©PANORAMA 2005
Chernigiv and the surrounding oblast are worth a visit for at least three reasons. First of all, in the 12th-13th centuries, the town was the capital of a mighty principality about the size of modern-day France. Secondly, you can view musical instruments 15 thousand years old. Thirdly, you might see the mysterious Black Monk in St Anthony’s Caves, a phenomenon that Ukraine’s top scientists are unable to explain
According to historians, Chernigiv conceals as many secrets as Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. The first historical mention of this town on the right bank of the Desna River 140km from Kyiv dates back to 907. In the 11th-13th centuries, it was the capital of the Chernigiv principality before being looted by the Mongol Tatars and later conquered by Lithuania and Poland. In 1654, Chernigiv became affiliated with the Kyivan Rus, becoming one of its major cultural and handicraft centres.
Ancient Churches of Dytynets
Some believe the city was named after its founder, the warrior Cherniga. Locals prefer the romantic legend about a girl who threw herself out a window rather than be forced to marry against her will. Her father, Prince Chornyy, was allegedly the founder of the town and was buried there in the Chorna Grave.
Most of Chernigiv’s architectural sites are found in Dytynets, an historical area in the centre of town. The earliest settlements appeared at the beginning of the first millennium, and in the 8th-12th centuries, the town’s fortifications came into being. On the east, Dytynets borders the Desna beside what is known as the Ramparts, where there are still twelve old cannons once used for the city’s defense.
The city’s historical treasure is the 11th-century Church of the Transfiguration of Our Saviour. One of the oldest cathedrals of the Kyivan Rus, it was built by the legendary Prince Mstislav the Brave, whose remains were laid to rest there, along with the remains of Prince Igor and Prince Svyatoslav. The weapons of the Kyiv princes and the battle colours of Chernigiv’s Cossack regiments are also preserved there. The Cathedral of St Boris and St Glib, also in Dytynets, was built in the 12th century on the foundations of an even earlier building. The Tsars’ Gates, built at the beginning of the 18th century by the order of Hetman Ivan Mazepa, still stand there, and the cathedral itself houses an architectural exposition.
The 18th-century St Katherine’s Church near Dytynets is considered the symbol of Chernigiv. It houses the oblast’s Museum of Folk and Decorative Art (tel.: 0462-43-236).
Archaeologists’ Paradise
The Chernigiv area is a prize catch for researchers, since the Mezinska excavation site is unrivalled in the world. About 20 thousand years ago, people of the late Palaeolithic period lived in the few primitive shelters there. Tools made from the local chalky flint along with interesting works of ancient art, such as a bracelet made from mammoth ivory, female figurines and pendants were found at the site. These artefacts are on display in the Chernigiv V.V. Tarnovsky Historical Museum (4 Gorky St., tel.: 0462-17-66-50, 17-67-93). But the most interesting exhibits are a “noisy bracelet” similar to a castanet and six mammoth bones decorated with patterns that represent the world’s only remnants of a Palaeolithic percussion orchestra! By analysing the impact patterns on the bones, experts have even been able to reconstruct the music composed in those prehistoric times.
Secrets of the Chernigiv Caves
The most mystic and visited place in Chernigiv are the legendary St Anthony’s Caves at the Holy Trinity-St Elias Monastery (92 Tolstoy St.), one of the oldest remnants from the times of the Kyivan Rus. In 1069 the founder of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, St Anthony of the Kyiv Caves, visited Chernigiv. Later a monastery was built there, and the famous St Elias’ Church appeared in the 12th century.
For many centuries the monks dug catacombs until an underground complex appeared. These catacombs have been the site of many phenomena for which there is no scientific explanation. In the 1960s, members of archaeological expeditions claimed to hear strange sounds and to smell the aroma of burning incense, and they often reported feeling that someone was breathing down the backs of their necks. In 1970, the famous Black Monk, an apparition in a long black robe, made his first appearance …
Most visitors to the caves experience increased vitality, a feeling of euphoria and the correction of abnormal heart rhythms, so from time immemorial, people from all over Ukraine have travelled there to be cured of various ailments.
Besides the caves, the Holy Trinity-St Elias Monastery boasts the Holy Trinity Cathedral (1679), where the relics of St Feodosy and St Lavrenty are kept, the Church of the Presentation with a refectory (1677) and a 58-metre bell tower that offers a fascinating view of the city. No wonder these picturesque places have inspired many Ukrainian writers! From 1898 to 1913, the great writer Mikhailo Kotsyubinsky lived and worked in Chernigiv. A museum now occupies his house on the street named after him. The author of Shades of Forgotten Ancestors is buried near St Anthony’s Caves. Another prominent Ukrainian writer, Leonid Glibov, is buried at the Holy Trinity-St Elias Monastery.
Gems of Chernigiv Oblast
From 1669 to 1708 and again from 1750 to 1764, the city of Baturin was the residence of Hetmans Samoilovych and Mazepa and the last Ukrainian hetman, Kyryl Rozumovsky. The classical palace (1799-1803) is dilapidated but fascinating. The museum of local lore and history (tel.: 04635-48-437) is also worth a visit, and you can pay for a guided tour of the Rozumovsky family burial vault, the Church of the Resurrection.
The Kachanivka History and Culture Reserve (tel.: 04633-24-193) is open from March to September. A unique collection that belonged to the Tarnovskys, an aristocratic family, was created at the end of the 18th century and was completely restored in 1980. The museum has fragments of V. Tarnovsky Jr’s collection, dedicated to Taras Shevchenko, who was a frequent guest of the family.
The Monastery of the Transfiguration of Our Saviour is the point of greatest interest in Novgorod-Siversky, capital of the Siversky principality in the mid 11th century. According to one account, it was founded in 1033 by Prince Mstislav Vladymyrovych to thank God for victory over Kyiv’s Prince Yaroslav; according to another version, it was founded by Yaroslav the Wise in 1036. The Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Our Saviour (1785-1787) has a museum exposition called A Word Concerning Igor’s Regiment (Pushkin St., tel.: 04658-21-521).
The partially preserved, 10th-century Yuriev’s House of Prayer is the second most important monument of the Kyivan Rus period, after St Sophia’s Cathedral, and draws visitors to the city of Oster in the Kozelets district.
The first historical reference to the town of Nizhyn appeared in 1147. It was once the site of trade fairs, a Cossack community and a former Greek colony in Ukraine. It is also home to the famous Nizhyn Teachers Training University, founded in 1820, where the great writer Mykola Gogol studied.
In the village of Sosnytsa in the Mensky district, visitors can see the log cabin where the great Ukrainian screenwriter and film producer Alexander Dovzhenko was born, as well as an exhibit about him in the Literature and Memorial Museum (2 Dovzhenko St.; tel.: 04655-21-590).
Getting there
The best way is by car along the Kyiv-Chernigiv road or by public transport van from the Lisova metro station. The two-hour trip costs UAH10.
Ukraine International Airlines offers convenient, daily flights to Kyiv from almost each capital of Western Europe.
For more information on flights schedules and ticket reservations, please contact the UIA office in Kyiv at (+380 44) 581-5050, or visit the UIA website: www.flyUIA.com
Places to Stay and Relax
Slovyansky Hotel Complex
Just 200 metres from the city’s main square with deluxe and semi-deluxe suites, single and double rooms with all amenities, a café/bar, sauna, pool and parking.
Address: Chernigiv, 33 Myra Ave., Tel.: (04622) 74-604
Gradetsky Hotel
Chernigiv’s biggest hotel is a 10-minute walk from the centre and has deluxe and semi-deluxe suites, single and double rooms and probably the best cuisine in town.
Address: Chernigiv, 68 Myra Ave., Tel.: (04622) 45-025
Etoile Cafe
Located on the Ramparts and very popular with the locals, it offers the Courage disco, billiards, the Traffic Light bowling alley and delicious, inexpensive meals.
Address: Chernigiv, 50 Pyatnitska St., Tel.: (0462) 18-57-30
Old Town Tavern
Situated on the town’s main street, it has a quiet atmosphere and offers a variety of reasonably priced Ukrainian dishes.
Address: Chernigiv, 32 Myra Ave., Tel: (04622) 7-41-65
Kachanivka Hotel
This hotel sleeps 26 people (UAH20 per person), has its own restaurant and is located in the former servant and guest wings of the Tarnosky Palace.
Address: Kachanivka Village, Ichnyanskiy District; Tel.: (04633) 24-115, 24-125
Mislivets-Cozelets Grill
It works round-the-clock at the 79th kilometre on route E-95, a 30-minute ride from Kyiv. A very stylish place decorated with hunting trophies and Ukrainian souvenirs with a large hall seating 50 people, a 10-person banquet hall, an area with sofas and two braziers.
Address: 79th km, Chernigiv Route, Cozelets; Tel.: (04646) 42-454
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