Saint Nicholas Manifests on Shed Door

Holy face of Saint Nicholas has manifested itself in a shed door in Petrovsky District of Tambov city.

Pensioner Raisa Shibina has brought the door with the sacred image from her village to Shehman Settlement for all to see it. The icon has been delivered to a church. Already now pilgrims not only from Tambov, but from neighbouring regions as well come there to see the holy face.

The icon of the late 19th century had been hidden under a paint coat. The artist-restorer Vera Tikhomirova assumes that that the icon belonged to Moscow or Michurinsk icon-painting school.

Local residents say that every day the image is getting brighter and brighter. At the left the second silhouette starts to be looking through. The face is not visible yet, but, according to experts, it is already clear that it is some saint in the rank of a metropolitan.

Source:www.russia-ic.com

Cossacks of the Napoleonic Wars

Strength, organization and
deployment of the Cossacks.


Cossack regiment had a simple organization. It had colonel, called polkovnik (probably from Polish pulkovnik), small staff, and 5 squadrons or troops called sotnia. On paper the strength of single regiment was more than 500 men. In the field hovewer there were only 300-450 men in the ranks.

The most numerous, the regiments of Don Cossacks, were named after their commanders. The Ukrainian and other Cossacks were numbered and named according to their nationality or district.

Since 1799 the ranks for cossack officers had been regulated.

The Don Cossack regiment numbered 591 men: 18 officers, 10 uriadnik (NCOs) but in April 1812 increased to 22, 50 diesiatnik and 500 privates. There was only 1 non-combatant, the putzer (colonel's servant). Only the colonel had the right to bring a private wagon. For this reason each Cossack could have a second horse as a pack animal.

The NCO was the real soul of Cossack regiment. He owed his position from his service and his fame. If he became commander of a detachment then he sometimes changed in a tyrant for his subordinates; and he used his position to accumulate trophies and loot.

Each regiment of Don and Bug Cossacks carried 5 flags in various colors painted with religious pictures or martial emblems. Sisoiev-III's Regiment carried in addition a St.George flag. If a regiment returned to its homelands without its colour, it was dishonoured. The flags for the regiments of the Ural Cossacks were not recorded.

Each sotnia had muskets for 11 Cossacks trained as marksmen.

In 1802 in the Black Sea area were formed 10 regiments (and 10 foot cossack regiments).
Each regiment consisted of 5 sotnias.

Kalmuk In 1811 from the Kalmucks living in Astrakhan, Saratov, and Caucasus provinces and in the Don area were formed: 1st and 2nd Kalmuck Regiment, 1st and 2nd Stavropol Kalmuck Regiment, and 1st and 2nd Bashkir Regiment. Each regiment had 5 sotnias. The Kalmucks and Tartars were also accepted into the regiments of the Don Cossacks. In their ranks served approx. 8% Kalmucks and 1 % Tatars. According to Richard Riehn, in 1812 there were:
- 4 Tatar regiments
- 2 Kalmuk regiments
- 1 Chechen regiment
- 2 Bashkir regiments
Later were formed 2 Kalmuk and 18 Bashkir regiments.

In 1811 there were 2 Cossack horse batteries.
In 1812 a half-battery was formed (captured Turkish cannon barrels were used).

In summer 1812 from natives of two provinces, Kiev and Kamieniec Podolski, were formed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Ukrainian Cossack Regiments. Each regiment had 8 squadrons (troops).

.
Kalmuk

COSSACK REGIMENT

1 polkovnik (colonel)
1 podpolkovnik (colonel-lieutenant)
- his was present in less than half of all Don regiments
1 voiskovoi starshina
1 quartermaster - in the rank of sotnik (lieutenant)
1 polkovyi pisar also called kaznachei (regimental clerk, cashier)
2 pisar (clerks in the rank of NCO)
1 judge
1 putzer (colonel's servant, non-combatant)

I Sotnia (Troop)
called Right Flank Sotnia - or - Colonel's Sotnia
1 yesaul (captain), 1 sotnik (lieutenant) and 1 horunzhii (ensign)
4 uriadnik (NCOs), 10 diesiatnik, 100 privates
::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: :::::

II Sotnia (Troop)
1 yesaul (captain), 1 sotnik (lieutenant) and 1 horunzhii (ensign)
4 uriadnik (NCOs), 10 diesiatnik, 100 privates
::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: :::::

III Sotnia (Troop)
1 yesaul (captain), 1 sotnik (lieutenant) and 1 horunzhii (ensign)
4 uriadnik (NCOs), 10 diesiatnik, 100 privates
::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: :::::

IV Sotnia (Troop)
1 yesaul (captain), 1 sotnik (lieutenant) and 1 horunzhii (ensign)
4 uriadnik (NCOs), 10 diesiatnik, 100 privates
::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: :::::

V Sotnia (Troop)
called Left Flank Sotnia - or - Lieutenant-Colonel's Sotnia
1 yesaul (captain), 1 sotnik (lieutenant) and 1 horunzhii (ensign)
4 uriadnik (NCOs), 10 diesiatnik, 100 privates
::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: ::::: :::::

.

Two or three regiments (sometimes more) formed Cossack brigade. Cossack regiments and brigades were attached to the regular troops. They made life easier for the uhlans and hussars, as they did the scouting and patroling. There were also two or three Cossack corps composed of several brigades. (The Cossacks were rarely formed in divisions.) There were also several individual regiments assigned as escort to army headquarters.

more here.

Russian gold coins

Russian gold coins reflect the grandiosity of the old empires in Russia. Every coronation of a new tsar also signals a new coinage.

The Russian government has a record of the total number of gold coins it has produced from the 10th to 18th century. However, no one really knows for sure how many of the Russian gold coins have survived today.Before 1745, gold coins from Russia were made in other countries until gold reserves were discovered in the Ural Mountains.

It was not until the recent times that many Russians became interested in numismatics. Post-war Russia was more concerned in reconstructing its economic stability. The extravagant hobby of coin collecting did not appeal to many Russians. During the trying times, many Russian gold coins were melted for their gold melt value.

Brief history of the Russian gold coinage

In numismatic history, Russia was the last country to stop using the medieval method of hammering coins. However, Russia was also the first country to adopt the modern decimal-based coinage.

The ancient Russian gold were minted and imported from the neighboring European countries. These gold coins were crudely minted from the 10th to 18th century. Before 1745, Russia did not know its vast gold reserves until it was discovered in the Ural Mountains. Since then, there was a steady production of Russian gold coins in the succeeding years.

The Imperial Russian gold coins were mostly produced by the aristocrats from the 18th century to 1917. The Russian soviet was in power from 1917 to1992 and it was minting a few gold coins for their currency. After the communist state, the new Russian republic began minting gold bullion coins.


Ancient Russian gold coin - The zlatniki was struck for Prince Vladimir I after the year 988. It weighed about 4 grams.

The first Russian gold coins


Russian gold coins

The first Russian coin was called the zlatniki which means "a piece of gold" in Russian. It was struck for Vladimir, the Grand Duke of Kiev.

Other early Russian gold coins were the kopeks, poltinas, ugorski and novodels. However, most of the first Russian gold coins did not have a legal tender. They were mainly for awards during the hunting season and as trade coins.

In 1612, the gold ducats were circulated in Russia and also in Holland and Sweden. The ducats were gold coins were made in Austria and were exported to other nations.


The Chevronets

In 1701, the first Russian chevronets or ugorski were minted. The chervonet was the collective name for various foreign gold coins circulated in Russia before the reign of Peter I. The chevronets were also called tchervonets, chevervontsy, and czerwony.

The gold chervontsy were mostly composed of Dutch ducats and sequins. They were minted until 1757 until they were displaced by the gold rubles.

The gold Roubles


Russian Roubles - The obverse of the 1897 Roubles features the effigy of Tsar Nicholas II.

Russia changed coinage in 1704 to give way to the Roubles or rubles. The first circulated Russian gold coins were produced during the regime of Peter I, the Great.

When the St. Petersburg Mint was established in 1724, Peter, the Great made a nominal decree to mint gold coins. The striking discovery of the Russian gold reserves in the Ural Mountains also paved the way to the production of more gold roubles.

The first 10 Rouble gold coin was introduced by Tsarina Elizabeth Petrowna. By 1755 The 20 Rouble coin was in the mainstream circulation among the important European coins from France, England, and Netherlands. The gold 5 Rouble and 10 Rouble coins were also circulated.

The popular Russian imperial coins are the following:

Alexander III - Gold 10 Markkaa 1882
Nicholas II - Gold 20 Markkaa 1912
Nicholas II - five rubles 1897
Nicolas II - five rubles 1898
Nicolas II - five rubles, 1900


The soviet chervonets

The communist state of Russia was minting gold chervontsy in the years 1923 and 1925.

The revival of the Chervontsy

When Russia became a communist state in 1922, the new currency was renamed chervonets. The Soviet Russian currency was backed by the gold standard.

Gold chervonets that were equivalent to 10 Roubles were minted in 1923 (under the RSFSR) and 1925 (under the USSR). Today, only five chervontsy pieces dated 1925 have survived. These chervonets are displayed in Russian museums that house the famous coin collections.

In 1980, thousands of 1920 chervontsy restrikes, with a face value of 100 Roubles, were made as commemorative coins for the Moscow Summer Olympics. The new chervonets became a big hit among gold coin investors.


Russian Ballet gold coin
This gold bullion coin is the one of the modern precious metal coins from the Russian Federation.

The modern Russian gold bullion coins

The present Russian Federation has a notable series of three gold bullion coins. These Russian gold coins feature the Russian ballet, the Russian wildlife, and the zodiac signs.

The word gold coin bullion market has a strong demand for Russian gold bullion coins. However, just like the Russian numismatic gold coins, they have a low supply.

Source:www.2-cliks-coins.com

Surviving the siege

When the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to capture the country’s European territories by November. Leningrad, the second biggest Soviet city after Moscow, was a top priority in that plan. During a siege that lasted for 900 days, the city lost more than 700,000 people. Meet the amazing men and women who survived the blockade in a new XL report on RT.

THE LENINGRAD SYMPHONY

Braving the terrible odds of the Nazi siege, Leningrad was holding its own and stubbornly refused to surrender. Marshal Georgy Zhukov later wrote in his memoirs that “war history had never before seen such battlefield valiance and home front heroism, as was displayed by the unbending defenders of Leningrad.”

Besides their daily toil of defending the city, keeping its plants and factories rolling and tending to the wounded, the Leningraders were also writing poems and music. It was then and there that the renowned Russian composer Dmitry Shostakovich wrote his famous Seventh Symphony that immediately became a stirring anthem to the unvanquished city on the Neva.

Refusing to leave the city with the rest of the Philharmonic Society early in the war, Shostakovich was bombarding the local recruitment centers with demands to send him out to the frontlines. All his pleas turned down, he then joined his friends digging trenches outside the city. After his attempt to join the militia also fell flat, Shostakovich signed with the local firefighters squad and, during his duty hours on the Conservatory roof, was putting out incendiary bombs the Nazis dropped on the city. It was during those trying days that he actually decided to write his larger-than-life Seventh Symphony…

In a radio message broadcast on September 20, 1941 Dmitry Shostakovich said: “An hour ago I finished writing the second part of my big new symphony… Why am I telling you this? Because I want all the Leningraders who are listening to me to know that life goes on and we are all doing our duty…”

The Leningrad radio orchestra was now too small to play the Seventh Symphony though. The score called for 80 musicians and there was only a handful of them spared by famine and the enemy bullets at the frontlines… Then they made a radio announcement inviting the musicians who were still alive to join in. Unit commanders were instructed to dispatch their musicians with special passes, which said that they had been relieved from combat duty to perform the Seventh Symphony by Dmitry Shostakovich.

Finally, they all got together for the first rehearsal, their hands roughened from combat duty, trembling from malnutrition but everybody still Dmitry Shostakovich as a firefighterclinging to their instruments as if for their own life… That was the shortest rehearsal ever, lasting for just 15 minutes because that was all the emaciated players could afford… And play they did and conductor Karl Eliasberg who was trying his best not to go down himself now knew that the orchestra would play the symphony…

August 9, 1942 was just another day in the Nazi-besieged city. But not for the musicians, though, who, visibly uplifted, were busily preparing for the first ever public performance of the Seventh Symphony. Karl Eliasberg later wrote recalling that memorable day: “The chandeliers were all aglow in the Philharmonic Hall jam packed by writers, artists and academics. Military men were also very much in presence, most of them right from the battlefront…”

The conductor, his tuxedo dangling freely from his emaciated body, stepped to the pulpit, his baton trembling in his hand. The next moment it went up and the hall filled with the stirringly beautiful chords of one of the best music Shostakovich had ever written in his whole life…

When the last cord trailed off there was a momentary silence. Then the whole place literally exploded with thunderous applause. People went up to their feet all, tears rolling down their faces, tears of joy and pride…

Buoyed by the deafening success of their performance and visibly proud of themselves, the musicians were happily hugging each other like soldiers do winning a major battle…

A German soldier who picked up the radio broadcast of that memorable concert was stunned by what he heard: “When I heard Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony being broadcast from the famine-stricken Leningrad I realized that we would never be able to take it. Realizing that, I surrendered…”

The Germans never managed to capture the city. In January 1944 the Red Army counterattacked ending the deadly siege of Leningrad which lasted for 900 days and nights and made Russia’s northern capital an enduring symbol of Soviet courage and invincibility…

Source:The Voice of Russia

BARNAUL

By Lyubov Tsarevskaya


Посмотреть на Яндекс.Фотках

Barnaul, an administrative center of the Altai Region, is one of the oldest cities in Western Siberia. It lies on the Ob River and is located in the very heart of Eurasia, a sort of crossroads through which pass the shortest land routes from Europe into Asia.

Barnaul grew into a city due to rich copper deposits discovered at the foothills of Altai. In 1727 an enterprising manufacturer, Akinfii Demidov built the first in Siberia copper smelting works in the estuary of the Barnaulka River, an Ob tributary. The facility was named Kolyvan-Voskresensk after the nearby Lake Kolyvan and Voskresensk mine.

The numerous silver decorations found in the ancient Chinese burial mounds suggested to Demidov’s ore miners that there was silver in the Altai Ridge. And indeed, soon afterwards silver ore was discovered near Snake’s Mount and a silver ore smelting facility was built next to the copper works. As the treasury needed silver, the Demidov silver mines along with the vast expanses of territory in Western Siberia were made royal property by Empress Elizabeth’s decree. In the 18th and the first half of the 19th century Altai smelted 90 % of Russian silver and the Barnaul silver smelting plant was the biggest in the region. It is no wonder then that over a short period of time the small village of Barnaul grew into one of the biggest cities in Siberia. The city’s coat of arms depicted a galloping horse and a silver smelting furnace. The furnace symbolized silver mining as the city’s major asset and the horse was on the emblem of the Tomsk Province, to which Barnaul belonged. In Russian history there are only two mining cities – Yekaterinburg and Barnaul.

Highly qualified mining engineers in Barnaul built houses of which the writer Ivan Kushchevsky wrote that many of the richest structures in Barnaul were painted black and designed in the style of English cottage, where the upper and lower floors make up one whole with the sauna, billiard room and the library. The dwellings seemed genuinely luxurious and comfortable and the big clean windows gazed with warmth against the black background. Never have I seen a comfy little town like that, the writer said, no old wooden structures were anywhere in sight and every house looked as good as new. Shining window glass, shining copper on window frames and door handles gave the streets a festive look.

A community of highly educated mining engineers and office workers, cultural establishments, an amateur theatre, a museum and the libraries flatteringly distinguished Barnaul from other Siberian cities. The city was known as the Siberian Eldorado, the Small Corner of Petersburg, the Siberian Athens.

In the second half of the 19th – early 20th century, after a decline in natural resources and of the mining industry, Barnaul abandoned the unhurried pace of an aristocrat for the lively vigour of a business person. Altai grew excellent wheat and Barnaul concentrated all bread business in its hands. Thirteen piers stretched along the Ob with ships and barges taking on bread to deliver it to areas across Siberia, to the Urals and further to the European part of Russia.

Along with bread Barnaul traded in butter, which was a popular brand far beyond the bounds of the Russian Empire for the smaller percentage of water and salt in it. There were times when transport failed to handle the haulage of such vast quantities of butter causing an overproduction crisis, so butter prices dropped so low that it was used as lubricant for wheel.

Trade enriched the city attracting substantial capitals. Barnaul was rapidly changing face and the streets flowered with luxury mansions and shops. There were plans to develop new territories and turn industrial Barnaul into a “garden city”.

On May 2nd 1917 the city lost a total of 60 residential areas as a result of a fire and more than 15 thousand people were left homeless. The fire marked a symbolic turning point in Barnaul’s history. Soviets came to Russia following the Bolshevik Revolution that same year and Barnaul faced a new chapter in its history.

From 1917 to 1920 Barnaul was the scene of a fratricidal Civil war that finished off its economy, already damaged by the fire. In the 1930s, after the commissioning of Turksib, a railway connecting Central Asia with Western Siberia, and the construction of the first in Siberia textile mill reprocessing cotton from Central Asia, Barnaul’s economy began to return back to life.

Now an administrative center of the Altai Region, rich in natural resources, agricultural lands with a powerful production potential, Barnaul has excellent prospects for further development.


Посмотреть на Яндекс.Фотках

Source:The Voice of Russia

Koshchey the Deathless

Ivan Bilibin

Koshchey the Deathless gallops naked through the wild Caucus mountains with his long spindly legs trailing in the dust.

In this picture by Ivan Bilibin, he is seen brandishing his sabre, shrieking blood-curdling threats and urging the spirits of the steppes to come to his aid.

I like the cloud formations . . .

Koshchey the Deathless also known as Koshchey the Immortal

In Russian Koshchey is known as "Koshchey Bessmertny" which means deathless or immortal (thanks to Mike Harris in Moscow for this information).

Variant spellings of his name are: Koschey, Katschei/Koshchey/Kashey

In Russian folklore Koshchey is an evil sorcerer of terrifying appearance who gallops naked around the wild Caucus mountain range on his magic steed.

He is also a shape-shifter, who takes the form of a whirlwind or a storm wind. He is a nature spirit representing the destructive powers of nature.

He is fond of stealing beautiful women, often the bride of the hero.

Like his female counterpart Baba Yaga, he also has powers over the elements. Dark clouds suddenly appear amidst thunder and lightning when he comes on the scene.

As a shape-changer, Kotschey usually takes the form of a whirlwind and makes off with his victims in this form. He may also come under cover of a mist or fog and can fly through the air.

Koschey is called the deathless, or immortal because his soul/spirit/life force or his "death" as he calls it, is hidden in a remote, inaccessible place, separate from his body.

Koshchey's soul/spirit/ is often hidden in a duck's egg, inside a hare, which in turn is inside a chest buried under the roots of a mighty oak tree, on an island in the middle of the ocean.

Sometimes his "death" may be hidden in the point of a needle inside the duck's egg. Although called deathless or immortal, Kotschey may die if the hero finds out where the egg that contains his life force or, as he calls it, his "death", is hidden.

If the egg is broken, it's goodnight for Kotschey too. Anyone possessing this egg has Koshchey in their power. He begins to weaken, becomes sick and immediately loses all his magic powers.


Viktor Vasnetsov
Kashchei the Immortal

In one story the egg is thrown at his forehead and he drops down dead.

Imprisoned in the palace of the warrior princess Maria Morevna for ten years, Koshchey is freed by the unwitting hero.

In this story the egg with his soul/spirit/death in it is not mentioned at all. Instead, he receives a kick in the head from one of Baba Yaga's magical steeds. After the horse kills him, the hero Ivan cuts Koshchey's head off, burns it and scatters the ashes to the four winds, presumably just to be on the safe side.

Koshchey's appearance:

Tall, boney, fearful to look upon. As Baba Yaga says:

' Medusa's got nothing on you, Kotschey dear .'

Maria Morewnas description of him:

He sports a wild mane of tangled seaweed-like hair which stands up all around a lean and bony face. From beneath those craggy brows peer hooded, unblinking reptilian eyes. A raven's beak of a nose juts out over a cavernous mouth from which now and then one may catch a glimpse of several large crooked teeth. Mouth may change shape according to mood.

His beard: Mottled-grey and scraggly, unsightly after meals.

Skin: Scaly, rough, forever shedding, more snake-like than human.

Method of fighting: Wraps or coils himself around his foes. Finger nails and toe nails long and claw-like (he never cuts his hair, finger or toe nails - to preserve his 'life-force' as he calls it/his lack of clothing may also be attributed to these peculiar 'life-force preservation' reasons).

On the inside of Koshchey's scrawny long ape-like arms are venom glands. (His blames Maria Morewna for his arms being so long - he complained once that hanging out in her dungeon for 10 years didn't do his posture any good).

During battle he has been known to lick these venomous parts and then bite his adversary thus causing intense pain and immobility.

Can change his voice at will. Terrifies his opponents with blood-curdling cries. Has also been known to use his voice to charm and induce sleep when necessary.

When astride his magical steed, Kotschey likes to throw off his flamboyant fish-skin clothes and it is said that he thus takes on the magical powers of his mount.

His fish-skin clothes, which he scatters behind him, are blown away and scattered by the four winds. Flocks of ravens gather behind him to fight over and devour these shreds. Shreds of his clothing may be sometimes seen flapping in the tree tops throughout the steppes.

Thus freed from all worldly constraints he gallops naked through the wild Caucus mountains with his long spindly legs trailing in the dust. In the picture by Ivan Bilibin, he is seen brandishing his sabre, shrieking blood-curdling threats and urging the spirits of the steppes to come to his aid.

Quite an emotional character, it is said that he will weep with rage for hours afterwards when outwitted by his quarry and his sobbing and wailing often echoes throughout the Caucuses, terrifying both man and beast alike.

During times of stress he may change himself into a storm or a whirlwind. In his spare time he seems to be off hunting quite a lot, although it is not specified what it is that he is hunting.

Although cunning, one of his weaknesses is that he is extremely vain and therefore may be outwitted by a woman pretending to find him irresistible.

He has twelve sisters (also shape-shifters) who come to avenge his death and who seem to be almost as charming as Koshchey himself.

Although Koshchey is a powerful sorcerer, he seems to be down the hierarchical ladder a rung or two to Baba Yaga. In one story he works as a herdsman for her in order to earn one of her magical steeds. This horse has the power of speech and gives Koshchey invaluable advice.

His favourite drink: A fermented drink make of green tea, sour goat's milk and salt.

He craves female company, and although he can turn on a charming voice at will, Kotschey is anything but a smooth talker.

When Maria Morewna is trying to pump him for information and plays up to him, he once again fails to realize that one of his oft-repeated remarks: "Foolish woman, long of hair: short of wit", does not do anything to improve his chances with her.

Beating about the bush is one of Koshchey's rules of thumb: for Koshchey to speak directly is to lose his power or 'life force'.

When she asks him about the time he spent at Baba Yaga's hut and where he got his horse he replies: "Three days there and I learned as much as in three years."

Koshchey is able to "far see" - he has the ability to see with his eyes closed.

A song he is fond of singing when he has drunk enough Kwas: (Some say he penned it himself while he was hanging out in Maria Morewna's dungeon)

Amidst great Rocks

Koschey the Deathless leaping,

Onward rides,

Wild and fierce

And free again from chains.



Like the storm he howls and weeping,

Sprays the steppes

With burning tears of rage.

Source:www.oldrussia.net