Radonezh (russian: Радонеж), formerly known as ''Gorodok'' () is a historic
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
in
Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally "under Moscow"), is a federal subject of Rus ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, located about from
Sergiyev Posad
Sergiyev Posad ( rus, Се́ргиев Поса́д, p=ˈsʲɛrgʲɪ(j)ɪf pɐˈsat) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Sergiyevo-Posadsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Population:
It was pre ...
.
The old town of Radonezh is known to have existed since the first half of the 14th century, when it belonged to
Ivan Kalita (Prince of Moscow from 1325). In 1328 Ivan Kalita settled there many captives from
Rostov, including the future Saint
Sergii Radonezhsky
Sergius of Radonezh (russian: Се́ргий Ра́донежский, ''Sergii Radonezhsky''; 14 May 1314 – 25 September 1392), also known as Sergiy Radonezhsky, Serge of Radonezh and Sergius of Moscow, was a spiritual leader and monastic ref ...
. About twenty years later Sergii founded the
Trinity Monastery to the north of Radonezh.
The town belonged to
Vladimir of Serpukhov
Vladimir Andreyevich the Bold (; July 15, 1353 – 1410) was the most famous prince of Serpukhov. His moniker alludes to his many military exploits committed in the wars waged by his cousin, Dmitri Donskoi of Moscow.
Biography
A grandson of Iva ...
(lived 1353 – 1410) and to his descendants until 1426, when the last appanage prince of Radonezh died without naming an heir. There ensued a bitter struggle for the possession of the town, which ended in
Vasily II
Vasily Vasiliyevich (russian: Василий Васильевич; 10 March 141527 March 1462), also known as Vasily II the Blind (Василий II Тёмный), was the Grand Prince of Moscow whose long reign (1425–1462) was plagued by the ...
of
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
's being taken captive in Radonezh by his cousin
Dmitry Shemyaka and later blinded (1446)
The economic and political rise of the nearby Trinity Monastery adversely affected the overall development of Radonezh. In the late 15th to 16th century the monastery eclipsed the town, which later became a village.
the remnants of Radonezh are located on an elevated cape, rounded by a curve of the
Pazha River. Traces of
rampart
Rampart may refer to:
* Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement
Rampart may also refer to:
* "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...
s and a
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
remain. A monument to St Sergii was opened in front of the local church in 1988. Designed by
Vyacheslav Klykov
Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov (russian: Вячесла́в Миха́йлович Клы́ков; 19 October 1939 — 2 June 2006) was a Russian sculptor who specialized in public monuments to key figures of national history and culture.
He was ...
, it was the first public statue to be erected in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
without permission from the authorities. The largest part of the former town is now occupied by a cemetery.
Although any new burials at this archeological site are now illegal, new graves continue to be added; some of them at the expense of the old earth walls being destroyed.
Radonezh at fotowalker.ru (in Russian)
References
External links
Radonezh – tiny village, but very important to Moscow: facts and history
n English
N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''.
History
...
{{Authority control
Rural localities in Moscow Oblast