Vocabulary

1. fortress – крепость

2. hostile – враждебный

3. disadvantageous – невыгодный

4. decree – закон, декрет, решение

5. duty- and tax-free trading – беспошлинная и безналоговая торговля

6. the ceremonial laying of the foundation-stone – церемония закладки фундамента

7. the metropolitan and a wonder-worker – митрополит и чудотворец

8. the mouth of the Temernik river – устье реки Темерник

9. the engineer-colonel and a commandant – инженер-полковник и комендант

10. in the first place... in the second place... – во-первых, во-вторых...

11. the nomadic tribes – кочевые племена

12. a moat – ров с водой

13. the church of the Robe of Our Lady – церковь Покрова Пресвятой Богородицы

14. a sixteen-pointed star – шестнадцатиконечная звезда

15. Krepostnoy Lane – Крепостной вал

Exercises

1 Answer the following questions:

1. Why did the Russian government decide to build a fortress on the bank of the Don in 1731?

2. What was its name?

3. Why was it changed by the St.Dmitry’s fortress?

4. Why was it called so?

5. What were the functions of the St.Dmitry Rostovsky’s fortress?

6. Describe its territory.

7. What reminds us of this fortress now?

8. Why was it dismantled?

TEXT 6

St. Dmitry Rostovsky: a Legend and a Real Person

Dmitry Rostovsky had died fifty years before his name was given to a new fortress but the status of a saint had been imposed upon him only four years before this event.

The biography of Dmitry Rostovsky is a bright example of great innovations introduced by Peter I. He was born in the family of a cossack Savva Tuptalo in December 1651 and his initial name was Daniil. As a boy he was smart and curious and passionately wanted to study. He got education in Kiev, then he became a monk and took a name of Dmitry. He knew several foreign languages, traveled much and possessed a rare talent to communicate with people. He became the metropolitan of Rostov the Great and Yaroslavl.

He left many books among which there are not only religious but historical, poetic and drama works. One of them – Christmas Drama – was staged in Rostov some years ago and had a success.

Being the metropolitan he stayed an unpretentious person who took care of education, health protection and hated bribery and ambitions. When he died in 1709 he left no gold or money but several unfinished papers which were put into his coffin according to the will.

There are following words in one of his books: «There are three main Christian virtues: faith, hope and love. It is impossible to find salvation without them. Which of them is the most important? – LOVE. Love to God, to one’s neighbour, etc. This virtue is immortal and eternal. It will stay for ever».

We should remember the will of the man whose name our native city bears – to keep love! For the sake of the present and the future!

Text 7 The Early History of Rostov-on-Don

It is very difficult to determine the exact date when our native city, Rostov-on-Don, was founded. There is no agreement among the historians and authorities: since what year should the Rostov chronology be started?

• since 1749 when the Temernik custom-house was set up;

• since 1761 when the fortress named after Dmitry Rostovsky was founded;

• since 1797 when the fortress was proclaimed the main town of the Region;

• since 1806 when the town was for the first time called Rostov according to the decree of Alexander I.

In 1912 the Local Society of History decided to consider December 15, 1749 the foundation Day of Rostov-on-Don. However we are used to celebrate the Day of our city in late September and are happy to congratulate our compatriots with its 250-th anniversary. In any case Rostov-on-Don is a comparatively young town.

The appearance of St.Dmitry Rostovsky’s fortress accelerated the construction of different buildings, both inside and outside the fortress. Its population grew too because several regiments were transferred there from Annenskaya Fortress. At the end of the 18-th century there were already 19 cross-streets and 11 longitudinal streets in the town with 1400 buildings in it. Its population reached 2000 people.

When the fortress had lost its military significance the settlement continued developing thanks to trade. It was surrounded by villages Dolomanovskaya and Soldatskaya (now it is the very centre of the city between Voroshilovsky and Budennovsky avenues) inhabited by people from former St.Ann’s fortress, retired soldiers, merchants, cossacks and the Kalmyks who served in the fortress.

In 1797 the Rostov Region («uyezd») was formed and at first it was a part of Novorossiyskaya Gubernya. In 1806 the territory near Dmitry Rostovsky’s fortress was named Rostov for the first time by the decree of Alexander I. At that time Rostov occupied the territory on the right bank of the river Don up to the present Bolshaya Sadovaya street (which was then a distant suburb and beyond which a long and deep ravine – Generalnaya Balka – stretched. At first it was a place for cattle breeding and then beautiful gardens appeared here. That is the reason why the main street of our city is called so.

In 1811 the town got its plan and the coat-of-arms (a tower against a blue background); and the later symbolized significance of the town in defense of the Russian borders. But after 1835 when there was no more need in the fortress, the troops were sent to Anapa and the custom had been transferred to Taganrog in 1776. The merchants left the town, Rostov lost much of its population and became very quiet.

But some decades later Rostov was reborn. Rostov started growing rapidly and became a typical merchant town with numerous storehouses along the river and large, solid dwelling houses of their owners in the centre of the town.

Russia achieved isolation from Turkey and the later tried to undermine Russian economy and threatened the Christian nations which lived close to it. On this reason in 1779 the Armenians from the Crimea came to live in Rostov. In accordance with the decree of Katherine II, 948 sq.km. were given to them. On this territory a town of Nakhichevan was founded. Armenian and Greek people who moved to Rostov possessed the developed industry and agriculture. At first Nakhichevan was self-governed but then in 1905 it joined Rostov. Nowadays Rostov-on-Don has become a large city, but still its region Nakhichevan preserves its charm and peculiarity.