Ovruch
Encyclopedia
Ovruch is a city
in the Zhytomyr Oblast
(province
) of northern Ukraine
. It is the administrative center
of the Ovruch Raion
(district
). The current estimated population is around 17,000 (as of 2005). It is home to Ovruch air base
.
Ovruch originated as an important town of Kievan Rus, first mentioned as Vruchiy in 977. Later after the sack of Iskorosten
it became the capital city of Drevlian. In 1483, Crimean Tatar
s destroyed the settlement. According to the Treaty of Lublin (1569), Volhynia
with Ovruch formed a province of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
.
The only mark of the town's antiquity is St. Basil's Church, commissioned by Rurik II of Kiev from his court architect Pyotr Miloneg in the late 1190s. The church was built in Rurik's votchina
and was dedicated to his patron saint.
. The building is distinguished by elaborate brick facades, interlaced with bands of polished colored stone. The complicated design of pilasters points to a complex system of roofing and to a very high dome. The dome and vaults collapsed during the siege of Ovruch by Gediminas in 1321. The ruins of the church survived until 1842, when they crumbled, with the exception of three apses and a portion of the northern wall with an arch.
In 1907 Aleksey Shchusev was commissioned to restore the church to its presumed original form, incorporating the remains of Rurik's church into his edifice. Restoration works lasted for two years and won Schusev the prestigious title of the Academician of Architecture. More recently, the accuracy of his restoration has been questioned, as it did not take into account the complicated system of vaulting and the considerable height of the drum. As a consequence of this oversight, the drum was restored according to a model characteristic of more archaic churches rather than for the turn of the 13th century. Adjacent buildings of St. Basil's Convent were built on the model of medieval architecture of Pskov
simultaneously with the restoration of the main church.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in the Zhytomyr Oblast
Zhytomyr Oblast
Zhytomyr Oblast is an oblast of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Zhytomyr.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on September 22, 1937....
(province
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
) of northern Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. It is the administrative center
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of the Ovruch Raion
Ovruch Raion
Ovruch Raion is a raion of Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. Its administrative centre is located at Ovruch. The raion covers an area of 3222 square kilometres and as of 2011 it had a population of 59,856 people....
(district
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
). The current estimated population is around 17,000 (as of 2005). It is home to Ovruch air base
Ovruch (air base)
Ovruch is an air base in Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine located 8 km southwest of Ovruch. There are three large parking areas for fighters. The base appears to have capacity for about 50 planes....
.
Ovruch originated as an important town of Kievan Rus, first mentioned as Vruchiy in 977. Later after the sack of Iskorosten
Korosten
Korosten is a historic city and a large railway node in the Zhytomyr Oblast of northern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Korosten Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast, and is located on the Uzh River.The city was founded over a...
it became the capital city of Drevlian. In 1483, Crimean Tatar
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
s destroyed the settlement. According to the Treaty of Lublin (1569), Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
with Ovruch formed a province of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
.
Votchina
Votchina or otchina was an East Slavic land estate that could be inherited. The term "votchina" was also used to describe the lands of a knyaz.The term originated in the law of Kievan Rus...
and was dedicated to his patron saint.
Architecture
St. Vasil's Church has four pillars, three apses and one dome. The western facade is flanked by two round towers, probably in imitation of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in KievSaint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev is an outstanding architectural monument of Kievan Rus'. Today, it is one of the city's best known landmarks and the first Ukrainian patrimony to be inscribed on the World Heritage List along with the Kiev Cave Monastery complex...
. The building is distinguished by elaborate brick facades, interlaced with bands of polished colored stone. The complicated design of pilasters points to a complex system of roofing and to a very high dome. The dome and vaults collapsed during the siege of Ovruch by Gediminas in 1321. The ruins of the church survived until 1842, when they crumbled, with the exception of three apses and a portion of the northern wall with an arch.
In 1907 Aleksey Shchusev was commissioned to restore the church to its presumed original form, incorporating the remains of Rurik's church into his edifice. Restoration works lasted for two years and won Schusev the prestigious title of the Academician of Architecture. More recently, the accuracy of his restoration has been questioned, as it did not take into account the complicated system of vaulting and the considerable height of the drum. As a consequence of this oversight, the drum was restored according to a model characteristic of more archaic churches rather than for the turn of the 13th century. Adjacent buildings of St. Basil's Convent were built on the model of medieval architecture of Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
simultaneously with the restoration of the main church.