Murom

The city Murom is part of Vladimir territory. It is located on the high left bank of the Oka river at the border with Nizhniy Novgorod Territory at a distance of 290 km from Moscow and in 130 km from the regional center of. Vladimir. The territory of the city stretches along the left bank of the Oka from the north to the south for 8 km, the central part of the town stretches from the river from the east to the west for 5 km. In the south-west direction extension of the city reaches 12 km. From the west to the east across the territory of the town the main railway lines Moscow – Kazan pass, from them in the northern direction the branch line to town Kovrov stretches.
Murom is located in the second climatic zone, climate is temperate - continental with temperate warm summer, cold winter, short spring and cloudy, frequently, rainy autumn. In winter southern and south-west winds prevail, in summer - northern and north-west. Soil is loamy. The area of the municipal territory makes up 107378 hа, including the area of Murom - 4378 га (43.8 sq km). Municipal territory is located in the south-east of Vladimir territory and borders: in the east - with the Nizhniy Novgorod territory on the Oka, in the south - with Melenkovsky area, in the West - with Selivanovsky area, in the north - with Vjaznikovsky and Gorohovetsky areas.

Speaking about Murom, people frequently use a phrase from Pushkin’s poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila”: “Here there is Russian spirit, here there is a smell of Russia”, having become winged with time. And that is the reason why. The name of Old Russian hero Elias Muromets, the hero of many Russian fairy tales and legends, is connected with the name of the town. His prototype was a real person who was born in one of the villages of the town, called Karacharovo, which nowadays is included in Murom boundaries. It is considered, that Elias’s izba was located on the place of house 279 in Priokskaya street.

According to the local legend, Elias was sick from birth. The physical infirmity became apparent in illness of legs because of which the future bogatyr could not go till 30 years. One day wandering minstrels, who in gratitude for shelter and bread presented him a miracle potion, having drunk which Elias not only recovered, but also got incredible force, wandered in his house. They gave also the youth’s horse to drink the potion from what it got incredible force too. The tracks of Elias’s horse are esteemed in Murom until now.

They say those 13 holy springs, which Murom numbers, emerged on the place of bounces of the animal. In the place of one of them, located in Elias Muromets’ native land, the church of Elias the Prophet was erected. Recently in the same place the monument in honor of this legendary hero has been raised. By the way, in ancient time Elias Muromets was canonized.

We advise tourists to begin walk in the town with its old part, located on the left high bank of the Oka. If going along street of the 1-st May, first of all one can see rows of shops of the 19-th century. If having turned round one can enjoy the panorama of two main sights of the town - the Troitsky and the Blagoveshchensky monasteries. These monasteries are practically identical, as they consist of identical architectural erections: the central five-domed cathedral, the one-domed church above the Sacred gate and hipped bell tower. The constructions of the monumental walls and towers are similar. The complex of the first monastery, considered woman’s, is located on the place of the court yard of Murom prince Jury Jaroslavich, located here in former times. In the 17-th century the prince’s court yard ceased to exist as well as the church of Boris and Gleb erected in this place by order of him. In place of it in 1642-1643 the cathedral of Saint Trinity was erected with support of local merchant Tarasy Borisov. Later he obtained authorization from patriarchy to build a woman’s monastery. Thus the church of Kazan Mother of God was built, and in 1652 - the bell tower, having become the highest erection for that moment and serving a reference point for ships and vehicles. Both the cathedral and the church were built in certain “smart” style: they are decorated with numerous arches, columns, windows of unusual form, color tiles. Besides that on the territory of the monastery one can see another building – the church of Sergey Radonezhsky which had been transferred here from a local village. Now as well as in former time the Troitsky monastery serves the place of pilgrimage. The numerous streams of believers is explained by the relics of Saint wonder-makers Peter and Fevronija - patrons of love and marriage. People still believe that Saint Fevronija can cure of barreness.

Blagoveshchensky monastery is located opposite the Troitsky monastery. The history of rise of this religious monastery says that in 1552 Murom was visited by Ivan the Terrible, while making his way to the Kazan campaign. In Murom he prayed of saints for helping him to win Kazan back from the foreigners. It is considered also, that he vowed in case of victory to found a monastery in the sacred land where prince Konstantin, propagated Christianity in Murom lands, his wife Irene and two children, canonized in 1457, were buried. The victory was won and building, in the course of which the relics of princely family were exhumed and transferred in the temple. They lie here at present time. It is considered, that there is an underground way to the holy and wonder-working Konstantin’s springs, located at the bottom of Uspensky ravine opposite the south-east tower of the monastery, which stretches from the Blagoveschensky cathedral.

However they haven’t manage to find this spring. In street of the 1st of May there is another building. It is the Murom historical and arts museum. The house, in which this establishment is placed, formerly belonged to a prominent corn-merchant K.Zvorykin, last owner of the building, resembling a palace to local measures. In 1919 the Museum of the Local territory, started the present museum, was opened. This establishment is unique owing to its exhibits. Here one can see the works of the East European artists – Bronzino, Tjepolo, Riber, canvases of masters of Rubens’s school. Besides that, small collections of Russian artists - Shishkin, Suricov, Korovin, Polenov, Savrasov and others are collected here.

A little farther Voskresensky woman’s monastery is located. Its complex includes the five-domed Voskresenskaya and one-domed Vvedenskaya churches and also a hipped bell tower and non-kept the Georgievskaya church. Unlike the Troitsky and Blagoveshchensky monasteries, the edifices of the Voskresensky monastery are more modest. The monastery was a “visiting card” of Murom from the river, creating the image of a pious place, full of sanctuaries. On the bank of the Oka tourists can see also the sights of another man’s monastery – the Spassky monastery. It is one of the oldest sacred monasteries of not only Murom, but also all lands near the Oka. The first record of it dated from the 11th century: the chronicle says that here in 1096 Vladimir Monomah’s son Izjaslav, lost during the siege of the monastery, was buried. There is also another fact: according to the legend, the monastery was based by the first Murom prince Gleb whom the townspeople didn’t let live in his own chambers. Then Gleb built near them the church of All gracious Saviour, the name of which underlied the name of the present monastery, erected on the place of the prince’s court yard.

The main building of the monastery - the temple of God’s Transfiguration – came to us with considerable changes. It is considered, that it was built by order of Ivan the Terrible in 1553. In 1839 the annexes were built, hood-shaped domes were changed into onion-shaped, also other reorganizations were also carried out.

Besides monasteries, tourists can familiarize with architecture of several churches. First of them is located in the very centre of the town and called the Nicolo-Naberezhnaya (from word “quay”). It was called Naberezhnaya (quay) because it is located on the bank of the Oka. If going farther along the quay, one can see Kozmodemjanskaya church. The temple was kept to our time in dilapidated condition, as in 1868 the hipped roof of the church collapsed; only the quadrangular frame. After this accident the Kozmodemjanskaya church plate and icons was transferred in the church of Smolensk icon of Mother of God. After this it got another name the New Kozmodemjanskaya church. Now there is a show-room.

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