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Fortress Kalamita in Inkerman, Crimea: description, history, interesting facts and reviews

How many historical places are left in the world? Some of them are guarded by the whole world and are trying to preserve their appearance with all their might, while others were destroyed, and only ruins remained from them. This includes the fortress Kalamita in the Crimea, which is located near the village Inkerman.

Description

The fortress, built in the VI century as a defense against enemies, consisted of six towers, which were interconnected by curtains, i. Certain structures that connected the two bastions. They were built of quarry stone and limestone mortar, the thickness of the walls was from one meter and reached four, and the height was twelve meters. The fortress of Kalamit was very large, its area was 1500 m 2 , and its length was 234 m.

The location of the fortress was chosen not accidentally: on one side there is a cliff, where the bay goes deep into the land, reaching a width of one kilometer, and on the other hand it is the fortress itself. In those days, all the movements that took place around the fortress were visible.

Fortress Kalamita in Sevastopol: history

The history of the cave cities of Crimea is not known reliably. This applies to the fortress of Kalamita, which was built in the VI century, according to some studies. On sea charts, it appeared only in the XIV-XV centuries. Previously, the fortress wore such names as Gazarii or Kalamira.

Most likely, the fortress was built by the Byzantines, but what it represented itself will remain a mystery. But since the XV century, history is not so vague. At this time, there was a principality of Theodoro, which was in conflict with the Genoese colonies.

To gain access to the sea, the feudorites had to build a nearby port of Avlit near the Black River and to fortify the fortress on the Monastery rock.

In 1475 the Turks came to power in the Crimea, capturing the fortress as well. It was they who renamed it Inkerman. The Turks already owned firearms, and they had to remodel the fortress under this gun. They thickened the walls, fortified and rebuilt the towers, and also built a separate tower, which was taken out of the ditch.

Over time, the fortress of Kalamita in Inkerman began to lose its defensive importance. It collapsed over time, but suffered most in the battle for Sevastopol.

The present Calamita

Today you can see the ruined towers, the remains of walls, the cross that stands on the site of the former church, and under the fortress - the cave monastery. What is the name of Kalamita, is still not exactly known. Some believe that in translation from the Greek language it is a "beautiful cape", others are translated from ancient Greek as "reed", because the terrain is covered with reeds and similar vegetation, but there are several more interpretations of the word.

The first thing that meets on the way is the gate tower, then from it in 12 meters there is a tower №2, from which the ditch with caves begins to dug. The third tower is angular. It is strongly destroyed, so its design is not clear, although in terms of it it had such dimensions: 12 * 13 m.

The best preserved tower number 4, which was taken out of the ditch and in fact was a separate fortress Kalamata, as it served as a barbican (ie, served as additional protection). In the XVIII century there was a prison here.

In addition to the towers, one can also see the remains of the Christian church that the feodorites built when they owned the territory, and later it was destroyed, but it is not known by whom. You can see a small cemetery that belongs to the XIX-XX centuries, there is an obelisk belonging to the buried flight mechanic, and a concrete tombstone of the hero of the Patriotic War.

The Cave Monastery

In the monastery rock there are a lot of caves, and in one of them in the 7th-9th centuries the Inkerman Holy Klimentovsky monastery was created in honor of the saint who died in Chersonesos.

The monastery had three churches and existed until 1485, until the Turks came to power and forced the monks to leave the monastery.

Several centuries later, in 1852, it was reopened at the insistence of Archbishop Innokentii, but it did not last long, as the Crimean War began. However, in 1867 the monastery was revived again, the churches were restored and the Trinity Church was built. A little later, in honor of Emperor Alexander III, St. Panteleimon's church was built, and in 1907 - the church of St. Nicholas, which was destroyed during the war.

When the USSR collapsed, the monastic complex was returned to the monks and a global restoration began, and the church of St. Panteleimon was rebuilt.

How to get to the fortress of Calamita

In Crimea, in the vicinity of Sevastopol, is a small village Inkerman, which can be reached by car, train, bus and boat. The greatest pleasure will be given by a boat trip along the Sevastopol Bay.

If you go by bus, then the way is to start from Sevastopol, get to the stop "Vtormet" and, focusing on the gas station, start your climb to the temple complexes.

It is easy to reach the destination and by car along the E 105 or M 18 highway . Then the Black River will have the first turn towards the monastery, at the foot of which there is a fortress, to which you need to go through the tunnel, through an ancient cemetery that rests on the gate tower .

Interesting Facts

The fortress Kalamita is part of the Chersonese Reserve. When in 1968 the restoration of one of the towers was carried out, drawings were found on limestone blocks, where ships with very detailed drawings were depicted. Scientists believe that these drawings refer to the XIV-XV centuries.

When the fortress was definitely built, no one knows. However, scientists believe that the construction began in the VI century. The fortress was erected as protection of trade routes from attack.

In the XV century, the fortress was rebuilt to protect the developing port of Avlita. A little later the territory was conquered by the Turks, they built new fortresses and rebuilt the old ones, which happened with Kalamita. It was the Turks who adapted it for firearms and gave it the new name of Inkerman, which means "cave fortress".

Reviews

The fortress Kalamita, according to tourists, is a very interesting place that has a rich history. From her little left, but to visit this place is always necessary. It is here that you can touch the history and admire the beautiful views that open up from the Monastery Rock.

The cave monastery works in our time, and it can also be visited. Of course, nobody is allowed in the cell, but you can see the monastery and the temple from the outside, at the same time you can buy monastic tea from herbs.

You can visit the historical monument yourself or take an excursion to the fortress of Kalamita to learn more about its history. Everyone who has ever visited this place was delighted. Everyone needs to visit the fortress, if you were in Sevastopol. Excursion can be spent and on a monastery, its cost makes no more than 100 rbl. Per person.

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