Murom
Encyclopedia
Murom is a historic city in Vladimir Oblast
, Russia
, which sprawls along the left bank of Oka River
. Population:
called Muromians
. The Russian Primary Chronicle mentions it as early as 862. It is thus one of the oldest cities in Russia. Circa 900 CE, it was an important trading post from Volga Bulgaria
to the Baltic Sea
.
Between 1010 and 1393, it was a capital of a separate principality, whose rulers included Saint Gleb
, assassinated in 1015 and canonized in 1071, Saint Prince Konstantin the Blessed
, and Saints Peter and Theuronia, subjects of an opera
by Rimsky-Korsakov
. It was the home town of the most celebrated East Slavic epic
hero, Ilya Muromets
. The town has a statue which shows Ilya holding the hilt of his sword in the left hand and a cross in the right.
Among other famous natives are the father of colour photography, Sergey Prokudin-Gorskiy
(1863), and the father of television
, Vladimir Zworykin
(1889).
On June 30, 1961, Murom was the site of a spontaneous protest and riot against the police and Soviet authorities, following the death in police custody of a senior factory foreman named Kostikov.
of Murom—an administrative unit with a status equal to that of the districts
.
Municipally, the territory of the Town of Murom together with the territories of nine rural localities in Muromsky District
are incorporated as Murom Urban Okrug
.
Murom still retains many marks of antiquity. The Savior monastery
, one of the most ancient in Russia, was first chronicled in 1096, when Oleg of Chernigov besieged it and killed Vladimir Monomakh's son Izyaslav, who is buried there. In 1552, the monastery was visited by Ivan the Terrible who commissioned a stone cathedral, which was followed by other churches.
The Trinity convent, where the relics of Sts. Peter and Theuronia are displayed, features a fine cathedral (1642–1643), Kazan church (1652), a bell-tower (1652), a wooden church of St. Sergius, and stone walls. It is rivaled by the Annunciation Monastery, founded in the reign of Ivan the Terrible to house the relics of local princes and containing a cathedral from 1664. Two last-mentioned cathedrals, being probably the works of the same masters, have much in common with the Resurrection Church (1658) in the downtown. Quite different is the tent-like church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, built in 1565 on the bank of the Oka to commemorate the Russian conquest of Kazan.
Vladimir Oblast
Vladimir Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Vladimir, which is located east of Moscow...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, which sprawls along the left bank of Oka River
Oka River
Oka is a river in central Russia, the largest right tributary of the Volga. It flows through the regions of Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir, and Nizhny Novgorod and is navigable over a large part of its total length, as far upstream as to the town of Kaluga. Its length exceeds...
. Population:
History
In the 9th century CE, the city marked the easternmost settlement of the Eastern Slavs in the land of the Finno-Ugric peopleFinno-Ugric peoples
The Finno-Ugric peoples are any of several peoples of Europe who speak languages of the proposed Finno-Ugric language family, such as the Finns, Estonians, Mordvins, and Hungarians...
called Muromians
Volga Finns
The Volga Finns are a historical group of indigenous peoples of Russia whose descendants include the Mari people, the Erzya and the Moksha Mordvins, as well as extinct Merya, Muromian and Meshchera people...
. The Russian Primary Chronicle mentions it as early as 862. It is thus one of the oldest cities in Russia. Circa 900 CE, it was an important trading post from Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria, or Volga–Kama Bolghar, is a historic Bulgar state that existed between the seventh and thirteenth centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers in what is now Russia.-Origin:...
to the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
.
Between 1010 and 1393, it was a capital of a separate principality, whose rulers included Saint Gleb
Boris and Gleb
Boris and Gleb , Christian names Roman and David, respectively, were the first saints canonized in Kievan Rus' after the Christianization of the country....
, assassinated in 1015 and canonized in 1071, Saint Prince Konstantin the Blessed
Konstantin of Murom
The Holy and Blessed Prince Constantine of Murom was a direct descendant of Vladimir I of Kiev and the son of Prince Svyatoslav of Chernigov. His father at his request assigned him to rule the city of Murom, which at the time was inhabited by pagans, that he might spread Christianity in that...
, and Saints Peter and Theuronia, subjects of an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
by Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
. It was the home town of the most celebrated East Slavic epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
hero, Ilya Muromets
Ilya Muromets
Ilya Muromets is a Kievan Rus' epic hero. He is celebrated in numerous byliny . Along with Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich he is regarded as the greatest of all the legendary bogatyrs...
. The town has a statue which shows Ilya holding the hilt of his sword in the left hand and a cross in the right.
Among other famous natives are the father of colour photography, Sergey Prokudin-Gorskiy
Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii
Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky was a Russian chemist and photographer. He is best known for his pioneering work in color photography of early 20th-century Russia.. Library of Congress. Retrieved 13 August 2006.-Early life:...
(1863), and the father of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, Vladimir Zworykin
Vladimir Zworykin
Vladimir Kozmich Zworykin was a Russian-American inventor, engineer, and pioneer of television technology. Zworykin invented a television transmitting and receiving system employing cathode ray tubes...
(1889).
On June 30, 1961, Murom was the site of a spontaneous protest and riot against the police and Soviet authorities, following the death in police custody of a senior factory foreman named Kostikov.
Administrative and municipal status
Administratively, it is incorporated as the CityCity of federal subject significance
City of federal subject significance is an umbrella term used to refer to a type of an administrative division of a federal subject of Russia which is equal in status to a district but is organized around a large city; occasionally with surrounding rural territories.According to the 1993...
of Murom—an administrative unit with a status equal to that of the districts
Administrative divisions of Vladimir Oblast
*Towns under the federal government management:**Raduzhny *Cities and towns under the oblast's jurisdiction:**Vladimir ***City districts:****Frunzensky ****Leninsky...
.
Municipally, the territory of the Town of Murom together with the territories of nine rural localities in Muromsky District
Muromsky District
Muromsky District is an administrative district , one of the sixteen in Vladimir Oblast, Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Murom...
are incorporated as Murom Urban Okrug
Murom Urban Okrug
Murom Urban Okrug is a municipal formation in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, one of the five urban okrugs in the oblast. Its territory covers the territories of two administrative divisions of Vladimir Oblast—the whole of the City of Murom and nine rural localities in Muromsky District.The municipal...
.
Sights
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
, one of the most ancient in Russia, was first chronicled in 1096, when Oleg of Chernigov besieged it and killed Vladimir Monomakh's son Izyaslav, who is buried there. In 1552, the monastery was visited by Ivan the Terrible who commissioned a stone cathedral, which was followed by other churches.
The Trinity convent, where the relics of Sts. Peter and Theuronia are displayed, features a fine cathedral (1642–1643), Kazan church (1652), a bell-tower (1652), a wooden church of St. Sergius, and stone walls. It is rivaled by the Annunciation Monastery, founded in the reign of Ivan the Terrible to house the relics of local princes and containing a cathedral from 1664. Two last-mentioned cathedrals, being probably the works of the same masters, have much in common with the Resurrection Church (1658) in the downtown. Quite different is the tent-like church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, built in 1565 on the bank of the Oka to commemorate the Russian conquest of Kazan.