Russia. “Buyan Island” near Kazan: sights of Sviyazhsk

Have you often visited a fairy tale? No? Then you are welcome to visit the picturesque island of Sviyazhsk with its unique natural beauty and unforgettable culture.

The island of Sviyazhsk found its place on a high hill near the Sviyaga River. The area of ​​this piece of paradise is only 62 hectares, and it’s just a stone’s throw from Kazan – some 30 kilometers. No matter where you are on the island, you can always admire the surface of the river.

By the way, Sviyazhsk was not always an island. Until 1956, it was an ordinary city with its own inhabitants.

And since the Kama Reservoir was opened, water has embraced this city from all sides. Then a lot of residents left their homes. And today many tourists come to this place to admire its sights.

It’s incredible how 21 monuments of federal significance fit into such a tiny territory?!

Holy Trinity Church

One of the most main attractions islands - an ancient building of the St. John the Baptist Monastery (previously called the Trinity-Sergius Monastery).

This church is the first wooden building on the Volga. It was consecrated in 1551. Later the temple was constantly updated. By the way, it is precisely because of the constant alterations that the church looks absolutely unattractive from the outside. But once you get inside... Every log here is in a hurry to tell the visitor its ancient secrets.

The church is always dimly lit and cool. And near the temple there is a very unsightly bench. Local residents say that it Ivan the Terrible was resting. But whether this is true or a tourist attraction remains a mystery.

Temple of St. Sergius

In the same year when the Trinity Church was consecrated (1551), the St. Sergius Church was built nearby. At first it was wooden, but in 1604 Boris Godunov ordered the construction of a two-story stone church on this site, which was called the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh the Wonderworker.

The peculiarity of this temple is the iconostasis, painted in the style of Ancient Rus'.

Cathedral of Our Lady

At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, another temple was built on the island of Sviyazhsk - the Cathedral of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”.

A little later, in 1914, the walls of the cathedral were painted. And around the temple, caring nuns created incredibly beautiful flower garden.

Chapel

The chapel, in comparison with the churches of Sviyazhsk, quite young. It was consecrated in 2004 in the name of the royal passion-bearers (but built a little earlier).

At the entrance, visitors are greeted by an icon depicting the royal family.

In the chapel itself you can see quite a lot of famous icons, one of which streams myrrh.

Cathedral

Another ancient building on the island is the Assumption Cathedral. It was built in 1556.

This the largest temple in Sviyazhsk. Interestingly, the temple is completely painted with frescoes that date back to the era of Ivan the Terrible.

There is also a unique fresco - the image of Christopher. Here he is depicted as a warrior with the head of a horse. It’s amazing how such an image could survive, because in the 18th century similar images of Christopher were destroyed.

Church of Constantine and Helena

The only town church in Sviyazhsk that has survived to this day. It was built in the 18th century instead of a wooden church.

In the 20s of the 20th century it was closed. A little later, from 1980 to 1990, the church was used for museum exhibitions. And only in 1994 the temple began to receive parishioners again.

Come to Sviyazhsk

The island of Sviyazhsk is famous for its unusual and ancient architecture. He is known all over the world as spiritual cell of Kazan. A huge number of churches, temples, monasteries built in the 16th-19th centuries make this island calm and peaceful. It's easy and pleasant to be here.

What’s also interesting is that Sviyazhsk hardly changes from year to year. There are no cars driving here like all over the world, there are no humming factories here. Only silence and comfort.

There is only one school on the entire island, which employs part of the population. The rest have their own farms and churches.

Every year tourists from all over the world come to the island of Sviyazhsk to touch the historical architecture, which has been keeping its secrets for many years.

This is truly a fairy tale! No corner of the world compares to this island. No noise from cars, factories, industrial enterprises, only silence, peace, tranquility.

There is a charming island-city of Sviyazhsk, reminiscent of the fabulous Buyan Island. The sights of Sviyazhsk attract pilgrims from all over the Orthodox world who want to visit the numerous churches and monasteries located on its lands.

Looking back

The founder of the city was Ivan the Terrible, who, after another unsuccessful assault on Kazan, decided to found a fortress city on these lands in order to be able to besiege the impregnable khan’s city for a long time. The place for an outpost here was ideal: a high hill washed by two rivers and surrounded by never-drying swamps. The fortress was erected in record time - in just four weeks! The construction of the fortress was carried out in forests located 1000 kilometers upstream of the Volga, then it was dismantled and dragged to Round Mountain, where the fortress was again assembled log by log, like a construction set. At the same time, the first “spiritual” sights of Sviyazhsk were erected: the Nativity Cathedral (destroyed by fire in 1795) and the Trinity Church. After the capture of Kazan, all administrative functions passed to her, and Sviyazhsk was assigned only the title of the first Christian monastery of the Kazan diocese.

Sviyazhsk became an island relatively recently: in 1955, after the construction of the Kuibyshev Nuclear Power Plant, the middle course of the Volga was turned into a reservoir, the waters of which flooded a large number of villages. However, Sviyazhsk was luckier: located on Krutaya Mountain, it retained its historical center above the surface of the Volga, turning into an island.

Island attractions

The island of Sviyazhsk is famous for its Christian architectural monuments, but they are not the only ones of interest to visitors. The amazing nature of this Volga region deserves no less attention. Life here flows measuredly, calmly and peacefully; from almost every point on the island there are magnificent views of the river surface, which you can look at for an infinitely long time. The air of the island is filled with silence, grace and tranquility. However, the main purpose of a visit to the island of Sviyazhsk remains visiting churches and monasteries, perfectly preserved from past centuries.

Holy Trinity Church

The very first church of the island, erected in 1551 during the construction of Sviyazhsk. This is the only wooden temple on the island and the oldest church within the Volga that has survived to this day. The temple was literally built without a single nail thanks to a special technology for laying logs. In the second half of the 17th century, the building of this landmark of Sviyazhsk underwent significant changes in the interior, keeping only the iconostasis intact, and at the beginning of the 19th century, the temple was placed on a brick plinth, covered with boards and painted with oil paint, hiding the true beauty of this structure. However, during restoration work in 2010-2012, the Trinity Church was returned to its original appearance.

Inside the temple there is coolness and twilight; every log smells of antiquity. Now the church operates only as a museum; entry is paid.

Assumption Monastery

Another architectural monument that Sviyazhsk is proud of. The monastery has a unique historical and architectural value, which has no equal in the entire Middle Volga region. On its territory there are two ancient temples, built in the middle of the 16th century almost immediately after the construction of the fortress here. These are St. Nicholas Church with a high bell tower, which is now open exclusively to monks, and the Assumption Cathedral. Of particular value to art historians is the latter, built in the style of Pskov churches, and its frescoes. In the 18th century, the temple received a new dome and patterned baroque kokoshniks, but otherwise its appearance remained unchanged.

Inside the cathedral, a complete unique cycle of wall paintings from the era of John IV (dating back to 1561) has been preserved. This is one of two examples of fresco painting of the 18th century in Russia. The frescoes cover an area of ​​about 1080 square meters. m, the most famous compositions: “Saint Christopher” (the only surviving fresco in the world with a non-canonical image of the saint), “Procession to Paradise”, “Assumption of the Mother of God” in the altar, “Fatherland” on the dome and “Crucified Christ on the chest of God” on vault of the church.

In addition to the ancient churches, on the territory of the monastery there are other attractions of Sviyazhsk, built in the 17th-18th centuries. During the Soviet years, as part of anti-religious propaganda, the Ascension Church and the Church of Herman of Kazan were destroyed. During the Soviet years, on the territory of the monastery there was a forced labor colony and an NKVD prison.

Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh

The city of Sviyazhsk is an open-air museum. One of its wonderful “exhibits” is the Church of Sergei of Radonezh, dating back to the 16th-17th centuries. Externally, this church is very simple, made of white cut stone of various sizes without any decoration. A green dome rises above the southeastern part of the temple, and diagonally from it there is a small bell tower. On the western wall of the temple you can see the remains of fresco painting.

The church is located on the second floor, the lower floor was used as a warehouse for the monastic household, and there is also an opinion that monastic cells were previously located here.

Initially it was a two-altar church, but at the end of the 18th century the building was given to the women's community, and another altar with a chapel was added to the church.

The interior decoration of the temple has remained virtually undamaged by time. A single-tier carved iconostasis, painted in the Old Russian style, is perfectly preserved here. In the altar, located under the dome, the relics of St. are kept in winter. Herman. In the middle part of the castle, as in ancient times, there is a fraternal refectory.

Cathedral of Our Lady "Joy of All Who Sorrow"

The most impressive cathedral in size was built at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries in the neo-Byzantine style, which was popular in Russia at that time. The appearance of the temple has remained virtually unchanged; it still resembles a multi-tiered tower with a hemispherical dome. Only one row of the five-tiered iconostasis has survived; the cathedral’s oil paintings have been almost completely lost, but work is currently underway to restore them.

Near the temple, a magnificent flower garden was laid out by the hands of the nuns.

How to get there

When going to Sviyazhsk (we’ll tell you how to get here a little later), you should take water and something to eat with you, because there are only two cafes on the island, the service of which leaves much to be desired. Also, do not forget that the monasteries of the island are active, you should behave and dress accordingly.

You can get to the island in two ways: from the railway station of the same name by car across the dam or by boat departing from the Sviyazhskaya pier in Kazan. The second option is much more interesting, because it provides the opportunity to enjoy beautiful views of the powerful and deep Volga for about two hours.

Sviyazhsk is a truly holy place for Christians, the air of which is filled with bell ringing and prayers. A walk around the island, where the most ancient and unique temples of the Volga region are located, will remain in your memory for a long time.

The island city of Sviyazhsk at the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century was a sparsely populated city, with private squat houses scattered throughout it and monuments of ancient Russian architecture towering above them, silent and unkempt witnesses of the past.

Now Sviyazhsk is one of the main tourist sites of Tatarstan, a city that has returned to its past, restored its historical monuments, renewed and hospitable, amazing and very picturesque.

The origins of the city-city of Sviyazhsk

The history of the creation of the city is connected with the development of this region by the Russians, or more precisely with the conquest and annexation of the Kazan Khanate to the Russian state.

In the 15th century, in this place there stood a cone-shaped hill overgrown with centuries-old forest - Mount Kruglaya, surrounded by the rivers Shchuka and Sviyaga. And already in the middle of the 16th century there was a powerful fortress of the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible, which grew up on enemy soil like a fairy-tale city, at the behest of a pike...

Beginning in 1547, Ivan the Terrible undertook systematic trips to Kazan, but they were all unsuccessful. It was clear that without creating a strong support base near Kazan, it was impossible to capture the city. Returning from another unsuccessful campaign in 1550, the young Tsar Ivan drew attention to the ideal military-strategic location of Mount Kruglaya and decided to build a Russian fortress here. But how can it be built unnoticed by the enemy, who is only 30 km away? An ingenious plan was developed: to cut down a city on “Russian soil” in the upper reaches of the Volga and then lower the marked logs along the water and assemble them on the spot, saving time and effort.

As they say, no sooner said than done. During the winter of 1550-51, walls, towers, huts and even churches were cut down in the Uglek forests. And in the spring, after the opening of the rivers, logs for the future fortress began to be rafted along the Volga and further along Sviyaga. To distract the Kazan residents, Russian troops captured all crossings on the main rivers, and detachments under the command Prince Serebryany attacked the residents of Kazan Posad.

The construction of the fortress city of Sviyazhsk was unprecedented at that time - a gigantic amount of work was carried out in one month: the territory was laid out, the forest was cut down, ditches were dug, log buildings were assembled, and the fortress walls were covered with earth and stone. In the possessions of the Kazan Khan, a first-class Russian fortress with eighteen towers, seven of which were travel towers, numerous buildings for housing military forces, as well as Trinity Cathedral And Church of the Nativity. The tallest tower was Rozhdestvenskaya with the main entrance gate and a lifting lattice. It housed a guardhouse and an archery with two prisons. The ringing of a large self-breaking clock with a bell announced the changing of the guard.

During the construction of the fortress, the local population was attracted to the side of the Russians: Chuvash, Mari, Mordovians, which provided a reliable rear. Ivan the Terrible named the fortress city Sviyazhsk.

Very soon the new city became not only a military fortress, but also a trade and administrative center in which artisans and traders willingly settled. Already at the beginning of 1552 it was a rich and lively city, with numerous merchants selling livestock and a variety of goods. And 15 years later, Sviyazhsk was already a real city with a fortress (kremlin), posad (prison) and settlements. There were The sovereign's courtyard with artillery and food warehouses, 2 monasteries, 6 churches, a clerk's hut, etc. Here lived: princes, boyars, military men, clergy, artisans and merchants. There were 6 streets throughout the city, there were 370 houses and 4 shops. The fort had 736 residential buildings, a market with a living room, customs officers, a brewery and a bakery. Residents of settlements were mainly engaged in agriculture.

It should be noted that the city was not built spontaneously, but according to a specific plan. The main street from Rozhdestvenskie to Nikolomozhaiskie gates divided the city into two halves, and the streets coming from all other entrances to the city merged into it. The central square was located on both sides of the Rozhdestvensky central entrance. On the side of the fortress there were artillery and granary courtyards. The side facing the landing consisted of a guest courtyard and shopping arcades that went down to the pier on the Sviyaga River.

After the conquest of Kazan, for another century, Sviyazhsk remained a significant Russian fortress on the conquered land, an administrative and commercial Russian center, where foreign ambassadors and foreign merchants came. But with the strengthening of Russian influence in Kazan, civil servants, military personnel, merchants and artisans gradually moved there. In Sviyazhsk, active life died down, only active monasteries remained: Mother of God-Uspensky, Trinity-Sergius for men and John the Baptist for women, which were built to instill Christianity among the local population from the very beginning of the development of the region. Sviyazhsk became just a monastic town.

In the middle of the 18th century, when Sviyazhsk became a district town, the construction activity of the monasteries intensified: the Trinity-Sergius Monastery was closed, and the burnt St. John the Baptist Monastery moved to its territory. Some cathedrals underwent alterations, additions and improvements. Near the Trinity Church there were Holy Gate. Two-story cell buildings and a number of outbuildings were erected. A refectory building was built. And at the beginning of the 19th century, for the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, a large red brick Cathedral of the Mother of God of Joy of All Who Sorrow was erected in the prosperous convent in the pseudo-Byzantine style. This last monastic building with an impressive dome still towers above the low buildings of Sviyazhsk.

Sviyazhsk of those times was visited by many famous people. Here, on the way to exile, the disgraced Menshikov buried his wife, whose grave has been preserved. Russian emperors Catherine the Second, Paul the First and Alexander the Second stayed here. And how Pushkin liked the city! After all, this was a real fabulous island of Buyan.

History of Sviyazhsk after the revolution

After the revolution, all churches and monasteries were closed. And Sviyazhsk became a notorious city that fell under terrible red terror in 1918 - by order of Trotsky, every tenth Red Army soldier of the local garrison shot. Their fault was that they could not defeat the White Czechs who captured Kazan.

In the Assumption Monastery in the 1920s it was created children's commune, and in the 30s a correctional colony, to which prisoners of war were later taken. In total, more than 5 thousand people died within the walls of the colony, which essentially became a subdivision of the Gulag. Since 53, after the death of Stalin and the closure of the camps, in the same long-suffering Assumption Monastery, a mental hospital, and the colony became again correctional labor institution.

In 1957, as a result of the formation of the Kuibyshev reservoir, the city of Sviyazhsk became an island, cut off from land. The population decreased from 2,700 people to 500. Life in the city practically disappeared, and it turned into a village, cut off from civilization. Only in 2008 was the “road of life” created - an embankment dam and a highway laid along it connected Sviyazhsk with the Volga bank.

And since 2010, the city began to revive - the reconstruction of architectural and historical monuments began, the creation of new museum objects and the development of infrastructure, which was designed to help attract tourists to this amazing island city with such a difficult fate.

To date restored preserved temples and a museum-reserve. The city looks well-groomed and invites you to take leisurely walks through it, during which you can admire historical sights and beautiful views of the river surface that surrounds you on all sides.

Sviyazhsk is located on a picturesque island at the confluence of two rivers - Shchuka and Sviyaga, 30 km from Kazan.

To Sviyazhsk by bus can be reached from Kazan. From the Kazan bus station at 09.00 there is a minibus No. 532 to Sviyazhsk, the travel time is approximately 30-40 minutes. It is better to check the schedule for a specific day at the bus station.

To Sviyazhsk by boat can be reached from Kazan. From the river station of Kazan in the summer, a ship departs daily at 08.20 to Sviyazhsk. The ship leaves back from Sviyazhsk to Kazan at 16.30.Travel time is approximately 2 hours. There are also excursion flights on weekends. Check the schedule for a specific day at the Kazan river station.

To Sviyazhsk by car from Nizhny Novgorod - along the M-7 highway in the direction of Kazan. Before reaching ~30 km to Kazan, near the village of Isakovo, turn towards Sviyazhsk (there is a new road junction). Follow the signs to the dam, then follow the dam to the island. You can leave the car below, climb the stairs - and you are already on the square in front of the monastery.

The distance from Nizhny Novgorod to Sviyazhsk is approximately 350 km.

Sviyazhsk is a small island; 3-4 hours is enough time for a leisurely sightseeing of the town. A visit to Sviyazhsk can be combined with a trip to Kazan and Cheboksary.

Directions Nizhny Novgorod - Sviyazhsk

Scheme map of Sviyazhsk

Bus tours to Kazan and Sviyazhsk from Nizhny Novgorod

Bus tours to Kazan and Sviyazhsk are organized from Nizhny Novgorod in the summer and on holidays.

History of Sviyazhsk

The history of Sviyazhsk began in 1551. At that time, there was a struggle between the Muscovite kingdom and the Kazan Khanate for dominance in the Volga region. Repeatedly, Ivan the Terrible made attempts to defeat the Kazan Khanate, but even despite the numerical superiority and artillery, it was not possible to take Kazan. A well-fortified fortress was needed near the enemy capital in a hard-to-reach place. And such a place was found - Round Mountain in the middle of rivers and swamps. But since it was impossible to quietly carry out work on the construction of a fortress on someone else’s territory, it was decided to cut down the fortress in the Uglich forests and float the finished logs down the Volga to the site planned for construction. As a result, the Sviyazhsk fortress “grew up” behind enemy lines in less than a month! And the size of the newly-made fortress surpassed even the Moscow and Novgorod Kremlins!

So Sviyazhsk became an outpost of the troops of Ivan the Terrible during the capture of Kazan in 1552. But his mission did not end there: after the annexation of Kazan, Sviyazhsk became a center for the spread of Christianity and helped convert people of other faiths to Orthodoxy. Over time, Sviyazhsk gradually turned into a classic county town with quiet streets, colorful houses and church domes. So he would have lived an inconspicuous life if not for the events of 1918, which involved this wonderful town in a chain of tragic events.

After the October Revolution, Leon Trotsky was sent to Sviyazhsk in order to defeat the white detachment that retreated to Kazan. And quiet peaceful Sviyazhsk was overwhelmed by a wave of terror. The executions began: first they shot the Red Army soldiers because they could not drive the White Guards out of Kazan, then they killed the abbots of the monasteries, monks and priests. Instead of monasteries, a children's boarding colony appeared, and later an NKVD prison. And again executions, executions... During the 10 years of operation of the Gulag political prison in Sviyazhsk, more than 5 thousand repressed people died. In the 1930s, 6 out of 12 temples in the city were destroyed. By the middle of the 20th century, Sviyazhsk finally fell into disrepair.

The first steps towards the revival of Sviyazhsk began in the 60s of the last century. Restoration work began in the churches of Sviyazhsk, and the unique frescoes of the Assumption Cathedral were restored. In 1997, the Assumption Monastery resumed its activities. Sviyazhsk Island was declared a historical and cultural monument.

But an interesting fact! Sviyazhsk became an island only in 1957! It was then that the Kuibyshev Reservoir was created, which absorbed the surrounding lands, but could not drown the legendary hail. Sviyazhsk still proudly rises on the outskirts of Kazan: a small city with an amazing destiny.

Just a few years ago it was possible to get there only by river. But not so long ago, a dam was built to connect the island with the mainland. A new life began in Sviyazhsk: buildings began to be restored, the river station was renovated, roads were built, crafts were being revived and developed in the city. Currently, Sviyazhsk is an island-museum, where the old is carefully preserved and the new is introduced, where every new house is built with an eye on ancient monuments, and the benefits of civilization do not spoil the charm of a small merchant town.

Sights of Sviyazhsk

The main attractions of Sviyazhsk include the Assumption Monastery, St. John the Baptist Monastery, the Equestrian Yard ethnographic complex, as well as the center of Sviyazhsk with merchant mansions (by the way, the layout of the center has remained virtually unchanged since the 19th century).

Map of Sviyazhsk attractions

Dormition Bogoroditsky Monastery

St. Nicholas Church is interesting, which is a rarely seen type of church-bell tower. This is the oldest (16th century) and tallest building in Sviyazhsk, it is very clearly visible when approaching the city.

After the October Revolution the monastery was closed. During Soviet times, a children's colony was located on its territory, and later a psychiatric hospital. Only in 1997 the monastery began to operate again, and restoration work continued for many more years.

You can enter the monastery through the Holy Gate. Free admission. For women, headscarves and skirts are required (provided at the entrance). The territory is large and well-groomed. There is a shop on site that sells monastery bread.

Ethnographic complex "Horse yard"

John the Baptist Convent

John the Baptist Convent was founded at the end of the 16th century. It was moved to its current location in the 18th century from another part of Sviyazhsk after severe fires. The oldest building of the monastery is the Trinity Church - a unique monument of wooden architecture of the 16th century. This is the only building that has survived from the fortress of Ivan the Terrible, which was cut down in the Uglich forests and transported to Sviyazhsk by water! But the dominant feature of the monastery complex is the Cathedral of Our Lady of All Sorrows, Joy, built in the neo-Byzantine style, very elegant, with a large silver dome. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century. The cathedral in appearance is very similar to the Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt.