Nakhichevan

 

Nowadays we use this name – Nakhichevan – when we speak about Proletarsky region of Rostov. But before 1905 it was a separate town which was called Nakhichevan-on-Don.

The Armenians who lived in the Crimea suffered greatly due to the yoke of Tatar and Turkish feudals. They had a developed agriculture, trade and paid high taxes. When the Russian Army entered the Crimea (Tavrida – this name we can often meet in Rostov) in 1772 the Armenians were suggested to move to Russia and to choose any place in Azovskaya and Novorossiyskaya Gubernyas. The delegation of the Crimean Armenians preferred the lands near St.Dmitry Rostovsky’s fortress and some other places not far from it.

In 1778 Katherine II signed the decree on re-settlement of the Armenians to the South of Russia. A famous military figure of her time – Prince Potyomkin was responsible for providing them with the lands, loans and food. However this process turned out to be exhausting and long. People suffered and died from hunger and illnesses. Only 12 thousand people at last reached the Don lands. A.V. Suvorov took an active part in the organization of this migration and even paid his own money for their transportation (partially his activity is explained by the fact that he had been married to the Armenian woman). Those Armenians who reached the St.Dmitry’s fortress made their first camp at the location of the present monument to Karl Marx. This place became the centre of the town. The grateful Armenians constructed a monument to Empress Katherine II according to whose decree they had been allowed to settle in Russia. After the revolution this monument was, unfortunately, dismantled. The new town was called Nakhichevan in honour of the ancient Armenian town of Nakhichevan-on-Araks. The word «Nakhichevan» means «the first refuge».

Besides Nakhichevan-on-Don the Armenians founded 5 villages: Chaltyr, Krim, Bolshye Saly, Malye Saly and Nesvetai. New inhabitants were granted a number of privileges by Katherine II. All the taxes were lifted for 10 years, the people got a free hand in trade, managing their settlements, they were liberated from the Army service, etc. They also got a freedom of religion. Each settlement had its independent bodies of governing which comprised police, law and executive authorities. They functioned according to national customs and used the Armenian language.

By the end of the 18-th century Nakhichevan had become a large town with the population of 10 thousand people. The Armenians developed export of goods and especially leather, silk, textile industry. Their engineers started building stone and brick houses. Nakhichevan is known now as a native town of such famous people as artist M. Saryan, writers M.S.Shaginyan, R. Patkanyan, a revolutionary figure M.L. Nalbandyan and others.

VOCABULARY

1 yoke – гнет

2 a feudal – феодал, помещик

3 refuge – привал, прибежище

 

ТEXT 9

A Monument to Katherine II and the Alexander’s Column

On the 18-th of September 1894 almost all the inhabitants of Nakhichevan as well as hundreds of guests from the nearest towns, Moscow and St.Petersburg gathered in the Gostinnaya Square (now Karl Marx Square). They witnessed the ceremony of unveiling the monument to the Empress Katherine II who had granted the Armenians for settling on the Don lands with the considerable privileges.

The monument was made by two well-known Russian sculptors M.A. Chizhov and M.M. Chizhov and was considered one of the best sculptures of the empress. It cost 30 thousand roubles at that time. The pedestal for the monument was made of granite by S. Tonatto. We can still see it but quite at the other place –now it serves as a pedestal for the monument to Mikhailo Lomonosov near the cinema «Rostov», though its size does not fit a small monument. The pedestal has lost the following decorations: the emblem of Nakhichevan, an inscription «To the Empress Katherine II from the grateful Armenians»; the portrait of Archbishop Joseph Argutinsky-Dolgoruky who initiated the Armenians’ settlement in the Don area.

By the 100-th anniversary of that memorial event in the history of Nakhichevan a group of talented sculptors had tried to restore the monument and even made several diminished copies of it. However their intentions had not been realized due to the fact that now all the citizens associate this place with the other monument – to Karl Marx.

Nevertheless the other monument which had been unveiled quite on the same day (September 18-th, 1894) was lucky to resume its initial form after the whole century. On that day in the park on the border between Nakhichevan and Rostov (now it is called the park named after Vitya Cherevichkin) the Column to the Emperor Alexander II was constructed. In 1880 the Duma declared to construct a column in order to commemorate the 25-th anniversary of Alexander’s reign and to call the park after him. Unfortunately the column was finished only after his death. In 1984 thanks to a number of sponsors the column was restored and now one can see two-headed eagles crowning it, as before.

VOCABULARY

1 to unveil a monument – открыть памятник

2 archbishop Joseph Argutinsky-Dolgoruky – архиепископ Иосиф Аргутинский-Долгорукий

3 reign – царствование