Chernihiv: Difference between revisions
rv |
Ghirlandajo (talk | contribs) m rv revert zombie |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[Image:Spas2.jpg|thumb|275px|The Saviour Cathedral of |
[[Image:Spas2.jpg|thumb|275px|The Saviour Cathedral of Chernigov (1030s) is the oldest in Ukraine.]] |
||
'''Chernihiv''' is an ancient city in northern [[Ukraine]], the capital of [[Chernihiv Oblast]] ([[Oblast|province]]). The city population is 295,500 ([[2004]]). ({{lang-uk |Чернігів, ''Chernihiv''}}). |
'''Chernihiv''' or '''Chernigov''', as it is better known in English[http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=chernihiv&word2=chernigov], is an ancient city in northern [[Ukraine]], the capital of [[Chernihiv Oblast]] ([[Oblast|province]]). The city population is 295,500 ([[2004]]). ({{lang-uk |Чернігів, ''Chernihiv''}}; [[Old East Slavic language|Old East Slavic]] and {{lang-ru | Чернигов, ''Chernigov''}}). |
||
== History == |
== History == |
||
Chernigov was first mentioned in chronicles in [[907]], but is considered to have existed at least in the [[ninth century]], as uncovered by archeological excavations of a settlement which included the artifacts from the [[Khazar]] [[Khaganate]]. Towards the end of the 10th century, the city probably had its own rulers. It was there that the [[Black Grave]], one of the largest and earliest [[tumulus|royal mounds]] in Eastern Europe, was excavated back in the 19th century. |
|||
The city was an important center in [[Kievan Rus']], from the early [[eleventh century]], the seat of powerful [[Grand Principality of |
The city was an important center in [[Kievan Rus']], from the early [[eleventh century]], the seat of powerful [[Grand Principality of Chernigov]] (Великое Княжество Черниговское), whose rulers at times vied for power with [[Kiev]]an [[Grand Prince]]s, and often overthrew them and took the primary seat in Kiev for themselves. Other well-known subjects of this [[Grand Prince|grand principality]] included such prominent centers of [[Kievan Rus']] as [[Lyubech]], [[Ostyor]], [[Novgorod-Seversky]], [[Putivl]], and even remote [[Ryazan]] and [[Tmutarakan]]. The [[golden age]] of Chernigov, when the city population peaked at 25,000, lasted until [[1239]] when the city was [[Mongol_invasion_of_Russia|sacked by the hordes]] of [[Mengu Khan]], which started a long period of relative obscurity. [[Image:Spas3.jpg|thumb|250px|Marble pillars of the Savior Cathedral provide the only glimpse to the Byzantine opulence of the original [[1036]] interior.]] |
||
The area fell under the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] in [[1353]]. The city was burned again by [[Crimean Khanate|Crimean Tatar khan]] [[Mengli Giray]] in [[1482]] and [[1497]] and in the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries it changed hands several times between Lithuania, [[Muscovy]] ([[1408]]–[[1420]] and from [[1503]]), and the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]] ([[1618]]–[[1648]]), where it was granted [[Magdeburg rights]] in [[1623]] and in [[1635]] became a seat of [[Czernihów Voivodship]]. The area's importance increased again in the middle of the [[seventeenth century]] during and after the [[Khmelnytsky Uprising]]. In the [[Zaporozhian Host|Hetman State]] Chernihiv was the city of deployment of Chernihiv [[Cossack Hetmanate|Cossack]] [[regiment]] (both a military and territorial unit of the time). |
The area fell under the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] in [[1353]]. The city was burned again by [[Crimean Khanate|Crimean Tatar khan]] [[Mengli Giray]] in [[1482]] and [[1497]] and in the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries it changed hands several times between Lithuania, [[Muscovy]] ([[1408]]–[[1420]] and from [[1503]]), and the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]] ([[1618]]–[[1648]]), where it was granted [[Magdeburg rights]] in [[1623]] and in [[1635]] became a seat of [[Czernihów Voivodship]]. The area's importance increased again in the middle of the [[seventeenth century]] during and after the [[Khmelnytsky Uprising]]. In the [[Zaporozhian Host|Hetman State]] Chernihiv was the city of deployment of Chernihiv [[Cossack Hetmanate|Cossack]] [[regiment]] (both a military and territorial unit of the time). |
||
Under the [[1667]] [[Treaty of Andrusovo]] the legal [[suzerainty]] of the area was ceded to [[ |
Under the [[1667]] [[Treaty of Andrusovo]] the legal [[suzerainty]] of the area was ceded to [[Muscovite Russia]], with Chernigov remaining an important center of the autonomous [[Cossack Hetmanate]]. With the abolishment of the Hetmanate, the city became an ordinary administrative center of the Russian Empire and a capital of local administrative units. The area in general was ruled by the [[Governor-General]] appointed from [[Saint Petersburg]], the imperial capital, and Chernigov was the capital of local [[namestnichestvo]] (from [[1782]]), Malorosiyskaya or [[Little Russia]]n (from [[1797]]) and Chernigovskaya (from [[1808]]) [[guberniya]]s. |
||
== Downtown == |
== Downtown == |
||
| Line 17: | Line 17: | ||
Chernihiv's architectural monuments chronicle two most flourishing periods in the city's history - those of Kievan Rus (11th and 12th centuries) and of the Cossack Hetmanate (late 17th and early 18th centuries). |
Chernihiv's architectural monuments chronicle two most flourishing periods in the city's history - those of Kievan Rus (11th and 12th centuries) and of the Cossack Hetmanate (late 17th and early 18th centuries). |
||
The oldest church in the city and in the whole of Ukraine is the 5-domed Saviour Cathedral, commissioned in the early 1030s by [[Mstislav of Chernigov|Mstislav the Bold]] and completed several decades later by his brother, [[Yaroslav the Wise]]. The Cathedral of Sts [[Boris and Gleb]], dating from the mid-12th century, was much rebuilt in succeeding periods, before being restored to its original shape in the 20th century. Likewise built in brick, it has a single dome and six pillars. The crowning achievment of |
The oldest church in the city and in the whole of Ukraine is the 5-domed Saviour Cathedral, commissioned in the early 1030s by [[Mstislav of Chernigov|Mstislav the Bold]] and completed several decades later by his brother, [[Yaroslav the Wise]]. The Cathedral of Sts [[Boris and Gleb]], dating from the mid-12th century, was much rebuilt in succeeding periods, before being restored to its original shape in the 20th century. Likewise built in brick, it has a single dome and six pillars. The crowning achievment of Chernigov masters was the exquisite Church of St Paraskeba (Pyatnitskaya), constructed at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. This graceful building was seriously damaged in the [[WWII]]; its original medieval outlook was reconstructed to a design by [[Peter Baranovsky]]. [[Image:Eletsky.jpg|thumb|300px|Eletsky monastery cathedral was modeled after that of [[Kiev Pechersk Lavra]]. Note the contrast between its austere 12th-century walls and baroque 17th-century domes.]] |
||
The earliest residential buildings in the downtown date from the late 17th century, a period when a Cossack regiment was deployed there. Two most representative residences are those of [[Polkovnyk]] |
The earliest residential buildings in the downtown date from the late 17th century, a period when a Cossack regiment was deployed there. Two most representative residences are those of [[Polkovnyk]] Lizogub (1690s) and [[Polkovnyk]] Polubutok (1700s). The former mansion, popularly known as the [[Mazeppa]] House, used to contain the regiment's chancellory. One of the most profusely decorated Cossack structures is undoubtedly the ecclesiastical [[collegium]], surmounted by a bell-tower (1702). The archbishop's residence was constructed nearby in the 1780s. St Catherine Church (1715), with its 5 gilded pear domes, traditional for Ukrainian architecture, is thought to have been intended as a memorial to the regiment's exploits during the storm of [[Azov]] in [[1696]]. |
||
== Monasteries == |
== Monasteries == |
||
All through the most trying periods of its history, |
All through the most trying periods of its history, Chernigov retained its ecclesiastical importance as the seat of bishopric or archbishopric. At the outskirts of the modern city lie two ancient [[cave monastery|cave monasteries]], formerly used as the bishops' residences. |
||
The caves of the Eletsky Monastery are said to predate those of the [[Kiev Pechersk Lavra]]. Its magnificent 6-pillared cathedral was erected at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries; some traces of its 750-year-old murals may still be seen in the interior. After the domes collapsed in [[1611]], they were augmented and reconstructed in the [[Ukrainian baroque]] style. The wall, monastic cells, and bell-tower all date from the 17th century. The nearby mother superior's house is thought to be the oldest residential building in the [[Left-Bank Ukraine]]. The cloister's holiest icon used to be that of [[Theotokos]], who made her [[epiphany]] to [[Svyatoslav of |
The caves of the Eletsky Monastery are said to predate those of the [[Kiev Pechersk Lavra]]. Its magnificent 6-pillared cathedral was erected at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries; some traces of its 750-year-old murals may still be seen in the interior. After the domes collapsed in [[1611]], they were augmented and reconstructed in the [[Ukrainian baroque]] style. The wall, monastic cells, and bell-tower all date from the 17th century. The nearby mother superior's house is thought to be the oldest residential building in the [[Left-Bank Ukraine]]. The cloister's holiest icon used to be that of [[Theotokos]], who made her [[epiphany]] to [[Svyatoslav of Chernigov]] on [[February 6]], [[1060]]. The icon, called Eletskaya after the [[fir]] wood it was painted upon, was taken to [[Moscow]] by Svyatoslav's descendants - Princes [[Boryatinsky]] - in [[1579]]. |
||
The nearby cave monastery of St Elijah and the Holy Trinity features a small eponymous church, which was constructed 800 years ago. The roomy Trinity cathedral, one of the most imposing monuments of the [[Cossack baroque]], was erected between [[1679]] and [[1689]]. Its refectory, with the adjoining church of Presentation to the Temple, was finished by [[1679]]. There are also the 17th-century towered walls, monastic cells, and the 5-tiered belfry from the 1780s. |
The nearby cave monastery of St Elijah and the Holy Trinity features a small eponymous church, which was constructed 800 years ago. The roomy Trinity cathedral, one of the most imposing monuments of the [[Cossack baroque]], was erected between [[1679]] and [[1689]]. Its refectory, with the adjoining church of Presentation to the Temple, was finished by [[1679]]. There are also the 17th-century towered walls, monastic cells, and the 5-tiered belfry from the 1780s. |
||
Revision as of 14:24, 18 November 2005
Chernihiv or Chernigov, as it is better known in English[1], is an ancient city in northern Ukraine, the capital of Chernihiv Oblast (province). The city population is 295,500 (2004). ([Чернігів, Chernihiv] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help); Old East Slavic and [ Чернигов, Chernigov] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)).
History
Chernigov was first mentioned in chronicles in 907, but is considered to have existed at least in the ninth century, as uncovered by archeological excavations of a settlement which included the artifacts from the Khazar Khaganate. Towards the end of the 10th century, the city probably had its own rulers. It was there that the Black Grave, one of the largest and earliest royal mounds in Eastern Europe, was excavated back in the 19th century.
The city was an important center in Kievan Rus', from the early eleventh century, the seat of powerful Grand Principality of Chernigov (Великое Княжество Черниговское), whose rulers at times vied for power with Kievan Grand Princes, and often overthrew them and took the primary seat in Kiev for themselves. Other well-known subjects of this grand principality included such prominent centers of Kievan Rus' as Lyubech, Ostyor, Novgorod-Seversky, Putivl, and even remote Ryazan and Tmutarakan. The golden age of Chernigov, when the city population peaked at 25,000, lasted until 1239 when the city was sacked by the hordes of Mengu Khan, which started a long period of relative obscurity.
The area fell under the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1353. The city was burned again by Crimean Tatar khan Mengli Giray in 1482 and 1497 and in the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries it changed hands several times between Lithuania, Muscovy (1408–1420 and from 1503), and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1618–1648), where it was granted Magdeburg rights in 1623 and in 1635 became a seat of Czernihów Voivodship. The area's importance increased again in the middle of the seventeenth century during and after the Khmelnytsky Uprising. In the Hetman State Chernihiv was the city of deployment of Chernihiv Cossack regiment (both a military and territorial unit of the time).
Under the 1667 Treaty of Andrusovo the legal suzerainty of the area was ceded to Muscovite Russia, with Chernigov remaining an important center of the autonomous Cossack Hetmanate. With the abolishment of the Hetmanate, the city became an ordinary administrative center of the Russian Empire and a capital of local administrative units. The area in general was ruled by the Governor-General appointed from Saint Petersburg, the imperial capital, and Chernigov was the capital of local namestnichestvo (from 1782), Malorosiyskaya or Little Russian (from 1797) and Chernigovskaya (from 1808) guberniyas.
Downtown
Chernihiv's architectural monuments chronicle two most flourishing periods in the city's history - those of Kievan Rus (11th and 12th centuries) and of the Cossack Hetmanate (late 17th and early 18th centuries).
The oldest church in the city and in the whole of Ukraine is the 5-domed Saviour Cathedral, commissioned in the early 1030s by Mstislav the Bold and completed several decades later by his brother, Yaroslav the Wise. The Cathedral of Sts Boris and Gleb, dating from the mid-12th century, was much rebuilt in succeeding periods, before being restored to its original shape in the 20th century. Likewise built in brick, it has a single dome and six pillars. The crowning achievment of Chernigov masters was the exquisite Church of St Paraskeba (Pyatnitskaya), constructed at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. This graceful building was seriously damaged in the WWII; its original medieval outlook was reconstructed to a design by Peter Baranovsky.
The earliest residential buildings in the downtown date from the late 17th century, a period when a Cossack regiment was deployed there. Two most representative residences are those of Polkovnyk Lizogub (1690s) and Polkovnyk Polubutok (1700s). The former mansion, popularly known as the Mazeppa House, used to contain the regiment's chancellory. One of the most profusely decorated Cossack structures is undoubtedly the ecclesiastical collegium, surmounted by a bell-tower (1702). The archbishop's residence was constructed nearby in the 1780s. St Catherine Church (1715), with its 5 gilded pear domes, traditional for Ukrainian architecture, is thought to have been intended as a memorial to the regiment's exploits during the storm of Azov in 1696.
Monasteries
All through the most trying periods of its history, Chernigov retained its ecclesiastical importance as the seat of bishopric or archbishopric. At the outskirts of the modern city lie two ancient cave monasteries, formerly used as the bishops' residences.
The caves of the Eletsky Monastery are said to predate those of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Its magnificent 6-pillared cathedral was erected at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries; some traces of its 750-year-old murals may still be seen in the interior. After the domes collapsed in 1611, they were augmented and reconstructed in the Ukrainian baroque style. The wall, monastic cells, and bell-tower all date from the 17th century. The nearby mother superior's house is thought to be the oldest residential building in the Left-Bank Ukraine. The cloister's holiest icon used to be that of Theotokos, who made her epiphany to Svyatoslav of Chernigov on February 6, 1060. The icon, called Eletskaya after the fir wood it was painted upon, was taken to Moscow by Svyatoslav's descendants - Princes Boryatinsky - in 1579.
The nearby cave monastery of St Elijah and the Holy Trinity features a small eponymous church, which was constructed 800 years ago. The roomy Trinity cathedral, one of the most imposing monuments of the Cossack baroque, was erected between 1679 and 1689. Its refectory, with the adjoining church of Presentation to the Temple, was finished by 1679. There are also the 17th-century towered walls, monastic cells, and the 5-tiered belfry from the 1780s.
Other historic abbeys may be visited in the vicinity of Chernihiv; those in Kozelets and Hustynya contain superb samples of Ukrainian national architecture.