Starocherkasskaya - Aksai. Walk around the city. Photos. Attractions. Starocherkassk: attractions. Starocherkassk Tours

Souvenir sellers lined the alleys. You can buy products made of ceramics, wood, and metal.

What we liked most were these souvenirs:

Walking along the shady streets past souvenir shops, we came to the main attraction - the Resurrection Military Cathedral.

A little history
This is the main architectural landmark of Starocherkassk - the first stone cathedral on the Don. It was built from 1706 to 1719. Until 1805, the Resurrection Cathedral was the main temple not only of Cherkassy, ​​but also of the entire Don Army.

This is a nine-domed temple built by an unknown architect in the Ukrainian Baroque style. The temple was erected during the decree of Peter I, which prohibited the construction of stone buildings everywhere except St. Petersburg. However, due to political necessity, Peter himself contributed to the construction, helping with money, utensils, specialists and, allegedly, personally taking a symbolic part in the construction (as stated on the memorial inscription, made, however, already in the 19th century). 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 from the mid-18th century, made using wood carving techniques.

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 plate, there is the ashes of that man - military ataman Kirill Yakovlev - who treacherously betrayed his godson Stepan to the tsarist government... Near the temple there is a two-tier tented bell tower 45.8 meters high. This is the only building of this type in Southern Russia.

The bell tower consists of a basement, a quadrangle, an octagon and a tent topped with a cross. Now it, like the Resurrection Cathedral, is under the jurisdiction of the Donskoy Starocherkassky Monastery.

There is an entrance fee to the bell tower. Climbing the narrow stone stairs, panoramic views of the Don steppes open up.

Next to the bell tower are laid out trophies captured in the Azov Seat, such as: the leaves of the fortress gate, two gates and the yoke of trade scales.

After passing by the stalls we came to the Church of Peter and Paul.
The Church of Peter and Paul was built on the square of the former Pribylyanskaya village. The wooden church that previously stood on this site is mentioned in the charters of the Don Army back in 1692. After another fire that occurred in 1744, it was rebuilt, but from stone. construction took place from 1749 to 1751 on the initiative of Ataman Danil Efremov. There is information that Empress Elizaveta Petrovna provided assistance in construction and even sent a master builder and ten plasterers and masons from Moscow. In 2005, the church was under reconstruction:

It is also interesting to visit the Ataman Compound.

This architectural complex contains architectural monuments of the 18th - 19th centuries - the estate of the Efremov atamans with the Don House Church.

The farmstead, located on the territory of the former Srednyaya Stanitsa, belonged to one of the most famous and richest Cossack families - the Efremovs. The beginning of prosperity was laid by Ataman Danila Efremov, who at the end of his life owned shops, taverns, mills, herds of horses and huge plots (most of which were communal lands he captured).

At first the courtyard was built Ataman Palace, built on the model of metropolitan aristocratic houses. In its final form, the palace has 21 rooms, and its total area is more than 1000 m². In 1756 - 1761, the house church of the Efremovs was built in the name of the Don Icon of the Mother of God, named, accordingly, Donskaya Church. Behind the eastern side of the church is the Efremov family cemetery.

There are also souvenir shops and attractions on the territory of the compound.

The courtyard is surrounded by fortress walls.

There is also a museum located here.

You can also visit the Church of the Transfiguration (1740) with an ancient cemetery, located in the Ratny tract. In 2005 it was under reconstruction. The photo shows what form it was in.

There is also the Anninskaya Fortress - the only earthen fortress preserved on the territory of Russia. It is located five kilometers northeast of Starocherkassk, almost on the banks of the Don. Unfortunately we did not visit it.

In 2010, we attended the celebration of the 440th anniversary of the village. A reconstruction of the Bulavinsky uprising against the troops of Peter I was carried out.

The monument was also unveiled:

Here is a short story about the glorious capital of the Don Cossacks.

October 6, 2013 2:43
WAS 05.10.13. LOVED IT. DESPITE THE WEATHER, THERE ARE A LOT OF TOURISTS. SCHOOLCHILDREN. THIS IS OUR STORY. THAT'S WHY WE DID NOT REGRET WHAT WE VISITED THE TEMPLES. ATAMAN COMPOSITION. REALLY LIKED THE OLD TOWN COMPLEX. HOTEL AND RESTAURANT. VERY GOOD. I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT IN THE SUMMER. WORTH A VISIT

30 May 2013 8:02
It’s a good place, an interesting story, but in the museum the caretakers behave disgustingly. It’s impossible to stop and look at the exhibits carefully. They rush like Cerberus, they straight up kick you out. Sorry, I paid the money, behaved civilly. What kind of disgrace is this?!

The current village of Starocherkasskaya has known more worthy times. Once upon a time it was the capital of the Don Cossacks - Cherkasy. Then, after the capital of the Don Army was moved to Starocherkassk, and now it is completely excluded from the list of Russian cities. In recent decades, interest in the Cossacks has grown significantly. Both from the side of the country's leadership (decrees on the Cossacks are replaced by decrees, which give way to concepts...), and from the side of ordinary citizens, who, unfortunately, are still the majority in the country. Here and there you can observe with interest a man in a bright military uniform with stripes on his trousers. Trousers with stripes in our country have always evoked respect (which was not automatically transferred to their owners), because only an officer who belonged to the command staff of the Armed Forces could afford such decoration. In order to better and more fully understand what the Cossacks are, the best thing to do is to go to the place of its origin and prosperity, because What you see with your own eyes is, after all, more objective than films on this topic and even television reports.
The path to Starocherkassk, both before and now, lies through the city of Aksai, the name of which many of our citizens will independently translate as White Water. Aksai was built right on the banks of the Don.

One of the first houses we saw in the city (the railway station is located in the old city. The new one is quite modern and is located a little further) made us remember godfather Pumpkin from the fairy tale about Cipollino. The house of which was so tiny that the owner, who was in his home, had his legs sticking out.

Some events from Aksai's life are reflected in his monuments.
Heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Next to this alley there is a memorial in honor of all the city residents who died and disappeared during the war.

There were fierce battles for crossing the Don.

Chernobyl victims are not forgotten.

The fact that this is the land of the Cossacks is also reminded by the flag over the small house.

Judging by the work schedule, the staff of the Cossack structure is considerable. Apparently, such a thing as the revival of the Cossacks cannot be accomplished by a small number of people.

The main tourist attraction in the city is, without a doubt, the Postal Station Museum.

“...I was once here too...” Let’s change Pushkin’s line a little. (Without permission, counting on the well-known generosity of the Poet...).

It looks like a fishing camp in the depths of the Karelian Isthmus.

Samples of vehicles.
Summer option.

And winter. Now we are only changing tires...

Nearby is a church. But she is almost invisible because of the trees.

There is another museum. Customs of yesteryear. It is located very inconveniently. At one time, we were unable to look into the future in order to better determine the location. It is unlikely that there will be curious tourists who will look for it (and few locals know about it). Probably the most correct thing is to move it to the city center to make it accessible. In the end, it is possible to indicate that it once stood in a different place. But not necessarily. In the meantime, the girl who is now in charge of customs was very surprised when she saw the visitor.

Moreover, there is little interesting architecture in the city. Houses like those of the local appraiser are rare.

But there is a House of Happiness.

Another Aksai church. It can be seen that practical business executives of the Soviet era attached some kind of workshop to it. We built socialism with God's help...

The first thing that greets the guest of Starocherkasskaya is the Military Cemetery. Many famous residents of Cherkasy are buried there. The Transfiguration Cathedral is located near the cemetery. All military campaigns of the Cossacks began from him

Starocherkasskaya is small. There are only two streets, one of which is an alley. The houses are mostly typical for settlements of this type.

The condition of some of them is also familiar.

It has its own ruins. No one can answer what happened here before.

The strong owners who have always been on the Don still exist. Although these could simply be dachas of wealthy citizens from Rostov-on-Don.

One of the signs of civilization is the telephone.

Sberbank branch. Only open three days a week. And even that is a lot, because... potential clients are not visible at all.

And a hotel. For some reason, almost all websites about Starocherkasskaya indicate that there is nowhere to spend the night in the village.

Church of Peter and Paul. The future ataman Matvey Platov was baptized in it.

The house of Kondraty Bulavin, the leader of one of the Cossack uprisings against the central government. The expression “Kondratiy (kondrashka) was enough” is about him. They say that the ataman was fierce. Some sources say that he shot himself in this house so as not to surrender. Now exhibitions are held here.

There is a library in the village. It is located in this building.

In a small square, apparently a former trade square, there are wooden sculptures of the inhabitants of old Cherkasy.

Behind the Cossack woman is the market. Today it is completely empty.

Monument to those who died in the Great Patriotic War.

The seal of the Don Army is a reminder of past greatness.

In almost the entire village the lights were not turned off during the day. Apparently, the Cossacks do not pay attention to such trifles.

The Resurrection Military Cathedral looks majestic. The square in front of it bears witness to many important and dramatic events of that time.

Nearby is a monument to the most famous native of the village - Ataman Matvey Platov.

And trophies brought from military campaigns.

The fortress gates. And the yoke of commercial scales.

The most interesting museum in Starocherkassk is the Ataman Compound.

Of course, it contains the Ataman Palace.

Goats roamed freely outside the gates.

It’s not often that a city dweller has the lucky chance of seeing these now rare animals. The Goat Lord turned to me. An inspired look, a wedge beard, horns... A fairly common type these days... Not a hint of any fear. It was clear that he would stand for his ladies to the end. In short, he behaved in the best male traditions. And why did this word “goat” become a dirty word among people? Do they envy his endurance and courage?

A memorial stone was erected not far from the shore.

You can get to the other side of the Don by ferry.

A lonely boat splashes on the waves, waiting for its owner. But there is almost no one around.

Only a monk from the monastery came to fish. Probably, today the restaurant's diet will include fish soup. We talked. He seemed balanced to me, without any fanaticism or bitterness. Why did you decide to break away from the usual life for all of us? Or has a person become like this already here?

The return bus from Starocherkasskaya to Aksai arrived already in the dark. A light breeze was blowing over the Don. The weather was clearly conducive to reflection... I tried to understand whether I had learned anything new about Cossack life? Are the Cossacks being revived anywhere other than in reports?
And is this real...?

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 both the annual spring floods and the 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 of this amazing place is 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, what does the Cossack freemen with its amazing history have in common with 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 are 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”. A minibus departs from Karl 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 ticket office, you can order a river cruise to the village of Starocherkasskaya on a comfortable boat. Departure from the river station at 9:00.

Where to relax in Starocherkasskaya?

Restaurant and hotel complex "Old Town"

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.

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 the trading square of Cherkassk 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, forming 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 has been transferred to the jurisdiction of the Holy Don Starocherkassk Monastery and access to it is closed to tourists.

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. The wooden church on this site 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 is 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, a high staircase and a porch are attached to it, 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 the Sea of ​​Azov, which neutralized its military significance. In addition, constant spring floods and illnesses of the garrison soldiers caused by living in swampy areas brought additional difficulties to its 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.