossacks of the East Kazakhstan region of the All-Great Don Army.

In 1756-1761, the Efremovs built a house Donskaya Church in the name of the Don Mother of God on the territory of the farmstead. According to legend, the church in the Near Caves was taken as a model Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, where Danila Efremov was a ktitor (elder).
rare old photo churches:

The church was rebuilt several times; in 1817, the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was added to it, the bell tower was connected to the main part of the temple, and on the left, in 1843, another chapel appeared - that of Daniel the Stylite. behind the church with east side there is a family cemetery of the Efremovs.

Now let's go to one of the museums of Cossack life

Right in the middle there is this large model of Starocherkassk (also Cherkassk):

fisherman's paradise:

And here they are, beloved by some people who are fond of stamped bricks:



Luxurious examples of interiors from different times:

There are small holes in the imp. When the decanter was filled, the imp was also filled. When the guests drank the entire decanter, it seemed empty. However, due to the small holes, a glass or two was poured out of the little devil by the morning. Thus, the original owner always had a glass to help him get drunk in the morning. They knew how!)

armor:

The famous fortress of St. Anna:

Let's go back to the museum. To arms!

at the bottom in the middle is a military cash box, which, by the way, still contains money:

Church of the Transfiguration.

The second oldest temple in Cherkassy. It was erected on the site of the burnt wooden Ilinskaya Church, apparently by the same Moscow craftsmen who built the bell tower of the Resurrection Cathedral. According to some sources, it was founded in 1731 under Ataman Danil Efremov, according to others - in 1751. The second name - Ratnaya - the church received from the Ratny tract, where Cossack armies had long gathered before campaigns. The church burned several times and was rebuilt again. The interior of the church has not survived to this day.

Next to the church is the Ratnoe Cemetery - a Cossack necropolis - where the heroes of the Azov siege Osip Petrov and Naum Vasilyev, Ataman Ivan Krasnoshchekov, atamans of the 17th-18th centuries, the parents of Ataman Platov and his brother Peter and many heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 are buried.

More views of the village of Starocherkasskaya:

Peter and Paul Church, where Matvey Platov was baptized, St. Starocherkasskaya.

River Station.

Starocherkasskaya. Palace of the Efremov atamans. Ser. XVII century

The village of Starocherkasskaya is located 27 km east of Rostov-on-Don. One of the oldest Don Cossack villages. From 1644 to 1805 - the capital of the Don Cossacks. Since 1970, on the initiative of M.A. Sholokhov, the Starocherkassk Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve was founded here.

Story

Written mentions of the Cherkassy town have been found since 1593, although there are versions about its foundation in 1570 by Zaporozhye Cherkasy Cossacks. The town arose on the Don Island. From here and from the Monastic town located 7 kilometers down the Don, the famous Cossack campaign against the Turkish fortress of Azov began, its capture and four-year retention (Azov Seat of 1637-1641). The Turks did not forgive the Cossacks for this: in 1643, Cherkassk and the Monastery town were destroyed by an unexpected blow, but already in 1644 Cherkassk was not only rebuilt, but also fortified. And in the same year the Main Camp moved here - Cherkassk became the capital of the Don Army. On one of the most elevated places on the island in 1650, a wooden Resurrection Military Cathedral was built, near which there was a wide square - the Maidan, where Military Circles gathered to solve pressing problems. The cathedral was built according to a vow made by the Cossacks during the Seat of Azov.

Fires were a real disaster in the life of Cherkassy, ​​despite very strict rules for handling fire. Several times the town burned almost to the ground; after one of these fires, on the site of the burnt wooden Resurrection Cathedral, the first stone nine-domed church on the Don was built, which has survived to this day almost in its original form. The construction of the cathedral lasted from 1706 to 1719, Peter I provided great assistance in its construction, and according to some documents, he personally laid several bricks in the altar part of the cathedral. From 1725 to 1730, a 45-meter tented bell tower, unique for the south of Russia, was built next to the cathedral. Until 1805, the Resurrection Cathedral was the main temple of the entire Don Army.

On retail space In Cherkassy in 1749-1751, a stone church of the apostles Peter and Paul was built, in which the future hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, the famous Don ataman Matvey Ivanovich Platov, was baptized. Another church - the Transfiguration of the Lord - from the beginning of the 17th century was located in the Ratny tract, in the cemetery of Cherkassk. This place was famous for the fact that all Cossack campaigns began from here. Here, at the Ratny cemetery, they served a memorial service for the dead and those killed in the war, here they said goodbye to their parents and from here they took a handful of Don soil, which they carried on their chests with them in a foreign land. Originally wooden, in 1740 the Transfiguration (Ratnaya) Church was again erected in stone.

Stepan Razin was born in Cherkassk, and here, in 1667, his uprising began. Emelyan Pugachev also visited here several times; here, in a strong two-story fortified house, not far from the Church of Peter and Paul, on July 7, 1708, the leader of the peasant uprising, Kondraty Bulavin, was treacherously killed. And in 1800, on the Maidan, during the reign of Paul I, who in words felt “the deepest affection” for the Cossacks, a demonstrative execution of Peter and Evgraf Gruzinov, who protested against the transformation of the Cossack lands into a Russian province, was carried out.

Here, in Cherkassk, in the mid-18th century, the first building of a unique complex that exists to this day appears - the Ataman Palace of Danila Efremov. The Ataman courtyard also includes the Don House Church (1756-1761), located opposite the palace, a number of outbuildings and the Efremov family cemetery. Later, in 1837, the widow-colonels Ulyana and Evdokia Efremov founded a convent, which included all the buildings of the courtyard, except for the palace. Later, in 1895, a cell building was built on the territory of the compound for the nuns to live in.

As new lands are annexed to the Russian Empire and it moves towards the Black Sea, Cherkassk loses its military significance. In addition, being a living reminder of the “Troubles” and the Cossack freemen, the very name of the town irritates the tsarist authorities. But officially the transfer of the capital was explained exclusively by prosaic reasons: constant floods in the spring and constant fires the rest of the time. And in 1805, military ataman Matvey Ivanovich Platov founded the new capital of the Don Cossacks - Novocherkassk, despite the disagreement of the majority of the Cossacks... And Cherkassk becomes Starocherkassk, remaining within the boundaries of its very first villages - within the boundaries of the Don island on which its first appeared the buildings...

Attractions

Resurrection Military Cathedral

A nine-domed stone temple 46 meters high, built in the Ukrainian Baroque style, the architect is unknown. An interesting fact is that the temple was built during the decree of Peter I banning the construction of stone buildings everywhere except St. Petersburg. However, Peter I himself contributed to the construction of the temple in Cherkassk, helping with money, utensils, specialists and, allegedly, personally taking a symbolic part in the construction. The cathedral is surrounded by a two-tier gallery - a walkway, which visually connects it with the architecture of the Cossack kurens of Cherkassk.

The interior of the cathedral is striking in its decoration, which contrasts with its restrained appearance. The unique five-tiered gilded carved iconostasis measuring 19x23 meters contains 149 icons.

Among the unusual details, the metal plates in front of the altar attract attention, where there are cast inscriptions stating that Russian emperors and grand dukes once prayed at this place. And at the entrance to the temple, on the wall hang massive shackles and chains, in which Stepan Razin was supposedly shackled before being sent to execution. Not far away, in the gallery, behind a metal slab, there is the ashes of that man - military ataman Kirill Yakovlev - who treacherously betrayed his godson Stepan to the tsarist government...

Tent bell tower

The two-tier tented bell tower has a height of 45.8 meters. It consists of a basement, a quadrangle, an octagon and a tent topped with a cross. The size of the tent is quite small compared to the octagonal tier that precedes it, but in combination with the nearby cathedral it looks harmonious, making up one architectural ensemble. For some time in the basement there was a prison in which especially important criminals were kept. In the octagon - the octagonal, highest part of the bell tower - there is a stone staircase running through the thickness of the wall. And in the round windows - “rumors”, located in this part, during the celebrations, lit bowls were displayed, creating festive illumination.

The archives of the Don Army were kept in the bell tower for some time.

From the height of the bell tower there is a stunning view of the surroundings of Starocherkassk, but currently the bell tower is transferred to the jurisdiction of the Holy Don Starocherkassk monastery and access to tourists is closed to it.

Maidan

This is the legendary gathering place of the Military Circle, a memorial monument to the history of the Cossacks. Here, decisions about campaigns were made; here began the “turmoil” of Stepan Razin; here Kondraty Bulavin was elected ataman. Here, on August 31, 1696, the first fireworks display in Russia was performed in honor of the victory of Russian weapons near Azov. Here, on the Maidan, the trophies of the famous Azov siege of 1637-1641 are kept - ancient Turkish cannons, a cast-iron fortress gate, two gates and the yoke of the city trading scales.

Transfiguration (Ratnaya) Church, Ratnaya Cemetery

The second oldest temple in Cherkassy. It was erected on the site of the burnt wooden Ilinskaya Church, apparently by the same Moscow craftsmen who built the bell tower of the Resurrection Cathedral. According to some sources, it was founded in 1731 under Ataman Danil Efremov, according to others - in 1751. The second name - Ratnaya - the church received from the Ratny tract, where Cossack armies had long gathered before campaigns. The church burned several times and was rebuilt again. The interior of the church has not survived to this day. Next to the church there is the Ratnoye Cemetery - a Cossack necropolis - where the heroes of the Azov siege Osip Petrov and Naum Vasilyev, Ataman Ivan Krasnoshchekov, atamans of the 17th-18th centuries, the parents of Ataman Platov and his brother Peter and many heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 are buried.

Church of Peter and Paul

Located on the square of the former Pribylyanskaya village. Wooden church this place was mentioned in the charters of the Don Army back in 1692. After the great fire of 1744, it was built in stone very quickly, in three years - from 1749 to 1751. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna helped Ataman Danila Efremov in the construction, sending a Moscow master and ten plasterers and masons. In 1751, the future famous chieftain M.I. was baptized here. Platov.
Inside the church there were paintings and an iconostasis from the early 19th century, but they have not survived to this day.

Ataman's Compound

Located on the territory of the former Srednyaya Stanitsa (between Cherkasskaya and Pavlovskaya), it belonged to one of the richest and most noble family families in the Don - the Efremovs. Appointed in 1738 as ataman of the Don Army, Danila Efremov accumulated untold wealth. Together with myn Stepan, he owned shops in shopping arcades, taverns, mills on Tuzlov and Medveditsa, herds of horses, and arbitrarily seized thousands of acres of communal land...

The Ataman Palace was the first building on the territory of the courtyard. The second floor was originally made of wood, but after a fire in 1848 it was rebuilt in stone. It was a real palace, like the estate palaces of the Moscow and St. Petersburg nobility. Its original appearance has not been preserved as a result of numerous reconstructions. The palace has 21 rooms, and its total area— 1000 sq.m. Its vast territory now houses the exposition of the Starocherkassk Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve.

In 1756-1761, the Efremovs built a house Donskaya Church in the name of the Don Mother of God on the territory of the farmstead. According to legend, the church in the Near Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, where Danila Efremov was a ktitor (elder), was taken as a model. The church was rebuilt several times; in 1817, the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was added to it, the bell tower was connected to the main part of the temple, and on the left, in 1843, another chapel appeared - that of Daniel the Stylite. Behind the church on the eastern side is the Efremov family cemetery.

After being located on the territory of the monastery courtyard, a cell building was built; The courtyard was surrounded by a stone wall with a one-of-a-kind arched holy gate, which visually connected the buildings of different times inside the courtyard into a single architectural ensemble.

House of Kondraty Bulavin

The house in which Kondraty Bulavin, besieged by thrifty Cossacks, was killed, stands somewhat apart and is a good example of Cossack architecture of the houses of wealthy Cossacks. This is a kind of fortress house: the windows are protected by bars, the doors are lined with iron; there was no yard or outbuildings at the house... In such a house it was possible to hold a siege not only during an attack by external enemies, but also against the encroachments of rebellious Cossacks in hard times. It is a monument of stone architecture of the first half of the 18th century. Currently attached to it high staircase and a porch, although previously both floors were connected by an internal staircase.

House of Zhuchenkovs

Monument of residential architecture of the 18th century. Just like the house of Kondraty Bulavin, it is a fortress house. The windows are in forged bars; Moreover, on the ground floor the windows of the upper floor are much smaller in size and have corners sloping inward, which resembles fortress loopholes. According to surviving photographs, inside the house there was a Dutch oven lined with colored tiles. The stove has not survived to this day.

Cossack architecture

The general type of Cossack dwelling in Starocherkassk is a “round kuren,” that is, a square house on a high foundation with a hipped roof, often two-story with a lower stone and wooden upper floor; in front of the entrance there is a porch-locker and on the side of it there is an external staircase to the “galdarya” that encircles the entire house at the level of the second floor. They lived at the top of the house, and kept household equipment below. The Old Believers sometimes had a prayer room there.

But there were also many houses of a special type: square in plan, two-story stone with extremely thick walls, and the lower floor rooms had massive brick vaults. In the living rooms there are large Dutch ovens lined with patterned tiles, on the outside windows there are massive iron bars; doors and shutters are also iron, forged; above the windows there are decorations made of brick in the Baroque style. The roof is high, hipped, iron. Typical examples of such houses are the house of Kondraty Bulavin and the house of the Zhuchenkovs.

Monastic tract (Kamplichka, Kaplitsa)

The Cossack town of Monastyrsky appeared here in the 16th century and the first mention of it dates back to 1593. From 1620 to 1637 it was the Main Army - the capital of the Don Cossacks. Cossack Circles gathered here, royal ambassadors were received here. There was also a chapel where hieromonks who came to the Monastery Town at the request of the Cossacks held services - until the mid-17th century, the Don Cossacks did not have full-time priests. Here, on the Circle, on April 21, 1637, it was decided to attack Azov, and on June 18, Azov fell and was held by the Cossacks for 4 years (Azov siege). Since the Moscow government refused to accept captured Azov under the “sovereign hand,” the Cossacks left the city in the spring of 1642, moving to the Monastic Town. Taking revenge for Azov, during 1644 the Turks attacked the town twice; in the spring the attack was repulsed, and in the fall, under the cover of darkness, the attack was a success - the monastic town was destroyed, and almost its entire population was destroyed.

The Cossacks no longer settled there, but in 1696, after the capture of Azov, Peter I ordered a fortification to be built on the site of the Monastery Town - a transient that existed until the appearance of the Anninskaya fortress, where the entire local garrison was transferred.

In 1866, a monument-chapel of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary was founded here, and a year later it was consecrated. The initiator of the construction, priest and historian, Fr. Grigory Levitsky noted that the chapel was built similar to the wooden one that stood here in 1637, when the Cossacks set off to storm Azov.

Every year here, on the first Saturday before October 1 (September 27 - the day the Azov siege ended), memorial services were held. In 1917, a memorial service was held here, which was attended by military ataman Alexei Maksimovich Kaledin and the chairman of the Don government, Mitrofan Petrovich Bogaevsky.

And then, after 1917, new graves appeared here. The Red Army soldiers shot in Starocherkasskaya and the dead White Cossacks were buried here... And in 1941, 11 sailors from the crew of the gunboat “Rostov-Don” were buried here. And in the fall of 1942, celebrations were held here with a memorial service and prayer service, which were organized by the Cossacks who fought on the side of the Nazis.

On May 9, 1974, a memorial of military glory was opened here, and three dates were engraved on a high stele on the banks of the Don: 1641, 1920, 1941.

In August 1990, the first memorial service since 1942 was held in the Monastyrskoye tract. Since then, on October 15, Cossacks from all over Russia gather here every year to prayerfully remember their ancestors. And on October 11, 2005, the restored chapel in the name of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary was consecrated here...

Fortress of St. Anna

Three kilometers northeast of Starocherkasskaya there is the only earthen fortress of St. that has survived to this day. Anna, the construction of which began in May 1730 by order of Empress Anna Ioannovna.

According to the plan, the fortress was surrounded by an earthen rampart and consisted of six forts, forming an almost regular hexagon, the sides of which were three hundred and eighteen meters long. The smallest height of the shafts is 5.5 m; the depth of the fortress moat is 3.5 m. The length of the fortress ramparts around the circumference is almost 2 km. The northern, southeastern and southwestern gates were further reinforced with redoubts. Inside the fortress there was a brick commandant's house, a soldier's settlement, a powder magazine and the Intercession wooden church.

Construction was completed by the end of 1737 and the fortress was included in the Ukrainian defensive line. The fortress played the role of a support base in the Russian-Turkish war of 1735-1739.

Another important function of the fortress was control over the “behavior of the Cossacks.” The commandant of the fortress was the superior officer for the atamans of the Don army, with whom they had to coordinate their actions. An example of such control is history, when in 1743 military ataman Danila Efremov, after consulting with the Cossack foreman, began building stone walls around the city of Cherkassk. He did not ask permission for this from the Russian authorities, and therefore the commandant of the fortress of St. Anna immediately reported this to St. Petersburg. The Military Collegium started the case. The wall was allowed to be completed, “but only on the Turkish side,” and “on the Russian side” it was forbidden to erect stone structures “firmly.”

However, the fortress was quite far from the mouth of the Don and Sea of ​​Azov, which neutralized its military significance. In addition, constant spring floods and diseases of the garrison soldiers caused by living in swampy areas brought additional difficulties into her activities. And therefore, after receiving the right to build a new fortification lower along the Don under the Belgrade peace treaty with Turkey, the government abolished the Anninsky fortress in 1760 and transferred its garrison to the fortress of Dmitry of Rostov.

After the abolition of the fortress, some merchant people continued to live here; there was also a timber exchange here for some time; The first Cherkasy fair was opened near the fortress under Ataman Platov. In the 30s of the 19th century, two small leper colony houses were built here, where Cossacks with leprosy were treated.
In the second half of the 19th century, these buildings were liquidated, and the vegetable gardens of the residents of the village of Starocherkasskaya were located on the former territory of the fortress.

On the Don there are many beautiful and historically interesting Cossack towns, which later became villages. We met one of these villages in previous posts. Today I would like to talk about another amazing village, a real pearl in the scattering of Don Cossack villages, the first capital of the Don Cossacks - the village of Starocherkasskaya.

This ancient Cossack village has seen a lot in its lifetime. She remembers rebellious uprisings and valiant military campaigns, she remembers the fires of fires and the destructive floods of rivers. But despite all the trials, the village carefully preserves its history - the history of a free people, the history of the Cossacks.

You can hardly find another place so closely connected with the life of the Don Cossacks as the village of Starocherkasskaya. Previously, this Cossack town was simply called Cherkassk. The first written mentions of Cherkassk date back to 1593, however, according to the research of local historian V.N. Tatishchev, the town was founded by the Cherkasy people under the leadership of Prince Vishnevetsky during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, probably in 1560.

Cherkassk in the 16th-17th centuries

For many years, Cherkassk was the capital of the Don Cossacks. Now they talk about the life and everyday life of the Don Cossacks at the sites of the Starocherkassk Museum-Reserve, which occupies an area of ​​180 hectares.

Cherkassk has seen a lot of turmoil in its lifetime. Stenka Razin was born here in the 17th century, and this is where he began his uprising. Emelyan Pugachev and the leader of the rebel peasants, Kondraty Bulavin, have been here.

He remembers the town and noble military campaigns. After all, it was from here, from the free banks of the Don, that back in 1637 the Cossacks set off to take the impregnable Turkish Azak (now). They managed not only to take it, but also to hold it in their hands for four years. This event received the name “Azov siege” in history.

Military Azov campaigns of the Cossacks

Cherkassk remembers the annual spring floods, and terrible fires when the city burned almost to the ground. One such large fire was the result of the fact that for the first time on the Don a nine-domed stone temple was erected - - which has survived to this day almost in its original form.

Years, decades, centuries passed. Over time, Cherkassk lost its military significance. Constant unrest in the Cossack freemen irritated the tsarist authorities; destructive fires and floods interfered with normal settled life. As a result, in 1805, a native of the town, military chieftain M.I. Platov decides to found a new capital of the Don Cossacks - the city of Novocherkassk.

A native of Cherkassk - Ataman M.I. Platov

Since then, Cherkassk began to be called Starocherkassk. And by the end of the 19th century. due to the outflow of population, the Cossack settlement lost its city status, remaining within the original borders of that Don island, where its first buildings appeared in the 16th century... And only many churches and cathedrals now remind of the former greatness of the once rich capital of the Don Cossacks.

Stanitsa Starocherkasskaya today

Stanitsa Starocherkasskaya today

Now Starocherkasskaya is a small village with a population of no more than 3 thousand inhabitants, but the historical and cultural heritage this amazing place truly unique. On the territory of one of the largest in Russia, which is the entire village, about 100 monuments of culture, history and architecture have been preserved. The funds carefully preserve over 50,000 antiques, which hundreds of thousands of tourists come here to see every year. On the last Sunday of every summer month, one of the most famous folklore festivals of the Rostov region “” takes place in Starocherkasskaya.

Golf in Starocherkasskaya

It would seem that what the Cossack freemen have in common with her amazing story and the favorite game of the English lords? At first glance, absolutely nothing. However, it was here in 2007 that Russia’s largest Golf & Country Club “Don” appeared, in no way inferior in level and quality to similar world-class clubs. Since 2008, the Don Golf Club has been managed by the leading American company Troon Golf, which has its courses in 32 countries.

Golf & Country Club "Don"

For beginners, a golf academy is open on the club’s territory, where British coaches teach golf.

Professionals can also train on a championship course designed by the German golf architect F. Püschel. It is also possible to hold international competitions here.
In the near future, a 5* hotel, swimming pools, a yacht club, tennis courts, and a comfortable VIP cottage village will be located on the territory of the Don golf club.

Perhaps in the near future Starocherkasskaya will write a new page in its history - the page of the leading center of world golf in Russia.

How to get to Starocherkasskaya?

Getting to the first capital of the Don Cossacks is not difficult. It is most comfortable to visit the village from Rostov-on-Don. Some 27 km of comfortable road surface and you are there. GPS coordinates- 47.242222, 40.036667 (47° 14′ 32″ N, 40° 2′ 12″ E).

If you have a car, after leaving, head along the Novocherkassk highway until the right turn to Aksai. In Aksai you should turn left at the intersection of the street. Sadovaya from st. Lenin and go to the fork near the Bolshoy Log farm. From here follow the sign to the right.

If you’re unlucky with a car, it doesn’t matter, there are other comfortable options. From Rostov-on-Don there is a direct route of minibus No. 151 “Rostov - Starocherkasskaya”. Heading off minibus from K. Marx Square every 50-60 minutes.

During the navigation period, you can also get to Starocherkasskaya by water. “Rocket” departs from the village twice a day. The Rocket's schedule is not regular. You should check the traffic at the ticket office of the river bus station. There, at the checkout, you can order river cruise to the village of Starocherkasskaya on a comfortable boat. Departure from river station at 9:00.

Where to relax in Starocherkasskaya?

Restaurant and hotel complex " Old city»

However, if you still decide to stay in Starocherkasskaya for more than 1 day, then you can use the services of the restaurant and hotel complex “Old City”. All 6 rooms of this cozy hotel are decorated in Cossack style. On the ground floor there is a restaurant offering traditional Cossack cuisine.

Cherkassk, once former capital The Don Troops, now represents only a small (by the standards of the Don and Kuban) village of Starocherkasskaya, 20 km from Rostov-on-Don. Since the capital of the Cossacks was moved to Novocherkassk in 1805, Starocherkasskaya has hardly changed (that is, it has changed, of course, but compared to most Russian cities, these changes are very small), and now it is more of a museum under open air than a populated area. And yet, in the language of tourist guides, this is a “true pearl of the Russian South,” a full-fledged capital of the former state, comparable in strength to the best small towns of the Russian North.

The Region of the Don Army was the historical name for the territory in the lower Don basin, where Cossacks lived at least from the mid-16th century. There is still no consensus on the origin of this, perhaps the most unusual Russian subethnic group: on the one hand, the Cossacks were those who fled to the Wild Field from serfdom (the first mention of the Cossacks dates back to 1444, and is associated with the Ryazan land!), on the other hand, the Sarsko-Podonsk Orthodox diocese existed in the Golden Horde, which indirectly indicates that Orthodox, that is, Russian people, already lived in the lower reaches of the Don under the Horde. Apparently, the Don Cossacks were formed from different groups of the population, and from about the middle of the 17th century, the Don Army was already a full-fledged state - even Russia had the same relations with the Cossacks as with an independent country before 1717. During the heyday of the Cossack freemen - from 1636 to 1805, the capital of the Don Army was Cherkassk, now known as the village of Starocherkasskaya, until Ataman Platov began the construction of Novocherkassk. Starocherkassk turned into, in fact, an open-air museum - the Cossacks knew how to cherish the memory of their ancestors already 200 years ago.

They get to Starocherkassk from Rostov-on-Don by minibus or Meteor. I can’t say anything about the latter, since I was in Rostov in late autumn, after the end of navigation. But minibuses run from Leo Tolstoy Square every 2 hours (at 7, 9, 11, etc.), and go to Starocherkassk for about an hour (winding around Rostov and Aksai for half an hour). Finding a stop for these minibuses is not easy - you need to reach Karl Marx Square (bus No. 3 from the station), and go to the opposite side of the vast market - the neglected street between the construction site and the house with a slogan on the roof is Leo Tolstoy Square. But asking the natives how to go to Starocherkassk is useless - most Rostovites confuse Starocherkassk with Novocherkassk and send them to the suburban bus station.

For Rostov, Starocherkassk is like Peterhof for St. Petersburg or Suzdal for Moscow, so the village has been almost entirely turned into a museum-reserve. But Starocherkassk is that rare case when tourist status does not vulgarize, but ennobles the locality. In addition, Starocherkasskaya is probably the only settlement in the Caucasus region (not counting the resorts Krasnodar region), where they react adequately to a person with a camera, and are not suspected of terrorism or spying.

There are a lot of tourists here, even foreigners - after all, the Cossacks, thanks to Tolstoy and Sholokhov, became one of the most famous Russian “nonsense” in the West - many there even think that the Cossacks are steppe nomads who were the ancestors of the Russians. So all sorts of bourgeois come to look at these supposed “origins of Russia.” In the photo above, let's say, in the corner you can see a group of Japanese people.

When you get off the minibus, you immediately see the main vertical lines of Cherkassy churches and bell towers. And naturally, you immediately go in the direction where the largest Resurrection Military Cathedral is located - this is the center of Starocherkassk. The first on the road is the Zhuchenkovs' house - a rich kuren, almost a mansion from the mid-18th century.

In addition to Cherkassk, there are quite a few “former capitals” preserved in Russia - but Ataman’s Compound seems to be the only residence of a non-Russian ruler that has survived in Russia to this day. That is, the current buildings of the Ataman courtyard date back to the mid-18th century, when the Don Army had already become part of Russia - and yet it looks much more like the residence of the ruler of an independent state than a governor’s palace.

There is a very beautiful (and also active) House Church, slightly different in architecture from Russian churches of the 18th century:

Ataman's Palace in the style of classicism:

The so-called Ataman cuisine:

And a brick museum building:

The buildings of the Ataman farmstead are now occupied by a museum: in the palace there are the main part of local history expositions and exhibitions, in the kitchen there is an exhibition about the Nekrasov Cossacks. The latter were a unique branch of the Cossacks: Nekrasov, an ally of Kondraty Bulavin, was the leader of the Old Believers Cossacks. After the defeat of the Bulavinsky uprising, the Old Believers, known later as the Nekrasovites, fled to Turkey, and settled there for about 250 years, until they returned to the USSR in 1962. The Nekrasovites had their own laws - in particular, there was a ban on taking Turkish women as wives, it was decided not to return to Russia while the Tsar ruled there, and if you fight with the Russians, then not to kill, but to shoot “over the head” and leave. The Cossacks were transported to the USSR on one ship, and there were exactly 999 of them - however, on the way, on board the ship, a child was born, who became the 1000th Nekrasovite.

The Atamanovovo courtyard faces the Don with a small fortified wall:

On which there is a stage equipped on the inside - in the summer, folklore festivals are held here every Sunday:

At Ataman's Compound they sell souvenirs - and a lot of all kinds of purely Don paraphernalia. The most famous brand is the whip-whip, which was advertised (to attract all kinds of sadomasochists, probably) like this:

The whips themselves, however, cost about 1,500 rubles - but many, however, can afford such a souvenir.

Sovetskaya Street, leading past the Atamanov Compound, is built up mainly with traditional kurens, and at the end it abuts the Maidan - main square old Cherkassk, where the Cossack Circle, the highest council of power on the Don, met until the mid-18th century.

It will rise on Maidan main temple Don Troops - Resurrection Military Cathedral, built in 1706-1719.

In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful churches in Russia, which is, moreover, an example of “Ukrainian baroque”, which would look decent in Central Ukraine.

Next to the cathedral there is a huge bell tower (1725-1730) - as the guidebooks proudly write, “the only tented bell tower in the south of Russia.” And her tent looks more like a thick spire:

There is a bell tower Observation deck, and in the basement there is an exhibition of tombstones - but now all this is closed, since there is no caretaker at the bell tower (according to the museum workers).

At the foot of the bell tower are Turkish trophies brought by the Cossacks as a souvenir of the Azov seat: in the 1630s, the Cossacks, without orders from above, took the powerful Turkish fortress of Azov, guarding the mouth of the Don, sat there for four years, waiting for an attack by the Turks and were already thinking of moving their capital there, then they waited for the attack, successfully repulsed it, but (apparently offended that the king did not pay any attention to these exploits) then destroyed Azov fortress and returned to Cherkassk.

You should definitely visit the Military Cathedral - now it operates as a museum, but its decoration and relics are amazing. Photography here is officially allowed for 30 rubles.

The shackles of Stepan Razin are one of the main Don relics. After all, both Ermak and Razin came from the Don. In the 16th and 17th centuries, there was some semblance of a state on the Don, created by “free people,” but it was still a state. Some felt cramped even here - and they fled to the Volga, to the Zhiguli Mountains and to the cliffs of the Right Bank, where they essentially became “river pirates.” And for some, the pirate Volga was too small for them - and they went to Yaik, turning there into full-fledged nomads like the Huns or Mongols.

But the Cossacks equally honored both the rebels and the authorities. Many people think that the Don and Kuban could become a breeding ground for separatism in the future, but this is not the case. The Cossacks were not conquered, but tamed, and they still see their mission as protecting the Fatherland. In remote Cossack villages, as fellow folklorists told me, it is still considered a disgrace for a guy not to serve in the army, and not a single girl will marry someone who has not served.

And in the Military Cathedral I saw a strange room filled with some kind of clay pots - I still didn’t understand what it was, and I forgot to ask. Most similar to a necropolis, perhaps, are the “pots” - urns with the ashes of the atamans:

Behind the cathedral, a narrow but very attractive-looking alley leads to one of the bastions of the Cherkassy fortress: in the past there were 5 of them, and between them was the territory of the current village. One of them has been restored:

Looking at these guns or at the Azov trophies, I was convinced that Cossack pride is not an empty phrase. After all, if you look at it, in the middle of the village for 300 years there have been several tons of a substance popularly called “non-ferrous scrap.” And no drunk bothered to steal all this, melt it down and sell it to a non-ferrous metal buying point for vodka. In the North, in the Urals or in Siberia, neither the Azov trophies nor the guns would have survived the 1990s.

If you go in the other direction from the bus station, you will come to the Peter and Paul Church (1749-51), in which Ataman Platov was baptized.

The fourth church (1740) - Transfiguration, is located in the so-called Ratny tract, 2 km from the center of the village (at the entrance to it). In the past, there was a military cemetery here, where Cossacks who died in campaigns were buried - but now the cemetery around is ordinary, as in many other villages and villages.

From the bus station in the direction opposite to the Maidan, it’s not far to the house of Kondraty Bulavin. With the latter, however, it is not entirely clear - after all, the Bulavinsky uprising began in 1709, that is, the house is even older - a considerable age for a civil building in Russia.

And throughout the village, many Cossack kurens from the 18th century have been preserved. The kuren in Starocherkassk is a completely unique building for Russia, since during high water the village was flooded and turned into a kind of Venice: the first floors of the kurens were designed specifically for periodic flooding.

It is interesting that many “new Cossacks” build their villas in imitation of kurens:

However, buildings of the 19th-20th centuries still predominate in Starocherkassk. - ordinary wooden houses, which can be seen in the Black Earth Region.

Somewhere on the streets of Starocherkassk, among the kurens, I met a real Cossack - in a blue uniform and blue trousers with red stripes, a cap, and tarpaulin boots. He was not young - about 50 years old, with a thick gray beard, but he walked surprisingly cheerfully and generally looked like the heroes of 19th century books - daring, dashing, proud. I asked the Cossack if it was possible to photograph him, but he refused: “If we knew each other, we could still think about it, but who knows what kind of trouble you might get into!” And I think this refusal was the clearest confirmation that the Cossack was not a mummer. However, I saw quite a few people similar to him, only in civilian clothes, in Cherkassk - the Cossacks on the Don have not disappeared anywhere. And according to official data, there are “140 thousand of them, not counting family members.” On the Don and Kuban, all other residents of the Cossacks are afraid and prefer to bypass them, since since the time of Sholokhov the Cossacks have not changed much, and in those parts not a single major fight takes place without their participation. “Just Russians” there believe that the Cossacks only have a folklore function left, but the Cossacks themselves, apparently, to put it mildly, do not share this opinion. Every village and every city has its own unofficial ataman, and the Cossacks still resolve all problems among themselves with the ataman, and not in the police or court.

In general, the Cossack blood is still felt in the residents of the Don - the people here, there’s no other word for it, are dashing, and listening to conversations on a bus or train, you can hear many stories in the spirit of “a high school student took the cop for a show-off.” Apparently, because the high school student was more of a Cossack than a policeman.

And in general, the Cossacks here are felt not only in people, but also in animals - this cat, say, why isn’t it a Cossack?

And near Starocherkasskaya, as of old, the Quiet Don flows slowly and majestically

And the Volga tankers crawl towards the Rostov port:

In the next part we will talk about Novocherkassk - the capital of the Cossacks since 1805.

If all the villages in Russia were similar to Starocherkassk in terms of attractions, our country would quickly turn into tourist Mecca. The original culture and color of the Don landscapes are combined here. Many festivals are held in the village every year. General Matvey Platov was born in Starocherkasskaya and Kondraty Bulavin lived. Alexander Pushkin also came here and, with his characteristic liveliness, was interested in the history of the Cossacks.

How to get there

Nearest Big City from Starocherkasskaya - Rostov-on-Don. You get here, then go to Aksai, and from there take a regular bus or minibus to the village.

You need to drive your car to Aksay, and then move towards Novocherkassk. In the area of ​​Bolshoi Log there will be a turn towards the village.

In the summer, a motor ship begins operating, taking tourists to Starocherkasskaya from the river station in Rostov. Unfortunately, it runs irregularly, so there is not much hope for the ship.

Search for air tickets to Rostov-on-Don (the nearest airport to Starocherkasskaya)

Transport

As such public transport in the village there is no room for 3 thousand people. Unless they pass Shuttle Buses yes the minibus runs by. The village is small, you can get around it all on foot. Or go around with the breeze on a bicycle.

Restaurants and hotel

The village quickly realized that they could make good money from tourists, and therefore took care of the service sector. In Starocherkasskaya there are two restaurants at once - a rare fact even for cities. One is called “Old Town”, the second is “Starocherkassk”. The first establishment is considered the most famous - it is a two-story building with summer terraces. The cuisine here is varied, the atmosphere is almost homely. Anyone will be fed to their fullest, and most importantly, inexpensively. The dishes of Cossack cuisine are going with a bang.

In the village you can stay overnight at the Old Town Hotel, which is located exactly above the restaurant of the same name, but keep in mind that there are only 3 rooms (two economy and one luxury). The cost of a room with all amenities starts from 1700 RUB. Prices on the page are as of August 2018.

Souvenirs

What should you buy? Products made of ceramics and metal, wooden crafts - wheels, jugs and entire houses. Craftsmen make models of temples, churches and Cossack kurens. Samovars also sell very well here - no worse than in Tula. And lovers of rarities can buy moonshine cylinders, carpets and old irons.

2 things to do in Starocherkasskaya:

1. Visiting a folklore festival is a miracle! Cossack groups come to the village and give it a blast. Souvenirs are sold on every corner, Cossack porridge is cooked and everyone gets drunk on moonshine. In principle, you can come to the village for the whole summer: some kind of Sabantuy is held here every day.
2. Play golf - there are not many good golf clubs in Russia where you can feel like Tiger Woods. In Starocherkasskaya they decided to popularize this sport. There are plenty of people willing, the prices are reasonable, and the equipment and fields are of excellent quality.

Entertainment and attractions of Starocherkasskaya

At the beginning of 2013, the authorities of the Rostov region announced that a tourist zone “Cossack Don” would appear in the village of Starocherkasskaya. For this purpose, roads, temples were put in order and infrastructure was established.

Resurrection Military Cathedral

Emperor Peter I himself helped in the construction of this temple - he allocated money, utensils and specialists. Moreover, the building was erected at a time when there was a ban on the construction of stone churches throughout the country.

The cathedral, 46 meters high, was built in the Ukrainian Baroque style. Inside there is a rich interior. Just look at the five-tiered gilded iconostasis measuring 23x19 meters, which contains 149 icons.

In front of the altar there are metal plates with inscriptions stating that Russian princes and emperors once prayed here. And at the entrance there are large shackles and chains - they say that Stepan Razin was shackled in them before being sent to execution.

Maidan

The Military District gathered on the Maidan, here the Cossacks decided which campaign to go on. It was on the Maidan during the time of Stepan Razin that Kondraty Bulavin was elected ataman. Here, at the end of the 17th century, fireworks thundered in honor of the victory of Russian troops in the war near Azov.

The trophies of the Azov siege are kept on the Maidan - Turkish cannons, the fortress gate, the gates and the yoke of the city trading scales.

Ataman's Compound

This farmstead belonged to the Efremov family family, well-known on the river bottom. The chieftain of the army, Danila Efremov, accumulated a lot of money, owned shops and taverns, herds of horses, and took several hectares of communal land for himself without asking.

The Ataman Palace and the Don Church were built on the territory of the courtyard. Today the palace houses an exposition of the historical and architectural museum-reserve. And behind the church there is the Efremov family cemetery.

War Church

Ratnaya is the second oldest church in the village. It was built by the same craftsmen who built the Ascension Cathedral. The church got its name thanks to the Ratny tract, where the Cossacks gathered before campaigns.

The church was rebuilt several times due to fires. Unfortunately, its original interior has not been preserved to this day. Nearby there is a cemetery - a kind of Cossack necropolis. Famous warriors are buried here: Osip Petrov, Naum Vasiliev, Ataman Ivan Krasnoshchekov, the parents of Ataman Platov, his brother Peter, as well as heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812.

House of Kondraty Bulavin

Ataman Kondraty Bulavin was killed in this house. He was besieged by homely Cossacks for a long time; in principle, resistance was useless.

This is a kind of fortress house, an example of Cossack architecture. Only wealthy Cossacks could afford these. There is no yard or outbuildings, there are bars on the windows, and the doors are lined with iron. In this house one could protect oneself from enemies. But he did not help Kondraty Bulavin.