- Radonezh
Radonezh ( _ru. Радонеж), formerly known as "Gorodok" ( _ru. Городо́к) is a historic village in
Moscow Oblast ,Russia , located about km to mi|15 fromSergiyev Posad .The old town of Radonezh is known to have existed since the first half of the 14th century, when it belonged to
Ivan Kalita . In 1328, he settled there many captives fromRostov , including the futureSergii Radonezhsky . About twenty years later, Sergii founded the Trinity Monastery to the north of Radonezh.The town belonged to
Vladimir of Serpukhov and to his descendants until 1426, when the last appanage prince of Radonezh died, without naming his heir. There ensued a bitter struggle for the town's possession, which ended inVasily II ofMoscow 's being taken captive in Radonezh by his cousinDmitry Shemyaka and later blinded.The economic and political rise of the nearby Trinity Monastery adversely affected the overall development of Radonezh. In the late 15th to 16th century, the town was eclipsed by the monastery and later turned into a village.
Today, the remnants of Radonezh are located on an elevated cape, rounded by a curve of the
Pazha River . There are still traces of ramparts and amoat . A monument to St Sergii was opened in front of the local church in 1988. Designed byVyacheslav Klykov , it was the first public statue to be erected in theSoviet Union without permission from the authorities.External links
*ru icon [http://dacha-net.narod.ru/backup2003/c1.htm History of Radonezh]
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