Buyan-field - Flat, elevated place, open on all sides

Vzlobok - A small steep hill.

Veres - Juniper.

Volok (Volok) - Forest or forest clearing

Vspolye - The edge of the field, pasture.

Vyselok (Vyselok) - A small village, predominantly owned, located near single-patrimonial villages.

Greatest - Greatest, highest, highest.

City (G.) - A fortified or walled village. Management status assigned to a volost, district or provincial in relation to other settlements.

Griva - An oblong hill covered with forest.

Village - A village without a church, whose inhabitants are mainly peasants from various departments and live without a landowner.

Right hand - Right hand.

Dresva - Coarse sand.

Zapan - Backwater or river bay.

Zaseka (Zas.) - Defensive structure. It was a combination of dead wood apices, an earthen rampart and a ditch with forts and separate fortresses. The fortifications served as defensive lines that protected against raids by the Golden Horde, who systematically plundered and destroyed Russian cities and villages and took the population into captivity, as well as to protect roads.

Zybun (Zyb.) - A quagmire, an impassable (disastrous) place.

Koshevnik - Wood timber floated down the river.

Cumulus sands (Cumulus) - Accumulations of loose sand around bushes and shrubs... Height 30-50 cm, less often up to 1-2 m. In places they consist of gravel. They usually form in areas with close groundwater - on salt marshes, the coasts of lakes, seas and rivers.

Lying meadow - Worthless, bad meadow.

Monastery, monastery (Mon.) - These consist of various types of monastic hostels, the latter of which sometimes coincide in their meaning with graveyards or estates of the spiritual department.

Grange (m. or Grange) - If it is owned, then most of it is near single-patrimonial villages, or it has the meaning of an estate at a plant and factory, if it belongs to persons of the tax-paying classes.

Myanda - Pine.

Novina - Cleared but not plowed land in the forest.

Dump (Opt.) - A mound of waste rock, slag, formed during the development of mineral resources.

Oselok - Oselok Vlad. wasteland, a place abandoned by its inhabitants; fallow, lie low. Oselok, Oblesye, Oselok or obselye, psk. hard newly populated place, settlement, new settlements, settlement.

Oselye - Oselye is akin to an outskirts, the land around the village.

Perekop - Ditch.

Tares - Weed

Pogost (Pog. or Pogost) - Has a church and a population consisting of clergy and clergy. The word graveyard comes from the word guest. The place where merchants traded was called a graveyard. With the adoption of Christianity, churches began to be built near graveyards. In the 15-16th centuries. churchyards begin to die off, hence the word graveyard has a second meaning - a lonely church.

Undercut (Under.) - A cleared place in the forest.

Disgrace - Review, watch.

Midnight - North.

Posad (P. or Pos.) - An order of huts or a row of houses. A settled settlement located outside a city or fortress.

Pochinok, village and farm (Poch.) - Same as settlement. Farmsteads, however, often have the significance of estates due to their agricultural nature. New settlements arising on the first raised site were called repairs.

When the original courtyard was replaced by one or two others, it became a village.

Wasteland (Pust.) - A village turned into a wasteland if there were no residential courtyards left in it and the arable land was abandoned.

Selishche - A large village or settlement where there is more than one church.

Village (S.) - A village with a church, whose inhabitants are mainly peasants from different departments.

Seltso (Sel.) - A village of an exclusively proprietary nature with a manor house and various landlord establishments, or a village in which a landowner lives with peasants or several landowners. A village that was previously a village may also have the name.

Sloboda, Forshtat (Slob.) - A village with more than one church, a settlement outside a city or fortress.

Thorn - Prickly bush

Estate (Us.) - They are of two kinds. Estates of the ecclesiastical department are similar in character to graveyards by the nature of the population. Owner's estates differ either in their agricultural nature or as the location of landowners at a factory or plant

Shuitsa - Left hand.

Church land (CL) - A plot of land belonging to a church parish or monastery

Fairs and inns of the Ryazan province.

Let's talk about the Ryazan province. Russian land with a rich history. Adjacent to the Moscow province. The residents of Ryazan had to solve many problems while being face to face with the steppe inhabitants. The first capital of the Ryazan principality could not recover from the devastation and remained in ruins. All that remained were mounds. On the other bank from Old Ryazan is the no less ancient city of Spassk-Ryazansky.
Almost the entire peninsula where Old Ryazan is located is declared OKN. I was looking through Archaeological maps of Russia and literally saw certain areas that had no archaeological value. The entire area of ​​the peninsula is a single complex of history. And only 50 sq. km. Look at the map for yourself.
Under the Isads, Prince Gleb Vladimirovich deceived his brothers and the neighboring princes with the boyars to a feast. There he killed them all. The thirst for power and money can do anything. They say that under the old elms everything was strewn with gold and pearls. The prince and the boyars were going to a noble feast and bringing gifts to Gleb Vladimirovich. During the battle, rich clothes were chopped up and jewelry was scattered on the ground and trampled into the mud. Offerings of gold and silver were turned over. And all this was watered with brotherly blood. According to my calculations, about one and a half thousand people were killed. Those were the times.
It was through these places that Batu Khan passed through with his 150,000 army. An army at that time was simply unheard of. Only the Ryazan people were able to hold out against the Tatar hordes for nine days. During the siege, there were 15,000 - 20,000 people in Ryazan. These were the cities in Rus' in those days. There are at least 50,000 Tatar troops. All Ryazan residents were killed. The Tatars did not take anyone prisoner.
I was leafing through the material and a place I wanted to visit caught my eye. Interesting legend. And today’s cases associated with this place are also interesting. Everything is in order. About five hundred years ago the Ryazhskaya serif line was created. A peculiar border of the Russian state. As if by chance, we discovered an inn in a good location. A quiet, calm, secluded place not far from the Astrakhan highway Ryazan-Ryazhsk. And they fed me well and put me to bed and saw me off in the morning. In the bustle of the morning preparations, they did not notice that not everyone had left the yard. And when we got to the place, there weren’t enough people. They thought that they had fallen behind somewhere and that they would catch up. The stragglers never caught up. The locals were told about what had happened, and in response they heard this. It turns out that this inn has stood in that place for many many years. A beautiful woman runs the inn. She greets the guests and treats them to all kinds of dishes. And puts her to sleep on soft feather beds. Yes, few people left that inn in the morning. As if there were no visitors. No one stopped by. No traces. A cart will arrive at the inn in the evening, but in the morning there is no cart. There were no traces of how the cart drove in, no cart itself, no horse, no owner and fellow travelers. They simply disappeared into the morning fog. The robber buried the loot next to the inn. Only she knew the location of the cache and did not trust anyone. From these robberies she became so rich that she built houses for her servants around the inn and a village was formed. How long did the robber live for a short time, but the time had come to move to those she had killed. The time to meet the dead and robbed was inevitably approaching. She decided to tell her descendants about her sins. There was no pity for those killed and no forgiveness from those who were deprived of their lives. I wanted to show the buried treasures. It started from afar. How I came to this region. How she killed and robbed the first visitor. How she lured and killed others. The decrepit old woman remembered everything. She described who was wearing what, what they were carrying with them, and how much money they had. Talking about how someone died, she smiled slightly. Apparently, even on her deathbed, memories of the murders gave her pleasure. And therefore she paid more attention to this part of the memories. When listeners asked her where she took the loot, she pointed in one direction or another and said what was buried there. Place promised to show her how she would feel a little better and be able to go out into the garden. But the old woman did not get any better, and a few days after the start of her story, she moved to another world without having time to show the places of the buried treasures.
They say her descendants followed the same trade, but her treasures were never found. When a gold coin or a ring with a red stone never jumps out of the ground, pearls will crumble under a shovel. And so they specifically looked and found nothing. And how did you search? There were no instruments then to see through the ground.
Friends gathered to visit the Ryazan land. I told them about this place. I asked him to stop by and see what was going on there. He asked me to take photographs. We couldn't stop by. The river overflowed and did not let in. After a while, another one went and asked for them. As soon as we turned off the road, the car stalled. So far we have found a tractor. While they pulled me out onto the track. The driver simply got into the car out of habit and turned the key in the ignition. The car growled with a pleasantly running engine. The guys laughed. After all, everyone is a driver. Well, it started, then let's go. They reached the turn and as soon as they pulled onto the dirt the car stalled. Silence. It was already evening. Three physically strong guys looked at each other with a slight shudder and decided that the best option was to leave these places. The trick with starting it on the highway did not work and then the car was towed to the nearest town. I told my acquaintances who were traveling in that direction for the third time. He said that two people had already tried to get to the inn, but could not. Upon arrival, they told me the following. We reached the place normally. We even got there easily. Music, conversation, lunch and relaxation. A married couple loves to walk through fields and forests and look into all sorts of places. We turned off the road and stopped to look around. We got out of the car and didn’t even immediately understand what was happening. The cars behind on the highway are noisy, but in front there is silence. They say they have never seen or heard anything like this. There is some kind of bird or frog there, the breeze sways the grass and rustles the leaves. There is complete silence here. He says you can reach the village and the inn with your hand, but your legs don’t want to go. We stood there like that. They got into the car and drove away. Not a timid one. I went hiking with them. They didn’t hide in the bushes if something went wrong.
This is the place I want to visit. Unfortunately, it probably won’t work out this year, I’m very curious what’s going on there. If anyone goes, take photos of those places and send them by email. I will be grateful.
Directions to the inn.
Luzhki village at PGM
We must continue, otherwise I see readers come in and no new places are described. Today I will write until midnight and post little by little, so come in.
We directed our steps towards Ryazhsk and therefore we will look around, and for this it is best to look at the map.

Looking at the map we decide on the direction of movement.
I would first of all visit the Suiska area. I think a lot of interesting things can be seen in this small area.
A little to the side we see the village of Stolptsy on the map. One of the first needle factories was built in this village. Peter I introduced restrictions on foreign needles and thereby stimulated needle production in Russia. A little further south, in the village of Kolentsy, a needle factory was also built. Thanks to these factories, these areas have grown and become more comfortable. With the money received from the production of needles, churches were built in villages, and schools attached to the churches.
To the right of the tract is the village of Nikitino. The first mention of the village was in 1628. And like the village even earlier. Two fairs were held. I guess in this place. Mandatory availability of water for livestock, roads and two river crossings. Near the village there are two abandoned villages.
There was a big fair in Korablino and it lasted three days, but according to my estimates, this place is built up. It would be nice to see the banks of the Danubechik River; there is still a road to the highway. This is not for everyone.

We drive south beyond Ryazhsk and see “Berezovo, a village in the Ryazhsky district of the Marchukovsky 2nd rural district.” Mentioned in the Ryazhskaya salary book of 1676. I was just interested in the place. It’s very interesting and I want to visit it.
Let's look now at the old map.
We look at satellite images.
And everything that is nearby.
Interesting pictures aren't they? At least buy a house there and live.
In those distant times, the Ryazan province was famous for horse breeding. And where they were bred there and traded, they only moved from one settlement to another. They will trade there for two days. They will move to another place where the grass is fresher and the water is cleaner. This is how herds moved from one meta to another. But there was a fair for all fairs to enjoy. The breeding stallion was sold there for 5,000 rubles. This is a lot of money at that time. An ordinary workhorse cost 100-500 rubles. Up to 4,000 of these ordinary horses were sold in five days of trading. People came for horses from Moscow, Tula province and other places. In addition to horses, they traded cows. Everything else is the same as at other fairs. Up to 3,000 people gathered daily. On other days there were cases of up to 10,000 people. (I apologize, I didn’t finish writing yesterday. The Internet was turned off. Problems on the part of the provider. They were restored only in the morning.)
Naturally, anyone who has read the lists of Fairs in the Ryazan province will immediately say that this is Samodurovka. And he will post it as proof.
We feverishly type Samodurovka Ryazanskaya into the search engine and a map is displayed.
We make a selection of cards.
Finding maps of the Red Army
And of course we are looking for PGM. We find it, but the name is a little wrong. Let us remember the history of the names of villages and villages in those distant times. The owner has changed and the name has changed. We don’t pay attention - download the map and print it out.
Packing your backpack takes a few minutes and you’re on your way. Even on the road, doubts begin to creep in about whether I’m going there. Another Samodurovka, after all, no means right. Where is the railroad on which horses and cows were brought? They couldn’t have written it out of the blue. It’s not like writing a blog and you could end up in hard labor.
That’s right: in those days, a settlement had several names, and two settlements could be located quite close. It was not uncommon for villages to be named simply by the owner’s last name. We understand that this is Samodurovka, but not that one.
We sit down with cards and books. We read, look, compare, and do it all over again. Finally, the understanding comes that at the PGM this is the village of Novonikolskoye.
And we find another card.
I draw your attention to how the village is drawn - mirror image. Let's not judge the cartographers of that time strictly. Just think about how much work it is to issue such a volume of cards manually. You just need to say thank you to them.
The number of yards is amazing: 412. Simply a huge number of yards for those times. We read the story and find out that the village was originally called Novonikolskoye. Mentioned for the first time in 1687. By the end of the 17th century, the Church of the Nativity was built in the village. At the same time, events occurred due to which the village received the name Samodurovka. During the seizure of lands by Prince Dolgoruky V.V. The Cossacks resisted and were forcibly evicted to other lands. After these events, it was called by the double name Novonikolskoye (Samodurovka) or Samodurovka (Novo-Nikolskoye).
And this is Samodurovka as seen from space today. No changes. All the same.
Only now there are no more than 20 residents living in the village. Ruins of houses are visible from space.
This is a temple. More precisely, what is left.
And of course we are looking for a modern map. As you can see, the name of the village is different. Now the village is called Zorino. It was renamed on January 10, 1966 by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR in honor of S.P. Zorin, Hero of the Soviet Union, who was born in the village.
To understand where the fair was held, let's look at the map from a bird's eye view.
It’s sad to see such previously large settlements die. Below Zorin, the village of Butyrka also died.
Previously on PGM maps.
And now the view from space.
Five kilometers from Samodurovka to the west is the Ukholovo railway station, and this is where cattle were delivered by rail. When driving to the fair, there was a river where the cattle could be watered. Along the banks of the Mostya River you need to look for traces of the fair. Where could such a number of animals be fed? There were from 2000 to 4000 horses and several thousand heads of cattle. Suppose that the cattle were watered from Samodurovka reservoirs, then where did people get water for themselves? The cattle grazed and drank here. This is where it was sold. Let me remind you that the trading time is mid-summer. It was hot and not only people but also cattle had to hide from the hot sun. Where? Everything is right there by the river.
Just north of Samodurovka is the town of Sapozhok with a five-hundred-year history. The main occupation of the townspeople was trade. The number of trade certificates taken was 1,240 in 1882. Three fairs were held a year. Not as large as in Samodurovka, but more frequent and one even lasted a whole week. They traded various goods, but always horses and cattle. In Sapozhka there were two factories, a postal station and a hospital. Children studied in two schools. There were five churches.

There are places that travelers don't visit very often. There's almost nothing to see here. Nature is gradually absorbing everything that was once created by man. Time seemed to stand still. And you just have to be silent for a little while and you begin to feel the power of this place. And one of them is ancient settlement Old Ryazan.

Andrey and I visited here during our . I've heard about Old Ryazan for a long time. And I really wanted to visit here. Maybe it was because of my passionate desire that the road turned out to be not as easy as it seemed.

The city that we call Ryazan today was called until 1778 Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky. And Ryazan, the capital Great Ryazan Principality, was located here in Old Ryazan.

The first chronicle mention of Ryazan dates back to 1096. However, settlements existed on this site back in Neolithic times, as evidenced by the Late Neolithic sites located south of the site Shatrishche-1 And Shatrische-2(Shatrishchenskoye settlement). The location for the city was chosen well: a high steep bank above the Oka River. Previously, the Pronya River flowed into the Oka here, but over time the rivers changed their courses. Today, only Spassky backwater next to Spassk-Ryazansky reminds of this. Near Staraya Ryazan, the Serebryanka River flows into the Oka.

Initially, the population of Ryazan was about 1,500 people, mainly farmers and artisans lived here. Ryazan, together with, was part of the Chernigov principality. In the 40s of the 12th century, Ryazan became the center of an independent principality. The population grew rapidly and by the beginning of the 13th century it already amounted to 8,000 people.

Large construction was carried out under Prince Gleb Rostislavovich (Prince of Ryazan from 1145, Grand Duke of Ryazan in 1161-1178). The Assumption and Boris and Gleb Cathedrals and the Spassky Church were built. The city had its own episcopal see.

View of Ryazan from the south. Reconstruction

Since the city occupied a border position, powerful defensive structures were built. Already by the beginning of the 12th century, Ryazan was protected on three sides by high ramparts, and on the fourth side by the steep and high bank of the Oka. The fortified area of ​​the city was 60 hectares. The length of the fortifications reached 1.5 km, the height of the earthen rampart reached 10 meters, and its width at the base was 23-24 meters. At least five times the Ryazan people increased the height of the ramparts, as indicated by dense layers of black earth.

In front of the earthen rampart there was a ditch up to 8 meters deep. The northwestern part of Ryazan - Krom (Kremlin), was separated from the rest of the city by another ditch. Along the crest of the rampart there was a palisade. Later, “taras” appeared - walls chopped and covered with clay, adjoined on the outside by a palisade of two rows of logs.

There were three Kremlins in Ryazan. The first was the grand-ducal courtyard (krom), which stood on a steep, steep northern hill and was surrounded by additional ditches. Adjacent to the grand-ducal palace from the east was the second Kremlin (middle city), in which the city nobility lived. And finally, the city itself (capital city) was fortified with fortress walls.

Plan of Ryazan, reconstruction

Ryazan residents traded with Byzantium, Iran, Central Asia, and Europe. They also transported goods to Kyiv. Silver and non-ferrous metals, beads and jewelry made of amber, rock crystal, Indian stones, wine and olive oil in amphorae were imported into the city. The craft flourished - the remains of blacksmithing, bronze casting, pottery and bone-working workshops were discovered.

It was a rich city, in the XII-XIII centuries one of the largest in Rus'... But the year 1237 came.

Batya's invasion and fall of Ryazan

Back in 1236, refugees from Volga Bulgaria brought alarming news about hordes of Mongols marching from east to west. In 1237 the Mongols came to Rus'. The first large city on their way was Ryazan. The people of Ryazan asked other Russian principalities for help in vain - they turned out to be deaf to their pleas.

Per year 6745 (1237). In the twelfth year after the transfer of the miraculous image of St. Nicholas from Korsun, the godless Tsar Batu came to the Russian land with many Tatar warriors and camped on the river in Voronezh near the land of Ryazan. And he sent unlucky ambassadors to Ryazan to Grand Duke Yuri Ingvarevich of Ryazan, demanding from him a tenth share in everything: in princes, in all sorts of people and in horses...

... Tsar Batu, he was cunning and unmerciful, became inflamed with his lust and said to Prince Fyodor Yuryevich: “Let me, prince, taste the beauty of your wife.” The noble Prince Fyodor Yuryevich Ryazansky only laughed and answered the Tsar: “It is not right for us Christians to bring our wives to you, the wicked Tsar, for fornication. When you defeat us, then you will own our wives.” — The story of the ruin of Ryazan by Batu

Batu killed the prince... His wife, Princess Eupraxia, having learned about the death of her husband, together with her son, Prince Ivan, committed suicide by jumping from a high tower.

... And Tsar Batu, the accursed Ryazan land, began to fight and went to the city of Ryazan. And they surrounded the city and fought relentlessly for five days. Batya’s army changed, and the townspeople constantly fought. And many townspeople were killed, and others were wounded, and others were exhausted from great labors and wounds. And on the sixth day, early in the morning, the wicked went to the city - some with lights, others with battering guns, and others with countless ladders - and took the city of Ryazan on the 21st day of December. And they came to the cathedral church of the Most Holy Theotokos, and Grand Duchess Agrippina, the mother of the Grand Duke, with her daughters-in-law and other princesses, they flogged them with swords, and they betrayed the bishop and priests to fire - they burned them in the holy church. And many others fell from weapons. And in the city they flogged many people, wives, and children with swords, and drowned others in the river, and flogged the monk priests without a trace, and burned the whole city, and all the famous beauty, and the wealth of Ryazan, and the relatives of the Ryazan princes - the princes of Kyiv and Chernigov - captured. But they destroyed the temples of God and shed a lot of blood in the holy altars. And not a single living person remained in the city: they all died anyway and drank the single cup of death. There was no one moaning or crying here - no father and mother about their children, no children about their father and mother, no brother about their brother, no relatives about their relatives, but they all lay dead together. And all this was for our sins.

And the godless Tsar Batu saw the terrible shedding of Christian blood, and became even more enraged and embittered, and went to Suzdal and to, intending to captivate the Russian land, and eradicate the Christian faith, and destroy the churches of God to the ground. — The story of the ruin of Ryazan by Batu

Prince Ingvar Ingvarevich was in Chernigov at that time, where he asked for help from his brother, Prince Mikhail Vsevolodovich of Chernigov. Returning back, he saw a terrible picture:

... And he came from Chernigov to the land of Ryazan, to his homeland, and saw it empty, and heard that his brothers were all killed by the wicked, lawless Tsar Batu, and he came to the city of Ryazan, and saw the city devastated, and his mother and daughter-in-law , and their relatives, and many many people lying dead, and churches were burned, and all the ornaments were taken from the treasury of Chernigov and Ryazan. Prince Ingvar Ingvarevich saw the great final destruction for our sins and cried out pitifully, like a trumpet calling to the army, like a sounding organ. And from that great scream and terrible cry he fell to the ground as if dead. And they barely cast it and left in the wind. And with difficulty his soul revived within him...

... All this happened because of our sins. There was the city of Ryazan, and the land was Ryazan, and its wealth disappeared, and its glory departed, and it was impossible to see any of its blessings in it - only smoke, earth and ashes. And the churches were all burned, and the great church inside was burnt out and blackened. And not only this city was captured, but many others as well. There was no singing or ringing in the city; instead of joy there is incessant crying.

And Prince Ingvar Ingvarevich went to where his brethren were beaten by the wicked Tsar Batu: Grand Duke Yuri Ingvarevich of Ryazan, his brother Prince Davyd Ingvarevich, his brother Vsevolod Ingvarevich, and many local princes, and boyars, and governors, and all the army, and daredevils, and playful people, patterns and Ryazan upbringing. They all lay on the empty ground, on the feather grass, frozen with snow and ice, uncared for by anyone.

The beasts ate their bodies, and many birds tore them to pieces. They all lay together, they all died together, and they all drank the same cup of death. And Prince Ingvar Ingvarevich saw a great many bodies lying, and cried out in a bitterly loud voice, like a trumpet sounding, and beat himself in the chest with his hands, and fell to the ground... - The Tale of the Ruin of Ryazan by Batu

Mysteries of Old Ryazan

The blessed Prince Ingvar Ingvarevich, named Kozma in holy baptism, sat on the table of his father, the Grand Duke Ingvar Svyatoslavich. And he renovated the land of Ryazan, and erected churches, and built monasteries, and comforted the strangers, and gathered people. And there was joy for the Christians, whom God delivered with His strong hand from the godless and evil Tsar Batu. — The story of the ruin of Ryazan by Batu

Archaeological data indicate that after the fire of 1237 the city never recovered (A.L. Mongait. Old Ryazan. Materials and research on the archeology of the USSR. 1955; V.P. Darkevich. Travel to ancient Ryazan: notes of an archaeologist, M., 1993 ; Ancient capital of the Ryazan land, M., 1995). However, written sources tell a different story. So, in "Description of a trip to Muscovy" German traveler Adama Olearius, published in 1656, Ryazan is also mentioned among the large Russian cities of that time:

In Russia there are many large and in their own way magnificent cities, among which the most famous are Moscow, Veliky Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Pskov, Smolensk... Arkhangelsk (a large seaside and trading city), Tver, Torzhok, Ryazan, Tula, Kaluga, Rostov, Pereyaslavl , Yaroslavl, Uglich, Vologda, Vladimir, Staraya Russa.

After traveling along the Oka and Volga, Olearius adds:

5th s. m. we drove past the town of Ryazan, etc., which used to be a large and even the main city of the entire province of this name. But when the Crimean Tatars invaded in 1568 and, beating and burning, devastated everything, this city also perished. Since, however, this province, located between the Oka and the rampart built against the Tatars, was previously a principality and, in addition, being extremely fertile, surpasses all neighboring provinces in arable farming, cattle breeding and game […], then the king, after devastating it , ordered to gather a large number of people from everywhere, to rework the whole country and put it in the same order. Since they found a more convenient place to build the city of Ryazan, namely where Pereyaslavl now lies 8 miles from [old] Ryazan, they moved the remaining building material here and built a completely new city. It is called Pereyaslavl of Ryazan, since the majority and most prominent of the persons who built and inhabited it were from Pereyaslavl, which lies as far from Moscow to the north as this city lies to the south.

In a spiritual testament Ivan the Terrible(1568-1572) Old Ryazan is mentioned among other Ryazan cities that existed at that time. In a charter dated 1588 to the Terekhov Monastery of his son, Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, Ryazan is mentioned as an existing city, which has its own local administration. However, in the salary books of 1676, it is said that Old Ryazan turned into a village. Nevertheless, based on these and other written sources, it follows that the city continued to live after Batu’s invasion.

How can this be combined with archaeological data? Obviously, people could not confuse the two cities - Pereyaslavl Ryazan and Old Ryazan. This is also indicated by old maps, where two cities are clearly marked:

Map of Jacob Bruce, compiled at the end of the 17th century

... Indirect evidence that Old Ryazan ceased to exist not in the 13th century, but much later, is the plans for its defensive structures. So, in 1774, land surveyor Alexander Protasov, carrying out the plan for the Pereyaslav district of the Staroryazan camp, mapped out all the defensive ramparts of Old Ryazan that existed at that time. As the Soviet historian and archaeologist A.L. writes. Mongait (1955), according to this plan, all the fortifications of the city look intact. The total length of the shafts is indicated in the plan at 1480 fathoms (3.1 kilometers) and they represent a closed pentagon of irregular shape. The ramparts framed a rather deep ditch - up to 8 meters and a width of up to 15-20 meters (from the floor side of the fort).

The cartographic plan of the Old Ryazan settlement from 1836 paints a less colorful picture - literally in just 60 years the ramparts along the bank of the Oka River collapsed, a number of sections of the rampart on the floor side also disappeared, having been “eaten up” by ravines. By 1946, the length of the ramparts of Ryazan (their height in some places reached 8-10 meters, and the thickness of the base - up to 22-25 meters) was, according to Mongait, only about 1500 meters - most of them were destroyed by ravines, and also partially plowed . Now the preservation of the shafts is even worse. Thus, the speed of disappearance of the ramparts of Old Ryazan indirectly shows that if they had existed since the 13th century, they would hardly have been able to survive in such good condition by 1774. — The mysterious history of the city of Old Ryazan, http://ttolk.ru/?p=11838

The question remains open of what happened to Ryazan after Batu’s invasion. You can't argue with archaeological data. But what about written sources? We can only guess. Perhaps people lived around the settlement, where the village of Staraya Ryazan is now located, leaving the destroyed city untouched.

Our trip to Old Ryazan

Arriving in Ryazan, I immediately planned a trip to Old Ryazan. It would seem that there is nothing complicated about it - only 50 kilometers from Ryazan, most of the road passes along the highway. What difficulties could there be? But…

Highway M-5 "Ural"

The navigator paved the road, in principle, correctly - through Trinity and Spassk-Ryazansky:

The road to Old Ryazan, paved by a navigator

But after reading the reports of travelers, I saw a different route for everyone - from M-5 after Kirits, turn onto the road to Razberdeevo. Moreover, if you go through Trinity and Spassk-Ryazansky, you need to drive twice over the pontoon bridge over the Oka. It was unclear whether they functioned there or not and in general how passable they were for Focus. As a result, we took the second route and turned off, as advised, right after the sanatorium in Kiritsy - the former Derviz estate. And we drove along the Zasechye-Nikitino-Razberdeevo road. The Yandex.Maps mobile application confidently showed that there was a road there.

At first everything was great - excellent new asphalt. We were already looking forward to meeting the ancient settlement.

And then the asphalt gave way to a primer. Which, moreover, turned in a completely different direction.

Country road (still asphalt)

And in the direction we needed, a field road led. We tried to drive along it, but the Ford Focus is not intended for off-roading, literally at all. Remembering ours, we stopped in front of another puddle. Fortunately, at that time Niva appeared behind us. The driver confirmed that there is no passable road to Razberdeevo. I had to turn back. And it’s also a shame that while we were valiantly getting out, I didn’t think of taking pictures of the beautiful landscapes and the road to Razberdeevo, which existed in the imagination of Yandex.Maps.

Hedgehog on the road; we managed to slow down

True, the reward for the time spent was the magnificent views of the floodplain of the Pronya and Oka rivers.

We took the M-5 again and got stuck in a traffic jam due to road repairs - there was reverse traffic on a large section, which is why huge queues accumulated on both sides. I was already scolding myself with all my might for dragging Andrei God knows where - unlike me, he is a purely peaceful person.

Near Ivanovka we turned left following the sign for Razberdeevo. By the way, it is interesting that in the full version of Yandex.Maps this road is marked, but through Zasechye-Nikitino there is only a ribbon of a country road.

The road to Old Ryazan through Razberdeevo (Razberdeevo for some reason is not indicated on the map at this scale)

Here the road surface was, to put it mildly, unimportant. Only later did it get better. We were already afraid to think whether we would finally get to Old Ryazan or not.

One thing was pleasing: along the way, every now and then we came across signs to Old Ryazan. This means we are heading on the right course. Then the road turned sharply to the left, and powerful ramparts opened before our tired eyes. When I saw them, all my fatigue and tension vanished.

Having driven into the territory of the settlement, we saw a parking lot on the left. They parked the car there. And then we went on foot. The archaeologist in me woke up (fortunately, I still have three in my anamnesis). And I rushed forward - to the ruins Church of Boris and Gleb, a unique symbol of Old Ryazan.

And I think our ordeals were not in vain. We arrived here already at 8 o'clock, when the low pre-sunset sun effectively illuminated the settlement.

Ruins of the Church of Boris and Gleb in Old Ryazan

Along the field road we approached the ruins of the Boris and Gleb Church. A six-pillar, three-apse temple with side porches existed on this site back in the pre-Mongol period. After Batu's invasion, its ruins were dismantled. Later, a wooden temple was built nearby, mention of which is found in sources of the 17th century. In 1836, a native of Spassk and a lover of antiquities, Dmitry Tikhomirov, began excavating hills - “kamenishch”, as the locals called them and where they got the stones from.

Tikhomirov began excavations near the dilapidated Boris and Gleb Church.

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The sole purpose of our research was to, after removing the embankment, deeper in the mainland, discover the burial place of the great princes and archpastors of Ryazan.

Burials were indeed found - under the floor of the church and in sarcophagi. Rich finds testified to the belonging of the buried to the princely family.

In 1886, a chapel was built on the site of the ancient temple. In 1913 - 1914, “at the expense of the local landowner Sterligova,” a new temple was built here, which buried all the remains of antiquity under its foundation.

To the south of the church, behind the fence, in the trees, you can see a rural cemetery.

I walked forward. And a fantastic panorama of a huge plain opened up in front of me - the Oka floodplain. Here and there oxbow lakes and lakes were visible - traces of changes in the channels of the Pronya and Oka.

In front of the temple, closer to the cliff, the remains of an ancient foundation could be seen. Perhaps these are fragments of the vestibule of the ancient Boris and Gleb Church, uncovered by V.A. Gorodtsov in 1926.

Panorama of the Trans-Oka region and the foundation of the Boris and Gleb Church

A path led to the cliff. Naturally, I followed it.

With every step, an ever wider panorama of the Trans-Oka region opened up before my eyes.

From here, almost from the cliff, the high bank of the Oka, on which the ancient settlement stands, is clearly visible. Below, between the slope and the river - village of Staraya Ryazan With Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) in Old Ryazan

Oka and Staroryazansky pontoon bridge across it

It's time to go back. I really didn't want to leave this place. But the way back to Ryazan still awaited us.

For some reason, the trees growing on the territory of the settlement next to the rural cemetery reminded me of those in the Rostov region.

We got into the car. We decided to go back through pontoon bridges. And, I must say, we did not regret it. For here the landscapes were no less interesting.

By Staroryazansky pontoon (platform) bridge We drove through with caution. In my tall car, I wouldn't even notice him. But on the Ford it was somehow scary.

Oka (feeling like you are driving on water)

Having crossed the bridge, we stopped and I went to photograph everything around.

Staroryazansky pontoon bridge and the high bank of the Oka

Oka in the evening

Boat near a cafe near the pontoon bridge

Then our path lay through Spassk-Ryazansky. According to legend, it was founded by the surviving residents of Ryazan, who moved here from the devastated city. In fact, the village of Spassky was founded in the 15th century as the patrimony of the now defunct Zaretsky Spassky Monastery.

Spassk-Ryazansky himself did not make any impression on me. At the exit from it we had to drive through a section of a narrow, rather bad road.

On the road between Old Ryazan and Trinity Oka makes a bend. Therefore, we had to cross the river on another pontoon bridge - Troitsky.

And here the deep meaning of why we didn’t go this road in the first place was revealed. The fact is that the exit from the pontoon was very steep, with water splashing between it and the shore. Perhaps we would have been afraid of damaging the bumper if we had approached from the wrong direction.

We passed Trinity, the main decoration of which is Church of the Life-Giving Trinity Built in 1903, the bell tower is built in 1837. Previously, there was the Trinity Perenitsky Monastery here.

The sun was setting. And we hurried to Ryazan. To say that Old Ryazan made a strong impression on me is to say nothing. I was truly overwhelmed by both the history of this place and its beauty. Strong place!

Information for those who will travel to Old Ryazan

After the trip, I wanted to structure the information a little for those who will go to Old Ryazan.

1. You can get to Old Ryazan in several ways. In the first two cases, we leave Ryazan along the M-5 highway towards . The first way - we turn onto the road Trinity - Spassk-Ryazansky - Staraya Ryazan, crossing two pontoon (platform) bridges - Troitsky and Staroryazansky. Please note that the car must be tall enough!

The second road is to turn off the M-5 near Ivanovka onto the road to Razberdeevo and follow the signs. This route is longer, but suitable for those with a low-slung car. In 2015, the M-5 highway is being repaired; there are sections with reverse traffic.

You can also leave Ryazan on the P-123 road, near Shumashi we turn right and drive through Dubrovichi, Alekanovo, Murmino and others to Spassk-Ryazansky, and there we cross the Oka River on the Staroryazansky pontoon bridge. True, I don’t know how normal the quality of this road is.

2. It is best to go to Old Ryazan close to sunset. You can take very interesting shots in the rays of the low pre-sunset sun.

3. In addition to the ramparts, the memorial cross, the ruins of the Church of Boris and Gleb and panoramas of the Oka and floodplain, you can also visit several more places in Old Ryazan:

1) a rural cemetery where ancient tombstones are preserved (for those who love such places);
2) the northern foundation stone (Alatyr-stone), which is located south of the ancient settlement. The stone is a boulder that has only recently appeared here;
3) the grand ducal courtyard in the northern part of the settlement;
4) a spring on the territory of the grand ducal court;
5) Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in 1735 in the village of Staraya Ryazan;
6) Late Paleolithic site Shatrishche to the south of the settlement. It was on this side that Batu’s troops stood, frightening the Ryazan people with the fires of their fires.

Sights of Old Ryazan on the map

We had such an incredible trip to Old Ryazan.

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In 1796, the province was divided into 9 districts: Zaraisky, Kasimovsky, Mikhailovsky, Pronsky, Ranenburgsky, Ryazhsky, Ryazansky, Sapozhoksky and Skopinsky.
In 1802, Dankovsky, Yegoryevsky and Spassky districts were formed.

Topographic maps

0. Plans for the General Land Survey of the late 18th century. Scale in 1 inch - 1 verst (1cm - 420m) and in 1 inch - 2 versts (1cm - 840m)

Scale: 1 verst in inch (1 cm - 420 m) and 1 inch - 2 versts (1 cm - 840 m)

Year of topographic survey: 1785 - 1792

Description:

The maps are detailed, not topographical, these are the very first detailed maps in the history of cartography, the relief is perfectly depicted on the plans, small objects, villages, hamlets, hamlets are marked, mills, graveyards, etc. are indicated, these are the best maps for searching for coins and relics .
The following counties of this province are available:
*Dankovsky district - Scale: 2 versts in inch (1 cm - 840 m)
* Yegoryevsky district - Scale: 1 verst in inch (1 cm - 420 m);
* Zaraisky district - Scale: 1 verst in inch (1 cm - 420 m);
* Kasimovsky district - Scale: 1 verst in inch (1 cm - 420 m);
* Mikhailovsky district - Scale: 2 versts in an inch (1 cm - 840 m);
* Pronsky district - Scale: 2 versts per inch (1 cm - 840 m);
* Ryazhsky district - Scale: 1 verst in inch (1 cm - 420 m);
* Rannenburg district - Scale: 1 verst in inch (1 cm - 420 m);
* Sapozhkovsky district - Scale: 1 verst in inch (1 cm - 420 m);
* Skopinsky district - Scale: 2 versts in inch (1 cm - 840 m)
* Spassky district - Scale: 1 verst in inch (1 cm - 420 m).

Year of topographic survey: 1792

Description:

1. Map of the Ryazan district in 1925 3 miles. Map fragment. Quite detailed topographic map.
2. Map of the Pronskaya volost of the Skopinsky district in 1925. 3 versts
3. Map of the Ryazan province(from Tambov) 10 versts. 1862. Map fragment
4. Map of the Tarnovskaya volost of the Ryazan district. 1925. 3 versts

3. Map of the Ryazan province from the atlas of 1827.

Year of topographic survey: 1843

Description:

The maps are not very detailed; they are well suited for historians, local historians and treasure hunters for determining the boundaries of counties. large villages and churches are indicated. Color map from the atlas of 32 provinces, map appendix: coat of arms of the province. Sample card.

Year of topographic survey: 1850

Scale: 1 verst in inch (1 cm - 420 m)

Description:

This map contains both disappeared and existing villages, hamlets, villages, roads and much more, the map is detailed and is very popular among search engines. Covers the entire province.

Year of topographic survey: 1850

Scale: 2 versts in an inch (1 cm - 840 m)

Description:

This map contains both disappeared and existing villages, hamlets, villages, roads and much more, the map is detailed and is very popular among search engines. Collection sheet.

7. Topographic map of the Ryazan province I.A. Strelbitsky 1865-1871

Year of topographic survey: 1865-1871

Scale: 10 versts in an inch 1:420,000 (1 cm - 4.2 km).

Description:

On this map there are currently disappeared settlements, farms, villages and hamlets, all roads, inns, taverns, springs and wells as well as mosques and churches are indicated, one of the best maps for a cop.
The Ryazan province includes sheets 57, 58, 59, 72, 73. Map fragment. Collection sheet.

8. Military topographic map of 1865 (not included in the promotion)

Year of topographic survey: 1865

Scale: 3 versts in inch - (1 cm - 1260 m).

Description:

Schubert military topographic map. One of the best and most loved maps by search engines. It shows all the smallest details: villages, farmsteads, inns, barns, wells, small roads, etc. Fragment of the map.
Scale: 3 versts in inch - (1 cm - 1260 m). Collection sheet.

Year of topographic survey: 1925 - 1945

Scale: 1:100 000

Description:

Topographic maps of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army 1925 - 1945.
The map shows the positions of our troops and enemy troops (units, combat positions).
Detailed maps with all villages and farmsteads (including those destroyed during the Second World War), mills, crossings, churches, factories and other small objects.
A total of 29 sheets for the entire region. Collection sheet.

10. Map of Kulikovo Field. 1928.

11. Map of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army 1935 - 1937.

Year of topographic survey: 1935 - 1937

Scale: 1:500 000

Description:

Topographic maps of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army 1935 - 1937.
The positions of the owls are shown on the map. troops and troops of Germany, the situation 1941-42. (headquarters, dugouts, firing points, military equipment, combat positions).
Maps with villages and farmsteads (including those destroyed during the war), bridges, crossings, churches, factories and other small objects; the list of objects is described in detail in legend to the map.
Prefabricated sheet The map covers the entire Baltics, northern, central and southern Europe. Volume - 4.5 GB (one DVD)
Map fragments - Fragment 1 Fragment 2 Fragment 3 Fragment 4
General view of one of the map plans.

Year of topographic survey: 1941-1942

Scale: 1:250,000 (2.5 km in 1 cm.)

Description:

US Army Maps 1955. The maps are perfectly detailed, all settlements are indicated, including villages destroyed during the Great Patriotic War, all roads, military units and military bases, railways and stations. Although the scale is not very detailed, it allows you to accurately determine the location of the disappeared village. The maps were created on the basis of captured military maps of the Red Army of 1941-42.
The map covers the entire central part of Russia Prefabricated sheet ;
You can make a selection by region.
Map fragment

Other materials for this province

0.

Year: 18th-20th centuries

Description:
Materials for geography and statistics of Russia collected by officers of the General Staff Ryazan province Compiled by M. Baranovich 1860
Map of Tarnovo parish Ryazan province and district
Map of Ryazan district 1924, scale 3 versts in inches (1 cm - 1260 m)
Scribe books of the Ryazan region., Storozhev V.N. 1900 2 volumes.
Alphabetical list of noble families of the Ryazan province entered into the noble genealogy book on January 1, 1893 by M.P. Likharev 1893
Essay on the prehistoric past of the Ryazan region Reprints from the description of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Ryazan Cherepnin A.I. 1896
Excavation of burial mounds in Kasimovsky district F.D. Nefedov 1878
Notes on archaeological research in the Ryazan province D. Tikhomirov 1844
Map of Prona parish Skopinsky district of Ryazan province 1926
History of the Ryazan Principality, D. Ilovaisky 1858
Pereyaslavl Ryazansky. The past of Ryazan in ancient monuments, D. Solodovnikov 1922
Ryazan Russian antiquities or news about ancient rich grand ducal or royal decorations, Finds near the village of Staraya Ryazan in 1822
Ancient charters and acts of the Ryazan region St. Petersburg 1856