Blessed are located in the Usvyatsky district of the Pskov region of the Russian Federation. This is an urban-type settlement, the administrative center. It is located within the boundaries of two lakes (Ulmen and Usvyat). Ponds are connected by a channel, which was called the "Town Lake". On its shore there are three hill-hillforts, nicknamed by the locals “three hillocks”.
From the regional center of Pskov, Usvyaty is located at a distance of 320 kilometers southeast of it. Not far from the border with the Republic of Belarus. Blessed - the oldest settlement in Russia.
The village of Usvyata in the Pskov region: historical background
In the history of the Saints, several names are known, which he was called at various periods in his history. Namely: the Whole, Vsvjach, Vsvvyat, Svyavit, Holy, Sacred, Sacred.
The first mention of the Sanctuary appears in the annals of 1021. In that year, Yaroslav the Wise gave the Polotsk prince the cities of Vitebsk and Vsvyach (Consecrated). Later in the chronicles there is a mention that in 1225 the Lithuanians near Usvyat were defeated by the Russian militia. In 1245, Alexander Nevsky again defeated Lithuanian units near Usvyat. Since 1320, it was transferred to Lithuania as a dowry. The local ruler Olgerd married the daughter of the Vitebsk prince, in whose possession were the Baptized.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the village "returned" to the Russian state. In 1548, he was again briefly part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He joined the Moscow kingdom in 1562, when the city was taken by the troops of Ivan the Terrible. At the direction of the king in 1567, a fortress was built in Usvyaty.
In 1580, the troops of Stephen Batory conquered the Sanctified and joined it to the possessions of the Commonwealth. In 1654, it was again conquered by the Moscow kingdom, but in 1667 it was again transferred to Poland under the terms of the so-called. Andrusovo Treaty. Finally it became part of Russia in 1772.
Since the end of the 18th century, they have been sanctified, like the village of Velizh Uyezd, part of Pskov, from 1777 Polotsk, from 1796 Belorussian, and since 1802, Vitebsk province.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the Assimilated grew into a large settlement. According to the census of 1905, the settlement consisted of more than 3,500 inhabitants, 2 stone buildings, 684 wooden houses, two 2 churches, a male and a female school, a clinic with staff, eight factories for leather dressing. The main occupation of the population is agriculture.
Historical Persons - Owners
In 1773, the Empress of the Russian Empire presented the Sanctified to the Prosecutor General of Russia A. A. Vyazemsky. Catherine II herself visited the Sanctified, stopping by to visit his owner. By her arrival, Vyazemsky built a summer palace of wood on Castle Hill.
Later, the estate went to Count Zubov. Further, the owners of the Ovvyat were alternately: Prince Potemkin’s nephew Engelhardt, Sofya Yusupova, her son Alexander Potemkin, Count Shuvalov, Count Ribopier, General Durasov.
Owners of the Convent and foreigners - the British Eden, Balfour, Arshistiad.
Modern History
After the revolution in 1924, the village was annexed to the Pskov province. And since 1927, he is a district center formed by the Usvyatsky District in the Leningrad Region. He returned to the Pskov region in 1957. Since 1985, received the status of an urban-type settlement. The assigned zip code for Usvyat in the Pskov Region is 182570. The telephone code is 81150. The exact coordinates are 56 29 '16 "north latitude, 30 54' 13" east longitude. Usvyatsky district covers an area of 1096 square kilometers.
According to the dynamics of recent censuses, its number is declining. So in 1989 the number of inhabitants was 3600 people, in 2002 - 3148, and according to 2010 data already 2839 inhabitants.
Cultural and Economic Life
Among the enterprises, the Usvyat are not large. The main industries are bakeries, woodworking enterprises. Peat extraction and logging are carried out in the district. Fellings from Usvyat of the Pskov region are very popular, including far beyond the village. Local craftsmen with extensive experience make magnificent wooden structures from logs. These buildings are characterized by high environmental friendliness and quality.
The House of Culture in Usvyat is widely known outside the district and the Pskov region. Its building was built in 1987, in the central part of the village. Very convenient for cultural and festive events. Always available to all comers. It is a favorite vacation spot for residents of Usvyat and Usvyatsky district.
Archaeological finds in Usvyaty
There are 105 archaeological sites in the Usvyatsky district. The most famous was the archaeological find - a settlement on stilts (Sanctified IV). Among historians is world famous as the "Pskov Venice".
About 4-5 thousand years ago in these places there was a very warm climate, characterized by an abundance of rainfall. In this regard, the tribes inhabiting this area built their houses on piles, which were connected by passages (bridges). Baptized IV stood in the northern part of Usvyatsky Lake, on the cape under the modern name "Horn". The most ancient pile structure was built about 4570-4510 years ago. The discovered culture belongs to the early Neolithic, has the name "Usvyatskaya".
Objects from the excavations of Sanctified IV found their place in the permanent exhibitions of the Hermitage, in the halls of the Neolithic era. This is an ancient idol, products from the horns and bones of animals. Also, objects from silicon were found in archaeological sites - knives, a dagger, arrowheads. Wooden items were also found, such as axes, clappers, buckets with the image of animal heads. Excavation results indicate that the ancient inhabitants were engaged in hunting, fishing and gathering. There were no pets. They appeared much later.
About three thousand years ago, climate began to change. The colder period has come. Natural resources no longer satisfy needs. This was the reason for the transition to agriculture and cattle breeding. At the turn of the 2nd and 1st millennium BC, according to the results of archaeological research, the process of the beginning of the extraction of iron ores and the production of metal products was recorded.
To archaeological finds of the village. Other artifacts of various historical epochs are also known in the Pskov region. These are hills, mounds, hillforts. Among them there is a unique artificial channel, which was called "Koponka".
Planned tourist development
Usvyatsky district is rich in places that can be shown to tourists. Currently, the idea of reproducing the pile settlement Usvyaty IV, following the example of the Ural Arkaim, is being actively studied. It is planned to create a tourist village, in which it will be possible to get acquainted with the history of the route "from the Varangians to the Greeks." There are plans to open for tourists the long underground galleries of Castle Hill.
Famous Natives of Sanctified
Among the famous people from Usvyat, the following stand out: Alexei Parfenovich Sapunov - a famous scientist in the field of history, ethnography and archeology, as well as an outstanding Russian folk singer Olga Fedoseevna Sergeeva. The latter is known as the musical symbol of the vastness of Russia for Andrei Tarkovsky in the movie "Nostalgia" (in it Sergeyev sings the songs "Oh, Kumushki" and the cry "Breadwinner-Bozhukhna").
Since 2006, Pskov annually hosts the folklore festival named after O. F. Sergeeva.
Natural and frequently visited places
The natural places of the Usvyatsky district are known for the most beautiful landscapes of central Russia. There are many lakes that differ in clean and clear water. There is a large number of diverse fish, among which are: pike, crucian carp, bream, roach, perch, perch, roach. Forests are rich in season with berries and mushrooms. Marshes in the area are known as abundant places for cranberries and lingonberries. The photos taken in Usvyaty in the Pskov Region will retain memories of the beautiful places in central Russia for a long time.
Locals and visitors often visited places are lakes: Klyazhye, Beloye, Turnoye, Bondarevskoye, Usvyatskoye and Uzmen.
In the Uvyatsky district there is a healing spring, consecrated in the fall of 2005. Natural places of the region are favorite for residents of St. Petersburg, Moscow, Smolensk, as well as the Republic of Belarus. Gorgeous and very beautiful nature, fresh and clean air, rich forests, rivers and lakes - all this makes it possible to have a good rest and replenish vitality.