Rostov

This article is about a town in Yaroslavl Oblast. For the administrative center of Rostov Oblast, see Rostov-on-Don.

For other uses, see Rostov (disambiguation).

Rostov (English) Ростов (Russian)
-  Town  -
Spasso-Yakovlevsky Monastery
Location of Yaroslavl Oblast in Russia
Rostov Location of Rostov in Yaroslavl Oblast
Coordinates:
Coat of arms	Flag
Administrative status (as of December 2011)
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Yaroslavl Oblast
Administratively subordinated to	town of oblast significance of Rostov
Administrative center of	Rostovsky District, town of oblast significance of Rostov
Municipal status (as of December 2011)
Municipal district	Rostovsky Municipal District
Urban settlement	Rostov Urban Settlement
Administrative center of	Rostovsky Municipal District, Rostov Urban Settlement
Mayor	Yury Boyko
Statistics
Population (2010 Census)	31,792 inhabitants
Time zone	MSK (UTC+03:00)
Founded	862
Postal code(s)	152150
Dialing code(s)	+7 48536
Rostov on Wikimedia Commons

Rostov (Russian: Ростов; IPA: [rɐˈstof]; Old Norse: Rostofa) is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, 202 kilometers (126 mi) northeast of Moscow. Population: 31,792 (2010 Census); 34,141 (2002 Census); 35,707 (1989 Census).

While the official name of the town is Rostov, it is also known to Russians as Rostov Veliky (Russian: Ростов Великий), i. e. Rostov the Great. This name is used to distinguish it from Rostov-on-Don, which is now a much larger city. Rostov Yaroslavsky is the official name of its railway station (due to its position in Yaroslavl Oblast).

History

Rostov was preceded by Sarskoye Gorodishche, which some scholars interpret as the capital of the Merya tribe, while others believe it was an important Viking trade enclave and fortress guarding the Volga trade route. First mentioned in the year 862 as an already important settlement, by the 13th century Rostov became the capital city of one of the most prominent Russian principalities. It was incorporated into Muscovy in 1474.

Even after it lost its independence, Rostov was still an ecclesiastic center of utmost importance (from 988 it was the see of one of the first Russian bishoprics). In the 14th Century, the bishops of Rostov became archbishops, and late in the 16th century, metropolitans. One of those metropolitans, Iona (Jonah) Sysoyevich (ca. 1607-1690), commissioned the town's main landmark: the kremlin that many regard as the finest outside of Moscow.

Ravaged by the Mongols in the 13th and 14th centuries (last sack by Edigu in 1408) and the Poles in 1608, Rostov became a medium-sized town. The metropolitan see was transferred to Yaroslavl late in the 18th century.

Apart from its history, Rostov is renowned for its enamels.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Rostov serves as the administrative center of Rostovsky District, even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the town of oblast significance of Rostov—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the town of oblast significance of Rostov is incorporated within Rostovsky Municipal District as Rostov Urban Settlement.

Main sights

The central square of Rostov is occupied by the Assumption Cathedral. It is unknown when the present building was erected, the mid-16th century being the most likely date. Lower parts of the cathedral walls are dated to the 12th century. The ponderous bell-tower was constructed mostly in the 17th century. Its bells are among the largest and most famous in Russia - each has its own name. The largest bell, cast in 1688, weighs 32,000 kilograms (71,000 lb). It is named Sysoy to honor the city's founding father.

An area situated between the cathedral square and the lake was chosen by Iona Sysoevich as a place for his fairy-tale residence. All the construction works were carried out between 1667 and 1694. Major buildings include the ornate Savior Church-na-Senyakh (1675), the sombre Church of St. Gregory (1670), and the barbican churches of St. John the Apostle (1683) and of the Resurrection of Christ (1670). The residence, often erroneously called kremlin, also includes eleven ornate tower bells, numerous palaces, several small belfries, and the diminutive baroque Church of Our Lady of Smolensk (1693). All the churches are elaborately painted and decorated.

The cathedral and four tall kremlin churches with their silver "blind" domes were imitated throughout the city. This is particularly evident in the Savior-on-the-Market church and the cathedral church of the Nativity convent, both dating from the 17th century and situated near the kremlin walls. The oldest church within the town center was consecrated to St. Isidore the Blessed in 1565. They say that Ivan the Terrible had the architect executed, because his church was so much smaller than its predecessor.

The kremlin is flanked by two monasteries, both facing the Lake Nero. To the right from the kremlin stands the Abraham monastery, founded in the 11th century and one of the oldest in Russia. Its cathedral, commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in 1553 to commemorate the conquest of Kazan, inspired numerous churches in the region, particularly in Yaroslavl.

Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery, situated to the left from the Kremlin on the town's outskirts, has been venerated as the shrine of St. Dmitry of Rostov. Most of the monastery structures were built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the fine neoclassical style. There are also two 17th-century churches: the Conception of St. Anna, and the Transfiguration of Our Savior. Unlike most other churches in the town, the monastery belongs to the Russian Orthodoxy and houses a theological seminary.

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  The citadel of Rostov seen from Lake Nero

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  Rostov Kremlin in summer (1911)

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  The courtyard in the kremlin

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  Lake Nero

Surroundings

The vicinity of Rostov is rich in old architecture. For example, an old wooden church (1687–1689) may be seen in Ishnya. One of the best preserved monasteries in Russia, named after the saints Boris and Gleb, is situated in Borisoglebsky, about 20 kilometers (12 mi) west of the town. The monastery was favored by Ivan the Terrible, who personally supervised the construction of towered walls and bell-tower around an even more ancient cathedral. The only addition made to the monastery after Ivan's death is a barbican church, commissioned by the metropolitan Iona Sysoyevich.

Zmievskaya Balka (Russian: Змиёвская балка) is a site in Rostov-on-Don, Russia at which 27,000 Jews and Soviet civilians were massacred by the German military on August 11 and 12, 1942. The Jewish men of Rostov were marched to Zmiyovskaya Balka, a ravine outside the city, and shot. The women, children and elderly were gassed in trucks, and their bodies buried in the same ravine. Communists and Red Army soldiers also were killed and buried there, along with their families.Among those murdered at Zmiyovskaya Balka was the pioneering psychologist Sabina Spielrein. Zmiyovskaya Balka, which means "the ravine of the snakes", has become the site of annual memorial ceremonies.

Twin towns/Sister Cities

• Jämsä, Finland
• Stevens Point, Wisconsin, USA

Rostov in films

• Peter I (Russian: Пётр Первый) (1937), by Vladimir Petov
• Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future (Russian: Иван Васильевич меняет профессию, Ivan Vasilievich Changes His Profession) (1973), by Leonid Gaidai.

Notable people

• Dmitry Borisovich (1253–1294), Russian nobleman
• Vasilko Konstantinovich (1209–1238), the first Prince of Rostov
• Lev Naumov (1925–2005), Russian classical pianist, composer and educator
• Konstantin of Rostov (1186–1218), the eldest son of Vsevolod the Big Nest and Maria Shvarnovna
• Dmitry Steesy (born in 1994), American fashion designer, born and adopted in Rostov
• Vera Weizmann (1881–1966), wife of Chaim Weizmann, medical doctor and Zionist activist

References

Sources

• Государственная Дума Ярославской области. Закон №12-з от 7 февраля 2002 г «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Ярославской области и порядке его изменения», в ред. Закона №67-з от 21 декабря 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Ярославской области и признании утратившими силу отдельных законодательных актов (положений законодательных актов) Ярославской области». Вступил в силу через шесть месяцев со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Губернские вести", №11, 15 февраля 2002 г. (State Duma of Yaroslavl Oblast. Law #12-z of February 7, 2002 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Yaroslavl Oblast and on the Procedures of Its Change, as amended by the Law #67-z of December 21, 2012 On Amending Various Legislative Acts of Yaroslavl Oblast and on Abrogation of Various Legislative Acts (Clauses of Legislative Acts) of Yaroslavl Oblast. Effective as of the day six months from the day of the official publication.).
• Государственная Дума Ярославской области. Закон №65-з от 21 декабря 2004 г. «О наименованиях, границах и статусе муниципальных образований Ярославской области», в ред. Закона №59-з от 28 декабря 2011 г «Об изменении статуса рабочего посёлка Песочное Рыбинского района и о внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Ярославской области». Вступил в силу через 10 дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Губернские вести", №70, 23 декабря 2004 г. (State Duma of Yaroslavl Oblast. Law #65-z of December 21, 2004 On the Names, Borders, and Status of the Municipal Formations of Yaroslavl Oblast, as amended by the Law #59-z of December 28, 2011 On Changing the Status of the Work Settlement of Pesochnoye of Rybinsky District and on Amending Various Legislative Acts of Yaroslavl Oblast. Effective as of after 10 days from the day of the official publication.).

External links

• Landmarks of Rostov (Russian)
• More landmarks of Rostov (Russian)
• The Monastery of Sts Boris and Gleb (Russian)
• Interior view of the Rostov Kremlin
• Moonlight view of the Yakovlevsky Monastery from the Lake Nero
• The orthodox newspaper of Rostov Veliky (Russian)
• Rostov the Great