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Republic of Mordovia — 13rus


Mordovia- Map of attractions

 General

Republic of Mordovia (13 rus), center — Saransk. It is situated in the center of the European part of Russian Federation, in the basin of River Volga. The Western part is flat (part of Don-Oka Plain); the Eastern part contains many hills and ravines. About a quarter of the area is occupied by woods — mixed and broad-leaved trees. The South is in forest-steppe. Principal rivers: Moksha (left tributary of River Oka) and Sura (left tributary of River Volga).

Official languages of the Republic are Russian and two Mordovian languages — Moksha and Erzya. A third part of the population of the Republic, about three hundred thousands, are Mordovians — Moksha and Erzya. The total Mordovian population is about a million, of this number two thirds are Erzya and one third are Moksha. Besides Republic of Mordovia, other places of compact Mordovian settlements are republics of Tatarstan, Bashkiria, Chuvashia, and also Nizhny Novgorod, Ul'yanovsk, Samara, Penza, and Orenburg regions. The two Mordovian languages are close to each other and belong to the Volga group of Finno-Ugric family of languages. This means they are as close to Estonian and Finnish as say English to Spanish. The closest relative is Mari language. In their turn, Moksha and Erzya languages are split into a big number of dialects. Both are written on the basis of Cyrillic script, a number of newspapers are published, TV and radio broadcasting is performed. Both Moksha and Erzya made it to the UNESCO list of endangered languages. The number of native speakers is currently shrinking. Almost all Mordovians are Russian Orthodox, even though pagan pre-Christian beliefs preserved till the beginning of 20th century.

Finno-Ugric tribes populated the area of modern Western, Northern, and Central Russia since prehistory. The archaeological sources related to Mordovians are traced from the 1st millennium BC. Mordovians are first mentioned by the Byzantine bishop Jordan (6th century); in Russian sources, Mordovians are mentioned from 11th century. In 10th century Moksha (in the South of modern Republic of Mordovia) and Erzya (in the North) paid tribute to Khazar Empire, and in 11th—13th centuries formed a state known in Russian chronicles as Purgas Volost', with the center of modern day Arzamas. The Moghol troops of Batu Khan also conquered Mordovian lands, for which purpose they had to organize three raids. Mordovians had to pay tribute to Tartars, and then were annexed by Russia (Western lands — in 1389, Eastern lands — in 1489). In 1536 Temnikov — the first town in Mordovian lands — was founded. Until 17th century, Mordovian lands were at the frontier and required a constant attention. Only in 1722 Mordovians started to get drafted to the army, and later forcible christianization began. Mordovian lands were first a part of Azov Governorship, then Kazan' Governorship, and after the next administrative reform (performed by Catherine the Great) in 1775 were split between Simbirsk, Penza, and Tambov Governorships. In 1928, Mordovian statehood appeared — a Mordovian District with the center of Saransk was formed as a part of Middle Volga Region. In 1930, the district was transformed to Mordovian Autonomous Region, since 1934 — Mordovian Autonomous Republic, since 1994 — Republic of Mordovia. In 20th century, Mordovia became infamous as an area with the high concentration of prison camps (Dubravlag, the center in the settlement of Yavas). Already in Soviet times, even official censuses showed the decline in Mordovian population (one of just five ethnic groups), mostly because of the broad area they occupied, which facilitated assimilation. The situation naturally did not improve since 1991. Currently, the state stimulation to study Mordovian language is basically non-existent.

The republic is transited by principal railway lines, which have a node in Ruzaevka: directions to Moscow, Samara, Ul'yanovsk, Kazan', Cheboksary, and Nizhny Novgorod. Federal highway M5 Moscow - Samara.

 What to see
1 Ardatov — founded in 1624 as a village; later, it became a fortress in the fortification line between Moscow and the Great Steppe — so called Big Barrier Line. It got the status of the town in 1780.
  • Historical center preserves buildings from 18th — beginning of 20th centuries. Nikol'skaya Tserkov' (St. Nicholas Church).
  • Ardatov Regional Museum: ethnography; applied arts; history of the town and the district.
  • Picturesque location on the bank of River Alatyr'.
Not to be confused with the town of the same name in Nizhny Novgorod Region.
  1 AndreevkaTroitskaya Tserkov' (Trinity Church, 1751).
  1 Baevo — Museum-house of sculptor Stepan Er'zya. Exposition on Erzya's life; Mordovian applied arts.
  1 TurgenevoKazanskaya Klyuchevskaya Pustyn' (Monastery of Kazan' Icon of Virgin, 1751).
  1 Vedyantsy (Ichalkovsky District) — wooden Bogoyavlenskaya Tserkov' (Epiphany Church, 1892).
1 Chamzinka — Chamzinka Regional Museum: history.
  1 Pochinki (Bol'shie Berezniki District) — Petropavlovskaya Tserkov' (St. Peter and St. Paul Church, 1861).
  1 Russkie Dubrovki (Atyashevo District) — wooden Tserkov' Kos'my i Damiana (St. Cosmas and St. Damian Church) in Russian-Byzantine style (1897).
  2 Forests on the left bank of River Sura and Lake Inerka (Bol'shie Berezniki District).
1 Dubenki — Dubenki regional museum: History and nature.
  1 Cheberchino — architectural ensemble of the center of the village (18th — 19th centuries). Includes brickstone Kazanskaya Tserkov' (Church of Kazan' Icon of Virgin), Tserkov' Arkhistratiga Mikhaila (Church of St. Michael), and a mausoleum.
1 Insar — founded 1648 as a fortress in the fortification line between Moscow and the Great Steppe — so called Big Barrier Line. A district town from 1780; during the Soviet times, downgraded to a village; town again from 1958.
  • Insar regional museum: History; famous natives of the district; exposition devoted to the pilots of the stratospheric balloon Osoviakhim-1 who set a world height record here in 1934 and were killed during the descent.
  • Forests on the right bank of River Issa.
  1 Yazykova PyatinaBogoyavlenskaya Tserkov' (Epiphany Church, 1770).
1 Kovylkino (Voskresenskaya Lashma + Arapovo). The village of Verkhnyaya Lashma appeared in 17th century. In 1892, after the railroad construction, the settlement Arapovo (named after a land proprietor who started the construction) was founded next to the railway station. In 1919 this settlement was renamed to Kovylkino after a bolshevik. In 1960, the settlement and the village merged and the town of Kovylkino appeared.
  • Arapov estate — architectural ensemble of the beginning of 19th century.
  • Kovylkino Regional Museum: Ethnography; applied arts; painting and sculpture; history.
  1 Kochelaevo — museum-house of artist Fedot Sychkov.
2 Krasnoslobodsk — founded 1571 or in 1627 as Krasnaya Sloboda; town from 1780.
  • Remains of the town building of 18th — beginning of 20th centuries.
  • Sevost'yanov House and Muromtsev House at Sovetskaya Ploshhad' (both from the beginning of 19th century).
  • Former female Uspensky monastery (architectural monuments from 18th — 19th centuries).
  • Krasnoslobodsk District Regional Museum.
  1 El'niki — regional museum.
  1 Kamenny Brod (El'niki District) — Pokrovskaya Tserkov' (Intercession Church, 1784).
  1 Spaso-Preobrazhensky (Transfiguration of Our Saviour) Monastery (settlement of Uchkhoz) — architectural ensemble from the end of 18th century.
2 Mordovian State Reserve — protection of connifer (pine-tree), mixed and broad-leaved forests, forest-steppe, and karst lakes in the basin of River Moksha.
1 Ruzaevka — founded 1631; before the 1917 October revolution was a village; town from 1937. A big railway hub.
  • Tserkov' Rozhdestva Bogoroditsy (Church of the Nativity of the Virgin);
  • Ruzaevka Regional Museum: historical exposition.
  1 PaygarmaVoznesensky (Ascension) female Monastery (founded 1865).
  1 YakovshchinaZnamenskaya Tserkov' (Church of the Sign, 1792).
2 Saransk — founded 1641 as a fortress at the Eastern border of Russia, then developed as an industrial city. In 19th century burned to the ground three times, last time in 1869.
  • Remains of the old town building from the end of 19th — beginning of 20th centuries;
  • Historical monuments related to Pugachev uprising: the house where Pugachev was received on entering Saransk; Pugachev's tent.
  • Tserkov' Ioanna Bogoslova (Church of St. John the Evangelist, 1693); Nikolaevskaya Tserkov' (St. Nicholas Church, 1735); Trekhsvyatskaya Tserkov' (Church of the Three Saints, 1765); Predtechenskaya Tserkov' (Church of St. John the Baptist, 1775); Troitskaya Tserkov' (Trinity Church, 1771); Nikol'skaya Tserkov' (St. Nicholas Church, 1838).
  • Makarovsky Pogost (end of 17th — beginning of 19th century) — male Ioanno-Bogoslovsky (St. John the Evangelist) monastery, and the former Polyansky family estate with a landscape park.
  • Mordovian Republican regional museum: Archaeology, ethnography, pre- and post-1917 history, nature expositions.
  • Museum of Mordovian folk culture: Archaeology and Mordovian ethnography (traditions, celebrations).
  • Stepan Erzya Mordovian Republican Art Museum. Expositions: Russian art of 18th — 20th centuries; professional and folk Mordovian art; a collection of works of expat sculptor Stepan Erzya.
  • Museum of Great Patriotic War 1941—1945.
  • Zoo.
  1 Atemar — remains of Atemar Rampart, which was a part of the Big Barrier Line.
2 Smol'ny National Park — protection all kinds of woods, bogs, sandy banks and dunes of River Alatyr'. Lakes Dubovye.
1 Temnikov — founded in 14th century as a fortress; in 1536 moved to the actual place; town from 1779.
  • Architectural monuments of 18th — 20th centuries.
  • Administrative buildings of 18th — 19th centuries, Kommunisticheskaya ulitsa: Town administration, town basic college; district college; trade building.
  • Uspenskaya Tserkov' (Assumption Church, 1827).
  • Fyodor Ushakov Temnikov regional and historical museum: History; ethnography; nature; a room devoted to admiral Fyodor Ushakov.
  • Museum-house of composer Leonid Voinov.
  1 Atyur'evoPokrovskaya Tserkov' (Intercession Church). A good sample of a big Moksha village.
  1 Karst lake Endovishche
  2 Sanaksar Monastery three kilometers downstream River Moksha from Temnikov. Founded 1659. The monastery ensemble sates from 18th — 19th centuries. The wall contains the tomb of Admiral Ushakov, who is honored as a saint. Another saint resting in the monastery is Feodor of Sanaksar, which makes the Sanaksar Monastery an important center of pilgrimage.
  1 Shoksha (Ten'gushevo District) — Nikol'skaya Tserkov' (St. Nicholas Church, 1830).
  1 Tyuveevo — mosque (1913).
1 Torbeevo — Museum-house of pilot Mikhail Devyataev, who is famous for his escape with an airplane from the Nazi concentration camp.
  1 Mal'tsevoRozhdestvenskaya Tserkov' (Nativity Church, 1796).
  2 Forests of River Vad valley and Lake Imerka (Zubova Polyana District).
  1 Zhuravkino (Zubova Polyana District) — wooden church from 19th century.

 Additional Resources

Republic of Mordovia

English:

  • Fishes of Mordovia by Oleg Artaev. Fishes, rivers, and lakes. Russian version is more complete.

Russian:

Mordovian ethnos and languages

English:

Russian:

Resources for individual attractions

This is a provisional list. The references will eventually be relegated to the pages describing individual attractions.

Russian:

 
Directory Comments and Suggestions Русский

  Author of this page: Yaroslav Blanter. Addenda: Mikhail Skvortsov. Last updated: 10.01.06.
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