!!!Golden Ring of Russia, Rostov the Great

by Stas Sedov and Sergey Shandin,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

25 June 2015

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Being one of the most ancient Russian cities, Rostov the Great (Rostov
Veliky) is situated in Yaroslavl region, approximately 200 kilometers
from Moscow, on the bank of the lake Nero. The first mention of Rostov
in chronicles is dated 862, and the word ‘the Great' was added to the
official name of the city only in the 12th century.

There is one more city bearing the name ‘Rostov'. It is situated in the
south of the country, on the banks of the river Don. That is why
sometimes there is confusion: Rostov-on-Don is much bigger. However,
this one is much younger, so it is exactly the ‘northern' Rostov that is
considered to be ‘the Great'. Its centuries-old history is strongly
connected to the whole Russian history, and a lot of unique monuments
can illustrate it. First of all it is the famous Rostov Kremlin. It is
included in the list of the most precious heritage of Russian nation.
So, this is what we start our story about the sights of Rostov with.

[{Image src='01_Rostov Kremlin.jpg' caption='Rostov Kremlin' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='393'}]

In ancient Russia the word ‘Kremlin' was used to denote the main urban
defensive installation. Some of the most famous kremlins are the Moscow
Kremlin, the Novgorod Kremlin, the Kazan Kremlin, and some others. In
the 13th century Rostov was one of the biggest cities in the
north-eastern part of the country and had its own fortified part
surrounded by bank and ditch as well (its area covered more than 100
hectares). However, by the name ‘Rostov Kremlin' is meant another
architectural complex: former residence of metropolitan.

In the course of centuries Rostov was the biggest religious centre and
the Rostov's hierarchs were ones of the most influential church rulers.
At the same time, by the 17th century the city was not on the lines of
military actions, so the construction of the Kremlin was rather
symbolic. Ion Sisoevich, the Rostov's and Yaroslavl's metropolitan,
suggested the creation of ‘the heaven in full accordance with the
Biblical description'. The construction took place from 1670 till 1683,
and after that a marvelous ensemble appeared in the city - ‘Paradise
garden' surrounded by overarched towers of the fortified wall.

[{Image src='02_Rostov Kremlin, Church of the Saviour on Anteroom.jpg' caption='Rostov Kremlin, Church of the Saviour on Anteroom' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='621'}]

But in 1787 archdiocese moved to Yaroslavl and the metropolitan yard in
Rostov deserted. Even regular divine services did not take place there,
so having faced the impossibility of maintenance such a huge
construction, church administration considered the option of its total
destruction. Fortunately, local merchants found the money and by the end
of the 19th century the Rostov Kremlin had been restored.

[{Image src='03_Rostov Kremlin.jpg' caption='Rostov Kremlin' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='479'}]

In 1953 there was a severe tornado in Rostov which damaged a lot of
architectural constructions, but, fortunately, after that they were
restored. Nowadays Red and White Chambers, the garden of metropolitan,
Judgment department, churches of St. John the Apostle, Hodegetria and
Image of Edessa with some other historical and religious monuments are
situated within the walls of Kremlin with its eleven towers.

[{Image src='04_Rostov Kremlin.jpg' caption='Rostov Kremlin' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='475'}]

The heart of the Rostov Kremlin is the Assumption Cathedral
(construction dated 1508-1512). Actually, the metropolitical residence
was built on the place of its ‘predecessors', former temples. This sixty
meter tall cathedral looks very much alike to the one that is situated
within Moscow Kremlin and bears the same name. This monumental
five-doomed construction is fulfilled with brick and white stone,
different decorative elements add some expressiveness to this temple.

[{Image src='05_Rostov Kremlin, Assumption Cathedral.jpg' caption='Rostov Kremlin, Assumption Cathedral' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='655'}]

During 1682-1687 a four-doomed belfry was built to the south-east of the
Assumption Cathedral. Each of its 13 bells, from the biggest one that
weighs 2 thousand poods (32 tons) to the smallest one, has its own
special sounding, so the unique chime of Rostov is the property of the
whole world's culture.

These days on the territory of Rostov Kremlin there are both functional
temples of Russian Orthodox Church and the state museum-estate, a huge
scientific centre of archeology, art and history.

There always were many churches and monasteries in Rostov, but the most
ancient of them didn't remain till today: in the beginning of the 17th
century, in the time of Polish-Lithuanian intervention, the city was
significantly ruined. But later intense construction activity began
there, so now Rostov has 326 cultural monuments and more than 100 of
them are of federal significance.

[{Image src='06_Monastery of St. Jacob Saviour (Spaso-Yakovlevsky).jpg' caption='Monastery of St. Jacob Saviour (Spaso-Yakovlevsky)' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='608'}]

In addition to the great number of temple complex, there is also great
stone and wooden building system dated the 18-19 centuries which is a
pride of Rostov. The genuine landmark of this place is a lake landscape.
There is also a Livery Yard dated the 17th century, it is the only
livery yard in Russia that remained till today, though not completely.
Diggings on its territory are still ongoing, and sometimes valuable
items can be found.

One more famous church complex of Rostov is Borisoglebsky male orthodox
monastery, situated on the way towards Uglich. It was founded in 1363;
afterwards it was rebuilt and enlarged. But starting from the 17th
century its architectural ensemble was scarcely changed. For many years
this residence was a significant religious centre. In 1612 knyaz Dmitry
Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, posadnik (mayor) from Nizhny Novgorod, were
given blessing for protection of Moscow from Poles just exactly in this
place. Now this outstanding architectural monument is under state
protection.

So, our panoramas will help you to experience Rostov the Great - the
magnificent city included into the famous tourist route "The Golden Ring
of Russia".

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[21 Panoramas of Rostov_the_Great|Geography/Asia/Russia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Golden_Ring_of_Russia_(Rostov_the_Great)]










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