Vorotynsk (russian: Вороты́нск) is a former town located 17 km south of

Kaluga Kaluga ( rus, Калу́га, p=kɐˈɫuɡə), a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast in Russia, stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population: Kaluga's most famous resident, the space travel pioneer Konstantin Tsiol ...

in the

Ugra National Park Ugra National Park (russian: Национальный парк Угра) is a national park in central Russia, located in Kaluga Oblast, in the valley of the Ugra River (Oka), Ugra River. It was established on 10 February 1997 to protect typical la ...

. The town is thought to have been situated slightly downstream from the confluence of the

Oka Oka or OKA may refer to: Cars * Oka (automobile), a small car designed by AvtoVAZ and produced by ZMA and SeAZ * OKA 4wd, a large 4-wheel-drive vehicle made in Western Australia by OKA Military * 2B1 Oka, Soviet 420 mm self-propelled mor ...

and the Ugra Rivers. It was one of the

Upper Oka towns In Russian historiography the term Upper Oka Principalities (russian: Верховские княжества - literally: "Upper Principalities") traditionally applies to about a dozen tiny and ephemeral polities situated along the upper course of ...

and seat of the mediaeval Princes Vorotynsky. It was first mentioned in the

Hypatian Codex The Hypatian Codex (also known as Hypatian Letopis or Ipatiev Letopis; be, Іпацьеўскі летапіс; russian: Ипатьевская летопись; uk, Іпатіївський літопис) is a ''svod'' (compendium) of three ''l ...

under the year 1155. In the 14th century, it came under Lithuanian suzerainty as a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

. In 1480, Vorotynsk was the principal Tatar base during the

Great standing on the Ugra river The Great Stand on the Ugra River (russian: Великое cтояние на реке Угре, also russian: Угорщина, translit=Ugorshchina, derived from " Ugra") was a standoff between the forces of Akhmat Khan of the Great Horde, an ...

. In 1493, it passed under suzerainty of the

Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Duchy of Moscow, Muscovite Russia, Muscovite Rus' or Grand Principality of Moscow (russian: Великое княжество Московское, Velikoye knyazhestvo Moskovskoye; also known in English simply as Muscovy from the Lati ...

. The village of Spas-on-the-Oka, which now marks the spot, is dominated by Saviour Vorotynsk Monastery, founded by one Prince Vorotynsky in the early 16th century. It is noted for two rare churches with pyramidal roofs, one dating from the 1560s, and another from the 1640s. There are also two villages, New Vorotynsk and Old Vorotynsk, located just south-west from the modern town of

References

{{Authority control Rural localities in Kaluga Oblast Defunct towns in Russia Former populated places in Russia ru:Воротынск (Перемышльский район)#История