Around the Gremyachy tower in Pskov there are many different legends, mysterious stories and superstitions. At the moment, the fortress is almost ruined, however, people are still interested in the history of the building, and now various excursions are held there. This article will tell more about the tower, its origin.
General information
The rattlesnake tower in Pskov is part of the defense system of the Pskov fortress of Okolny city. The tower is located on Gremyachaya Gora, right on the banks of the Pskov River. It was built in 1525. The height of the structure reaches 29 meters, the diameter of the tower is 15 meters.
Next to it is a fortress wall, and on the other side is a stone extension with exits to the wall, tower and river. Now it is almost completely destroyed.
It is believed that the tower with the adjacent fortress wall is the most complex defensive structure of the city. It combined Russian and Italian building, defense techniques.
Photo and description
Modern photos of the Gremyachka Tower cannot convey its greatness. But the old drawings depicting an impregnable fortress survived to our time. Below is an example of one of them.
Photos inside the Gremyachka Tower have also been made recently, but you can learn about what it was right after its construction from ancient lithographs.
origin of name
One of the interesting facts about the Gremyachnaya Tower is that the real name of the fortress is Kosmodemyanskaya. It was named after the temple of Cosmas and Demian, which is located nearby. The name "Gremyachaya" passed from another tower, which after the construction of the second one was destroyed. Almost in the same place the fortress still stands, therefore the name passed to it, and almost nothing is known about the destroyed structure. Initially, the name "rattlesnake", which applied to both the monastery and the gate, came from the name of Mount Gremyachy, on which the entire defensive fortress was built. Why the grief was given such a name is unknown.
At the moment, the tower is better known among the people as Gremyachaya, but the name Kosmodemyanskaya is often used. It is believed that the fortress has a double name.
History
The rattle tower in Pskov was built in 1525. The construction of the defensive system began in the middle of the fifteenth century, that is, almost a hundred years before the construction of the Gremyachey tower.
The system included a tower, rattlesnakes, a wooden wall, upper and lower lattices. After the wooden wall was replaced with a stone one, a two-tier quadrangular tower was placed over the gate.
When Pskov joined the Moscow Principality, the fortress walls were further strengthened. Then the tower was built, now known as Gremyachaya.
Architecture
The rattlesnake tower in Pskov is round, tapers slightly to the top, covered with a temporary wooden roof. On the walls there are holes - embrasures that overlook the city, fortress, river, road, Upper grilles.
When erecting the foundation, a location feature was used. On the mountain there is a solid limestone rock, on which the tower was built. It serves as the floor for the first tier. The base of the building is also protected from water by concrete and masonry, and granite boulders were placed there. There is an underground passage to the Gremyachnaya Tower, which was created in order to provide water to the defenders of the fortress.
Inside tower
The photos of the rattlesnake tower in Pskov do not allow us to get an idea of what it looked like at that time when the fortress was still operating.
It is known that the tower was divided into six tiers. They were delimited by a kind of wood flooring. Of course, until now they have not been preserved, however, nests remained in the walls that served to secure them. In the center of each tier were hatches with stairs, so that you could freely move around the tower.
The first tier has no holes, embrasure, it is the so-called "blind" tier. The second "floor" of the building already had three loopholes for a close battle. The third and fourth tiers had four openings that overlooked the river, the Upper Lattices, and the walls. The fifth tier also had four embrasures, but they were otherwise located. On the sixth tier were eight holes located in all directions.
The legend of the prince
As mentioned earlier, several legends are known about the Gremyachaya Tower in Pskov. One of them is about the prince of the city. It is assumed that this story tells about what happened back in time of the first Gremyachaya tower, which was destroyed, and in its place the Kosmodemyaska was erected. However, this is probably not known.
At that time, the city flourished. They engaged in craft, trade, and therefore Pskov was a welcome prey for many enemy nations. Indigenous peoples often had to defend themselves against intrusions. Legend tells of what happened in one of the raids of the Teutonic Knights. The attack was so sudden that the inhabitants of Pskov could not immediately repulse, and therefore the enemy hordes managed to capture the prince.
The master of the Teutonic Order was sure that now the prince would bow to him and give up power over the city, but the ruler was a very proud man, and did not want to kneel before the enemies. The prince was tortured for a long time, but he did not succumb, even his enemies did not hear his moan.
Then he ordered the magister to chain the prince, and put him in a high tower, so that the ruler could see how badly his people were living. For a whole year the prince sat in fetters, but could no longer endure the torment of the Pskovites. Then he looked out the window and began to encourage the people. He talked about them defending their freedom. Then the inhabitants of Pskov rebelled and decided to attack the Teutons.
Enemies also heard the words of the prince, and the master ordered to secretly kill the prisoner. The people nevertheless learned about the death of their ruler, and this only kindled his fury. The townspeople took all the weapons that they had, and attacked the enemy camp.
Despite the anger and pressure of the Pskovites, they could not win for a long time. Already their forces were exhausted, the night had come, the Teutons were about to gain the upper hand on the Russians. Suddenly lightning lit up the sky, and they saw the prince’s shadow on the tower. The vision gave strength and courage to the people, and the knights, on the contrary, were very afraid. That night the victory went to the Pskovites, and the enemies were expelled from the city.
When the next day people came to the tower to bury the prince properly, the body was no longer there. But they say that at night and still sighs and groans of the ruler of Pskov are heard, which walks around the tower and rattles chains.
The legend of beauty
Another legend about the Gremyachaya Tower in Pskov is the story of the beauty - the daughter of the prince. They say that for many centuries in the crypt of the tower underground in the coffin lies a young girl, beautiful face and camp. Beautiful, with a blush, clear eyes. She is alive, but she can neither move nor say a word. The crypt where the prince’s daughter lies is filled with barrels of pure gold and jewels.
They say that the mother put a terrible curse on the girl. Why nobody feels hostility in the family, no one knows, but only now for many centuries a beautiful girl has been sleeping soundly. And the entrance to her is guarded by unclean power.
Despite everything, there is hope for the salvation of the beauty. A girl may wake up if some brave man stays at the head of her tomb for twelve nights, reading her Psalter. Only then will evil power dissipate, and a good fellow will receive not only a beautiful wife, but also all the wealth that is in the crypt.
There were many who wanted to fall into the dungeon, but only with the arrival of everyone's night did such fear take that he was fleeing the tower without reaching the princess.
The Legend of the Craftsman
The most terrible legend about the Gremyachaya Tower tells the story of a craftsman. On the outskirts of the city, on the Mouse Hill, stands the Church of St. John the Evangelist. The temple is so old that no one remembers when it was built and by whom, however, the custom to celebrate the Apostle's Day once a year remained.
At that time he lived in Pskov, one artisan. Every year he goes to his relatives who lived on the Mouse Hill, just next to the temple. He never changed his tradition, and nothing bad happened to him, and this year he did not expect that at least something bad would happen.
Masterov liked to drink at a party, eat, talk heart to heart. He did not notice how the night had come. Relatives suggested he stay overnight, but he decided to return home. The road was not close, and all through the forest and uninhabited places.
He walks along the path and meets two of his old acquaintances. We talked. He told the workshop where he was, what he was doing and found out that his friends were still going to drink, and they were calling with him. Masterova decided that it was better to be in the company than to go alone at night, and agreed, only wondered where to drink this can be found in the forest. Two acquaintances took him by the arms and brought him to a tavern, which was very close to the place where they met. I did not know the artisan what was there.
They put a lot of drinks and snacks on the table. Countrymen drink and treat the craftsman. In the Orthodox habit, the artisan always baptized before drinking, and this time it was. As soon as he crossed himself, everything around him immediately disappeared. There were no compatriots, no tavern, he alone sat on the roof of the tower with a bone in his hand instead of a glass of booze. From this, the hair of the craftsman stood on end. It was removed from the roof only in the morning when people walked by to work.
He never went to the Mouse Workshop again, fearing that the evil spirits would again take the form of his acquaintances. Indeed, at that time only the sign of the cross saved him from certain death.
Rattle tower now
The address of the Gremyachka Tower in Pskov is known now. As already mentioned earlier, tours are still being held in the fortress. Tourists are told about the history of the building, local legends, superstitions. The tower is considered a significant historical monument of the Russian state.
Now the gates are destroyed and bricked. The entrance is located on the other side, there is still a small gate in the form of an arch. Many walls are now demolished, only some fragments from all sides remain.
Temple of Cosmas and Damian
Since the name of the Kosmodemyanskaya or Gremyachnaya tower in Pskov comes from the temple of Cosmas and Damian, it is worth mentioning about this building.
In 1383 a whole Kosmodemyanskiy monastery was built. In 1540 there was a severe fire, so the structure was radically rebuilt. In 1764 the monastery was closed. The church turned into a parish church and was under the auspices of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Over time, the temple has changed a lot, since for some period it was almost desolate. Despite this, the church continues to function to this day.
Siblings Cosmas and Damian, in whose honor the church is named, lived in the third century. They were very kind to people, they always helped the poor, healed the sick, preached about Jesus Christ and never took a reward for their labors, because they called all acts not their deeds, but God's.
Of course, even such people have their enemies, envious. Once the brothers were captured and brought to trial. They were threatened, forced to renounce their faith and sacrifice to the pagan gods. However, God saved Cosmas and Damian from painful death. The judge suddenly fell ill with a terrible disease. When the brothers prayed to God for him, he was healed. Witnesses of the miracle believed in the power of Jesus Christ, and the ruler had no choice but to release his brothers.
Cosmas and Damian are considered martyrs, since they were subsequently stoned. The execution was framed by a former mentor of the brothers, who tricked them into a trap.
How to get there
The address of the Gremyachka tower is fairly easy to find. The building is located on Gremyachy Street, 8, right on the banks of the Pskov River. The fortress is located near the city center, you can even get there on foot. In addition, buses run to the Gremyachka Tower. You can also easily reach her by car.