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

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:54

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

Description

The fortress, built in the VI century as a defense against enemies, consisted of six towers, which were interconnected by curtains, i.e. some structures that connected the two bastions. They were built from rubble stone and limestone mortar, the thickness of the walls was from one meter to four, and the height was twelve meters. The Kalamita fortress was very large, its area was 1500 m22, and its length was 234 meters.

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

FortressKalamita in Sevastopol: history

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

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

To gain access to the sea, the Theodorites had to build their own port of Avlita near the Black River and build a fortress on the Monastery Rock for protection.

In 1475, the Turks came to power in the Crimea, capturing the fortress as well. It was they who renamed her Inkerman. The Turks already owned firearms, and they had to remake the fortress for this weapon. They thickened the walls, strengthened and rebuilt the towers, and built a separate tower, which they carried out of the moat.

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

Current Kalamita

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

The first thing you meet on the way is the gate tower, then 12 meters away from it there is tower number 2, from which a dug moat with caves begins. The third tower is a corner one. It is heavily destroyed, so its design is incomprehensible, although in terms of its dimensions it had the following dimensions: 1213 m.

The best preserved tower number 4, which was taken out of the moat and actually was a separate Kalamita fortress, as it served as a barbican (ie served as additional protection). In the 18th century there was a prison here.

In addition to the towers, you can also see the remains of a Christian church built by the Theodorites when they owned the territory, and later it was destroyed, but no one knows who. You can also see a small cemetery dating back to the 19th–20th centuries, where an obelisk belonging to a buried flight engineer and a concrete tombstone of a hero of the Patriotic War have been preserved.

Cave monastery

There are a lot of caves in the Monastyrskaya rock, and in one of them, in the 7th-9th centuries, the Inkerman St. Clement Monastery was created in honor of the saint who died in Chersonese.

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

After several centuries, in 1852year, it was reopened at the insistence of Archbishop Innokenty, but it did not last long, since 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, the Church of St. Panteleimon was built, and in 1907, the Church of St. Nicholas, which was destroyed during the war.

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

How to get to the Kalamita Fortress

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

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

It is easy to get to your destination by car along the E 105 or M 18 highway. Then at the Black River there will be the first turn towards the monastery, at the foot of which there is a fortress, to which you need to go through a tunnel, through an old cemetery, which rests against the gate tower.

Interesting facts

Kalamita Fortress is part of the Chersonesos Reserve. When one of the towers was being restored in 1968, drawings were found on limestone blocks,where ships were depicted with very detailed drawings. Scientists have considered that these drawings belong to the XIV-XV centuries.

When exactly the fortress was built, no one knows. However, scholars believe that construction began in the 6th century. The fortress was built to protect trade routes from attack.

In the 15th 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 Inkerman, which means "cave fortress".

Reviews

Kalamita Fortress, according to tourists, is a very interesting place that has a rich history. Little is left of it, but this place is definitely worth a visit. It is here that you can touch the history and admire the beautiful views that open from the Monastery rock.

The cave monastery is still open today, and you can also visit it. Of course, no one is allowed into the cells, but it is allowed to see the monastery and the temple from the outside, at the same time you can buy monastic herbal teas here.

You can visit the historical monument on your own or take an excursion to the Kalamita fortress to study its history in more detail. Everyone who has ever visited this place was delighted. Everyone needs to visit the fortress if you happen to be in Sevastopol. A tour can also be held around the monastery, its cost is no more than 100 rubles. per person.