My Native Town.
Wherever I wonder, wherever I rove
The morning peal of Alatyr
Forever I love…
My homeland is an old fairy tale which will
forever stay in the heart. A small, cozy town raised on
three hills, on the banks of two rivers the Sura and the
Alatyr, - as if a small island
of epic Russia is hidden in
the south of Chuvashia.
Simbirskaya Street
Small ancient streets and
lanes framed with red wooden houses with carved
window aprons, stately blocks of stone merchant
mansions, temples and monasteries’ domes towering
Kseniya Protsenko "Alatyr's
Monastery"
over them, - the heritage of the past centuries is held
sacred by the town. Everything here is filled with a spirit of antiquity, so close,
dear and now so faraway.
In my dreams I often come back to the childhood, to a small log house on the
bank of the Sura River, I run barefoot through my favourite cherry orchard or hide
in dense raspberry-canes, enjoying a morning peal. It is a dream! And it comes true
every summer! I am going to Alatyr!
There are some towns with unique and mysterious names in Russia. My
native town since time immemorial has a mysterious name Alatyr. In ancient
national legends Alatyr is "a fiery stone", concealing in itself strength and power.
All forces of Russian State are hidden in Alatyr stone, and there’s no ending to
those forces. By the name of this stone they ratified magic spells. The fiery stone
Alatyr is a symbol of Russian glory and force. Alatyr became such a strong and
mighty “stone” on the guard of Moscow state boundaries in 1552. It was founded
on Ivan the Terrible’s command during his conquest of Kazan to help Russian
troops in protecting Moscow state borders.
The town was populated mostly with military people: noblemen, boyars,
gunners, archers, Cossacks, etc. It’s astonishing, but the military heroic past
remained in modern names: Streletskaya Street, Basurman ravine, Guard
mountains, Voevode meadows, etc. It seems that they firmly
keep standing on people’s protection even now! The archers
were the most efficient force. That is why in 1780 on Katherine
II’s command Alatyr was granted the coat of arms with the
image of three golden quivers on a red field "meaning that the
inhabitants of these places were able to use this weapon
praiseworthy ".
The history of Alatyr is full of such events which are
inseparably concerned with Russian state destiny. The fortress
The Coat of Arms
Дмитриева Валентина Львовна, учитель английского языка Муниципального казенного
общеобразовательного учреждения средняя общеобразовательная школа ЗАТО
Первомайский Кировской области
was ruined by the rebellious force of Stepan Razin’s troop, who reduced it to ashes
in 1670. In 1774 the city met Yemelyan Pugachev who sturred up revolt among
Alatyr’s peasantry.
At the beginning of the XX century an important railway line was built
through Alatyr and it played an important role as an industrial and trade centre, as
it was the time of growth and development of the industrial enterprises.
During the Great Patriotic War they accepted sanitary trains with the
wounded, brought them back to life in town hospitals, worked sleeplessly and
restlessly at the factories for the front and the Victory.
In different times Alatyr was a part of Kazan, Nizhny
Novgorod, Simbirsk provinces, and since 1925 it has been the
territory of the Chuvash Republic. There is no city in our
region where such number of churches and temples would be
kept. Alatyr was proclaimed the Orthodox centre of Volga
region by patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alex II. The
people really hold sacred their past, trying to revive Alatyr as
the spiritual centre.
The domes of the Holy Trinity Men’s Monastery (1558),
Trinity Men's
the
Kiyevo-Nikolayevsky The Holy
Monastery
Women’s Convent (1639) tower
majestically over the town. Ivan Predtechia's Cathedral
(1703) and Nicolo-Znamensky Church (1770) are
monuments of federal historical value. Among the
remained monuments of spiritual culture and the
history of XVII-XVIII
centuries there is a
memorial bell tower of
The Kiyevo-Nikolayevsky Women's
the Kazan (Pyatnitsky)
Convent
Church (1779) crowning
the historical downtown, Krestovozdvizhensky
church, the Theotokos Nativity Cathedral, Serafim
Sarovsky's Cave temple, etc.
Ivan Predtechia's Cathedral
The cultural heritage of
the city holds old Russian
traditions of orthodox holidays: Christmas, the Epiphany,
Easter, the Trinity, Saviour, - and folk customs:
shrovetide, wedding celebrations, Sunday fair, etc., being
an essential part of each inhabitant’s life. What is more…
There are songs of our kind-hearted people – so simple
Nicolo-Znamensky Chirch
and sincere, so warm, so Russian… They fill you with
new love towards both the people you live with and the nature.
Дмитриева Валентина Львовна, учитель английского языка Муниципального казенного
общеобразовательного учреждения средняя общеобразовательная школа ЗАТО
Первомайский Кировской области
The nature of Alatyr is unusually marvelous. In
the North of the town there is a pine forest. Mighty
pines and fir-trees stretch their heavy paws, inspiring
with peace and confidence. Their top spikes are like
peaks, protecting the fortress. To the South, on a bank
vault of the Sura, the oak-wood is spread. Wide, stately
oaks, under their crowns it is so easy to breath and to
dream, whisper to water. To the East, on the other bank
of the river there is our wonder, the arboretum. The
inhabitants cherish every bush of this park with love and
care. It is nice here in any weather, in any season!
Spring is felt brighter, autumn is more picturesque,
summer is more vivid, winter is more magic.
Orenburg steppe expanses, lanky gray poplars and
lovely, cozy settlement Komarovsky have become so dear, but my heart is faithful
to truly kind, wise, native Alatyr where my dearest people are waiting for me.
Дмитриева Валентина Львовна, учитель английского языка Муниципального казенного
общеобразовательного учреждения средняя общеобразовательная школа ЗАТО
Первомайский Кировской области