Bolkhov

Bolkhov ( _ru. Болхов) is a town in Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Nugr River (Oka's tributary), 56 km away from Oryol. Population: 12,148 (2002 Census); 12,800 (1969); 20,703 (1897).

The town of Bolkhov existed since the 13th century. After the Mongol invasion of Russia, it became the seat of a local princely dynasty, whose descendants may be traced until the 19th century. In the 16th century, it became one of the fortified posts for defending Moscow from the Tatars on the south. It was there that the army of Vasily IV was defeated by False Dmitry II in 1608.

Bolkhov preserves four churches dating from the turn of the 18th century, including the five-domed Trinity Monastery Cathedral (1688-1706) and the graceful Trinity church with an elongated belfry. By far the largest church in the city is the Saviour's Transfiguration Cathedral, built in 1841-51 to a design by one of Konstantin Thon's disciples.

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