Description of the attraction
Staraya Ladoga is one of the most ancient trading settlements in Northern Russia. Once upon a time there was residence of prince Rurik … Now you can see a powerful fortress of the 15th-16th centuries, the church of St. George of the XII century with unique paintings, a museum exhibition in one of the towers with a rich archaeological collection, and much more.
Fortress history
The first written mention of Ladoga dates back to 1010, that is Old Ladoga of ancient Moscow … Archaeologists, however, claim that a settlement existed here already in the 7th-8th centuries: the remains of houses, hearths and barns were found. It is believed that the first inhabitants were Scandinavians, and only then Slavic tribes came here.
The fortified settlement stood on trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks", grew and became rich through trade. Here, for example, were found Arab coins of the VIII century and jewelry typical for Bulgaria - which means that trade was conducted with the south. It produced glass beads with "eyes" - the most fashionable jewelry of that time. It is believed that it was Ladoga who made his residence Rurik … The rich city was destroyed several times.
Very early, already in the X century, a stone fortress arose here - under the famous Prophetic Oleg, Novgorod and Kiev prince. Its remains were found by archaeologists in the 70s of the XX century, however, these findings can be questioned. The fact is that the remains of the next fortress, the 11th century, are again wooden. One way or another, the fortress was surrounded by high ramparts, and the bend of two rivers - Ladozhka and Volkhov - was blocked off by a specially dug ditch, that is, the fortress ended up on an artificial island.
Since the XIV century, Ladoga has been repeatedly exposed to Swedish attacks - she was taken, then beaten back. The current fortifications date back to the 16th century: like many other northern fortresses, during these years the Old Ladoga fortress was being rebuilt in accordance with the requirements of the new era. Firearms spread, artillery reached a new level - all this required the construction of new walls and towers.
After Northern War Old Ladoga has lost its strategic importance. Peter I founded Novaya Ladoga, in a place that he found more appropriate. Staraya Ladoga has lost the status of a city - at the moment it is a village.
By the end of the 19th century, it had fallen into disrepair, but by this time archaeologists had become interested in it. Already in 1884, scientific research began here. excavations … The main research in Ladoga was carried out in the 30s of the XX century under the guidance of a famous archaeologist Vladimir Bogusevich, which during these years explored Pskov and Novgorod.
Church of St. George and St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki
There are two unique churches on the territory of Staraya Ladoga. Church of st. George presumably built in XII century in honor of the next victory over the Swedes - this is generally one of the most ancient churches of the Russian north. It was rebuilt several times, and at the beginning of the 20th century it was completely different from the original one. The building was buried in the ground by one and a half meters, the floor, accordingly, rose many times, a new porch and a bell tower were added to the church.
In the twentieth century, the temple was restored to its original forms, and in the camps and in the altar were opened frescoes of the XII century … About a fifth of all the paintings have survived. The most interesting of these is the altar fresco depicting St. George defeating the dragon. It is inscribed in the concave altar apse: the artist who painted it took into account the distortion of the image. The mural is painted to appear level even with the curvature of the walls.
Unique wooden Dmitry Solunsky Church built in 1732 year … It was badly dilapidated by the end of the 19th century, but at the beginning of the 20th, against the background of the fascination with antiquity, it was restored in its former forms with the money of the local merchants. This is one of the oldest wooden churches in Russia.
After the revolution, it was transferred to the museum and housed exposition telling about peasant life … Nothing remained of the interior decoration. Now there is an exhibition of frescoes of the church of St. George and sometimes, by agreement with the museum, divine services are held.
Museum
Now The Old Ladoga Fortress is a museum … Its towers and walls were built in the 15th century and significantly rebuilt in the 16th century. The walls are relatively low - an average of about 10 meters in height, but they are exceptionally strong. Their thickness in some places reaches 7 meters, they were built with the expectation of withstanding artillery strikes.
The fortress was significantly destroyed by the end of the 19th century. During the post-war restoration, they were completely restored two towers, Vorotnaya and Klimentovskaya, and a section of the wall, the rest was mothballed. The Raskatnaya, Strelochnaya and Taynitskaya towers are still in a dilapidated state. The territory of the fortress continues excavations.
The exposition of the museum is now located in the Gate Tower. The museum appeared here in 1971 year … It occupies two tiers of the tower. One of the expositions tells about the very first settlements in these territories, dating back to the Neolithic, and about the funeral rite of that time, another reveals the numerous trade relations of medieval Ladoga, and finally the last tells about the city life and the military history of the fortress.
Another part of the fortress, accessible for inspection - Earthen city … These are earthen bastions built at the end of the 17th century as an additional fortification. According to archaeological data, the original settlement was here.
Varyazhskaya street
Departs from the fortress Varyazhskaya street - it is considered one of the most ancient streets in Russia … It has preserved wooden buildings of the 19th century, and recently a bronze "Attacking Falcon" was installed - a symbol of Staraya Ladoga and the Rurik family itself. There is also a monument to two princes - Rurik and Prophetic Oleg, by sculptor Oleg Shorov. It also appeared in the 21st century.
In one of the merchant mansions, the wooden house of the merchant A. Kalyazin, is now museum dedicated to Ladoga merchants … The stone house, which has belonged to the same family since 2003, houses an archaeological exhibition. It presents more than a thousand items found here during excavations.
Monasteries
In addition to the fortress in Staraya Ladoga, it is worth visiting two monasteries, male and female.
Staraya Ladoga Nikolsky Monastery It was founded by Alexander Nevsky after the Battle of the Neva, and now you can see the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the 18th century and the interesting church of St. John Chrysostom, XIX century, built in the pseudo-Russian style.
V Old Ladoga Dormition Monastery the Assumption Cathedral of the 12th century has survived with the remains of ancient frescoes, as well as buildings of the mid-19th century in the Empire style. Here grow old huge linden trees - the monastery legend says that they were planted by Evdokia Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter the Great, who was exiled to this particular monastery. Also in this monastery, the abbess of the XIX century, Abbess Eupraxia, is revered as a saint. In the place where St. Barbara, a chapel has been set up.
Both monasteries are now operating, actively restoring and improving their territories.
Once upon a time in Staraya Ladoga on Malyshevaya Gora there was another monastery - John the Baptist … Now from it remains the functioning church of St. John the Baptist, built in 1695. In the middle of the 20th century, the building was on the verge of destruction. The fact is that in Malysheva Gora, the local population has been mining sand for a long time, and in the end the mountain began to settle. Already in the 21st century, the mountain was reinforced with concrete screeds, and the church was restored and handed over to believers.
Interesting Facts
Old Ladoga is not only older than Moscow, but also considers itself to be the “ancient capital of Northern Russia”.
The first explorers talked about the mysterious underground passages that led from the towers to the river. Modern archaeologists have not found any underground passages.
On a note
- Location: Staraya Ladoga, Volkhovsky pr., 19.
- How to get there: by train from Ladozhsky railway station to Volkhovstroy-1 station, then by bus number 23 to the fortress.
- Official website:
- Opening hours: 09: 00-18: 00, St. George only in the summer.
- Visit cost. Entrance to the territory: adults - 50 rubles, for privileged categories - free. A single ticket for all expositions: adult - 200 rubles, reduced price 100 rubles.
