Starocherkasskaya (), formerly Cherkassk (), is a rural locality (a ''

stanitsa A stanitsa or stanitza ( ; ), also spelled stanycia ( ) or stanica ( ), was a historical administrative unit of a Cossack host, a type of Cossack polity that existed in the Russian Empire. Etymology The Russian word is the diminutive of the word ...

'') in Aksaysky District of

Rostov Oblast Rostov Oblast ( rus, Росто́вская о́бласть, r=Rostovskaya oblastʹ, p=rɐˈstofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Southern Federal District. The oblast ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, with origins dating from the late 16th century. It is located on the right bank of the Don River approximately upstream from the major Russian port city of Rostov-on-Don. It is famous for having been the center of Don Cossack culture and politics for nearly two centuries as the capital of the

Don Host Oblast Don Host Oblast was a province (''oblast'') of the Russian Empire which consisted of the territory of the Don Cossacks, coinciding approximately with present-day Rostov Oblast in Russia. Its administrative center was Cherkassk, and later Nov ...

. Due to regular spring floods that submerged the small city on several occasions, the Cossacks moved their capital to higher ground at Novocherkassk in 1805. In and around Starocherkasskaya there are over forty noteworthy historical and cultural sites including the Resurrection (Voskresensky) Cathedral, completed in 1719, and its famous gilded wooden

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere withi ...

History

A Cossack fortress on the island of what was later called ''Monastyrsky'' on the Don river was probably built before 1570 although it is first mentioned in chronicles from 1593. After fifty years it became the capital of the Don Cossacks, first as an independent entity in between Russia,

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, then a

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

of the Russian tzars, then as an administrative region, then as the Don Voisko Province of the Russian Empire. In its heyday in the 18th century, Cherkassk was a busy city with a strong fortress. The city was the major residence of quite a few famous Don cossacks of the 17th and 18th centuries, including Stepan Razin, Yermak Timofeyevich, Kondraty Bulavin and Matvei Platov. It was also the location of fierce battles between Russian, Ottoman, Crimean and Cossack forces. Being on an island, the city's position was very convenient for a fortress and military camp, but inconvenient for an administrative and trade center — in spring the island was flooded by Don river and the crowded wooden city was subject to devastating fires. In 1805, the Don Voisko Province's

ataman Ataman (variants: ''otaman'', ''wataman'', ''vataman''; ; ) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. In the Russian Empire, the term was the official title of the supreme military commanders of the Cossack armies. The Ukra ...

, Matvei Platov moved the capital to the newly and specially built city of Novocherkassk (literally ''New-Cherkassk''), which was on a hill, about 40 kilometres from Cherkassk. Most of the residents of Cherkassk moved to the new capital. The remnants of the old city got the name of the

(village) of Starocherkasskaya (literally Old-Cherkassk). Now it is a site of an important museum, tourist center and orthodox male convent. Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov was a major contributor to the museum's organization.

Historical and cultural points of interest

Cherkassk-Voskresenksi sobor-Mathew Dodson

* Resurrection cathedral and iconostasis; location of the chains which are said to have held Stepan Razin * Transfiguration (Preobrazhensky) Church (1740) *Petropavlovsk Church (1751) *The

Ataman Ataman (variants: ''otaman'', ''wataman'', ''vataman''; ; ) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. In the Russian Empire, the term was the official title of the supreme military commanders of the Cossack armies. The Ukra ...

estate museum (Атаманское подворье) * The house of Kondraty Bulavin *The Annensky fortress ruins (1730) * Our Lady of the Don monastery

External links

Starocherkasskaya page of Rostov governor siteSite of Starocherkassky museum
{{Authority control Rural localities in Rostov Oblast Don Host Oblast Defunct towns in Russia History of the Don Cossacks Stanitsa