On the right bank of the Protva River, less than a hundred kilometers from Moscow, the city of Vereya is located. The origin of the name is very interesting and symbolic.
Vereya - so in the old days they called pillars on which the gate leaves were hung. There is another interpretation. Vereya is a jamb, a pillar at the door or at the gate. Thus, the city is, as it were, the gateway to Moscow from the west. Until the fifteenth century, the city was referred to in the annals as Veretey. Another version of the etymology of the word is a piece of land or forest.
Scientists, based on the facts set forth in ancient manuscripts, believe that the city of Vereya was founded in the last quarter of the fourteenth century. At the very beginning of the fifteenth century, he was plundered by the Tatars, forty years later was devastated by the troops of the Lithuanian prince. In the middle of the sixteenth century, the city of Vereya, which had previously been a part of various principalities, finally came under the protectorate of Moscow tsars. In the eighteenth century, it became the largest trading and craft city.
History and Local Lore Museum: description of the attraction
You can learn more about the history of the city by looking at the Verey Museum of History and Local Lore. It was founded relatively recently, twenty years ago. Located in a house that belonged to a merchant Mityushin about a hundred years ago. Historical and ethnographic exposition tells about the life of the townspeople, tools, events of the Second World War.
Two exhibition halls are a collection of various documents on the history of the region. The exhibition "Good Hands Mastery" opens here every year, where you can see many interesting works of local artisans.
Monument to I. S. Dorokhov
At the highest point of the city in 1912, a monument was erected to the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Lieutenant General Ivan Dorokhov, the head of the Izyum hussar regiment, as well as a partisan detachment.
Among other awards, the hero was awarded a golden saber engraved with the inscription "For the Liberation of Vereya." In 1918, the monument was destroyed, but restored in 1957.
Verey Kremlin
The historical center of the city is called the ramparts of the Settlement or the ramparts of the Kremlin. In their place in the fourteenth century the Verey Kremlin was built. Unfortunately, wooden fortifications could not resist the onslaught of time, and only earthen ramparts have survived to this day. Now it is a very beautiful, picturesque place for walking. Since it is located on a small hill, it offers a stunning panorama of the river and the surrounding area of the city.
Temples and churches of the city
In the sixteenth century, at some distance from the city, in the Red Settlement, the Spassky Monastery was formed. It was abolished in the middle of the eighteenth century. Only the Church of the Entrance of the Lord to Jerusalem in Red Sloboda has survived.
This is a five-domed brick church with a tent bell tower. In the thirties of the last century, the temple was closed and returned to the Orthodox Church only in the two thousandth year. The unique monument of Moscow architecture is striking in its splendor. On the territory of the temple there is access to the observation deck. From it, tourists will see picturesque landscapes.
Now we will tell about other sights of Vereya. There are many Orthodox shrines in the city. For example, in 1798 a temple was built of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and his mother Elena. The interior of the church is not inferior to the architectural splendor of the exterior of the structure. Unfortunately, with the advent of Soviet power, the most valuable church items made of silver were removed and then irretrievably lost.
Cathedral of the Nativity: Description
What are the famous sights of Vereya? For example, the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ. It was erected in 1552, the construction was timed to coincide with the participation of the squad of prince Vladimir Andreevich in the capture of Kazan.
Legend has it that the command to build a white stone temple was given by Tsar Ivan the Terrible himself. Later, some rooms were attached to the temple. For example, a bell tower in the style of classicism, built in the early nineteenth century.
Time spared the Orthodox shrine, which, alas, cannot be said about the Communists, during the reign of which the ancient architectural monument was dilapidated and fell into decay. In recent years, restoration work has been carried out on the territory of the temple.
Sights of Vereya: names and descriptions
- Another ancient temple in the city of Vereya is the Church of Elijah the Prophet. Its Soviet authorities closed only in 1937, after the execution of the rector of the church. The status of an architectural monument was assigned to the church in the sixties of the last century.
- In Vereya there is a rather modest Old Believer church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin. It is noteworthy that it was not closed even during the Soviet era.
- In the eighteenth century, the Governor-General of Moscow, Izmailov, began construction of the estate in Bykovo. The architect Bazhenov set up an excellent park, in which there was a pond, as well as a grotto. In addition to the palace, he built a temple, a winter garden, a grotto. A century later, the palace was rebuilt by a Swiss architect. He began to resemble a European castle. Now it is a very ruined and dilapidated manor, inside which the decor in the English style has been preserved.
Little conclusion
Now you know the sights of Verea. Each of them is interesting in its own way. We hope that the information on these sights was useful to you.