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Sviatohirsk (Ukrainian: Святогірськ, pronounced [sʲwʲɐtoˈɦ⁽ʲ⁾irsʲk]) or Svyatogorsk (Russian: Святогорск, pronounced [svʲɐtoˈɡorsk]) is a city in the northern part of the Donetsk Region of Ukraine. A part of the Sloviansk Municipality, it stands on the banks of the Siverskyi Donets River, 30 kilometers (19 mi) from the city of Sloviansk. The population is 4,226 (2022 estimate).[2] The 16th-century Sviatohirsk Lavra Monastery is located in the city.

In March 2023, Sviatohirsk established a sister city relationship with Easton, Connecticut, United States.[3]

In June 2023, Sviatohirsk established a sister city relationship with Ashland, Oregon, United States.[4]

History

Monument to Artem in Sviatohirsk

A settlement in the area of the Holy Mountains was first mentioned in written sources in the 16th century.[5] In 1624, the Sviatohirsk Lavra Holy Mountains monastery was established here, but in the end of the 18th century all monastic lands were secularized and passed on to private owners.[5] One of the new owners built a bathing house on the nearby lake, which led to the settlement being called Banne (Ukrainian: Банне)/Bannoye (Russian: Банное) or Bannovskoye (Банновское); literally bathing.[5] The proximity of a nearby selo of Tatyanovka lead to both places sometimes being collectively referred as Bannoye-Tatyanovka (Банное-Татьяновка).[5]

During the Soviet times, the selo was officially known as Bannoye.[5] In 1938, it was granted urban-type settlement status and renamed Bannovsky (Банновский).[5] The settlement served as a resort destination and steadily grew in size, until in 1964 it was granted town status and renamed Slovianohirsk (Ukrainian: Слов'яногірськ)/Slavyanogorsk (Славяногорск), with the first part of the name (Sloviano-/Slavyano-) being after the nearby city of Sloviansk (Slavyansk), and the second part (-hirsk/-gorsk) being after the Holy Mountains.[5] In 2003, the name was changed to Sviatohirsk, after the monastery itself.[4]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

See also: 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Unlike neighboring Sloviansk, Sviatohirsk was never controlled[failed verification] by the pro-Russian forces who in spring 2014 had made Sloviansk their stronghold.[6] In contrast to most of the Donbas region, which is largely flat open landscape, Sviatohirsk is set among hills and forests - providing some natural defences - making it harder for an army to manoeuvre with artillery and tanks.[7] The city is seen as strategically important during the conflict, due to it being one of the key points preventing an encirclement of the Ukrainian army in Donetsk oblast.[8]

Following the start of the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian war, the press service of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) reported the deaths of two monks and a nun of the city's monastery as a result of shelling on 1 June 2022.[9] On 4 June, as a result of further hostilities in the region, one of the temples of the monastery was engulfed in flames.[10] Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russian forces for the resulting burning of the temple and mourned the victims, while calling for Russia's expulsion from UNESCO over it.[11][12] However, the mayor of the city, Volodymyr Bandura, blamed Ukrainian forces for the burning of the temple while in Russian captivity, accusing Zelenskyy of lying.[13][14] The Security Service of Ukraine later accused the mayor of treason over this statement.[15]

According to the Institute for the Study of War, there were reports of fighting near the city after a battle on 31 May.[16][17] On 6 June, Igor Konashenkov, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson, stated that Russian forces were completing the capture of the city.[18] Later that day, Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People's Republic, stated that Sviatohirsk was almost cleared of Ukrainian forces, except for an unnamed height somewhere in the city.[19] Russian minister of defense Sergei Shoigu announced the city's complete capture the next day, on 7 June.[20] Sviatohirsk's mayor, Volodymyr Bandura, remained mayor after the city's capture, and became the subject of a treason investigation by Ukraine's general prosecutor; Pushilin claimed that the DPR had been in contact with Bandura for "a long time".[21]

Following the Ukrainian eastern counteroffensive of 2022, on 10 September, reports appeared in Ukrainian media that the Ukrainian armed forces had retaken the city from Russian control.[22][23] On 12 September 2022, the Ukrainian armed forces confirmed that they were in control of the city.[24]

Culture

Sviatohirsk includes the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra, the Holy Mountains National Park, an historical and architectural reserve, as well as a resort of national importance; thirty objects, among them a monumental sculpture of Communist leader Artem (Fyodor Sergeyev) and a World War II memorial (opened on the day of 40th anniversary of victory) are included in the historic monuments complex of the reserve. The town has been visited by well-known cultural figures, including Hryhorii Skovoroda, Fyodor Tyutchev, Ivan Bunin, Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky, Marina Tsvetaeva, and Ilya Repin.

On 15 May 2015, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed a bill into law that started a six months period for the removal of communist monuments and the mandatory renaming of settlements with a name related to Communism.[25][26][27] However, since the Artem monument is listed as "National Cultural Heritage" it will not be demolished.[28]

Demographics

According to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the population of the city was 4,226 (2022 estimate).[2] The results of the 2001 Ukrainian census found that the city's population was 3,805, of which 65.49% considered Ukrainian as their mother tongue, 33.96% Russian, 0.24% Armenian, 0.13% Belarusian, and 0.08% Moldovan.[29]


Tourism

The development plan of Sviatohirsk provides a significant expansion of the resorts, recreational, and tourism network. Within the Sviatohirsk resort are the Holy Mountain sanatorium and hotel-and-tourist complexes. The town carries out a construction and modernization of recreation departments for children and adults.

Early in 2009, a four-star hotel opened. Sviatohirsk also offers the Siverskyi Donets River, chalk mountains, coniferous and mixed forests, centuries-old oak trees, and clean air.

Sister cities

Gallery

  • Sviatohirsk Monastery
    Sviatohirsk Monastery
  • Hotel courtyard in Sviatohirsk
    Hotel courtyard in Sviatohirsk

References

  1. ^ "Focus - War in Ukraine: Russian occupation leaves Donbas town of Sviatohirsk deeply divided". 18 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2022 [Number of Present Population of Ukraine, as of January 1, 2022] (PDF) (in Ukrainian and English). Kyiv: State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2022.
  3. ^ "A Message From First Selectman David Bindelglass". Easton CT Government. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Ashland's Sister City - Administration - City of Ashland, Oregon". www.ashland.or.us. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Pospelov [1], p. 31
  6. ^ Ukraine Declares One-Week Cease-Fire in Fight With Pro-Russia Rebels, The Wall Street Journal (20 June 2014)
  7. ^ Jonathan Beale, Ukraine war: Donbas tourist town braces for Russian assault, BBC news, 19 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Военный эксперт объяснил важность взятия Святогорска" [A military expert explained the importance of capturing Sviatohirsk]. svpressa.ru (in Russian). 2022-06-07. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  9. ^ "Від бомбардувань загинули та поранені монахи Святогірської Лаври" [The bombing killed and wounded the monks of the Svyatogorsk Lavra]. Ukrainian Orthodox Church (in Ukrainian). 2022-06-01. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  10. ^ "Від бомбардувань пожежа охопила Всіхсвятський скит Святогірської Лаври" [Fire engulfed the All Saints Hermitage of the Sviatohirsk Lavra]. Ukrainian Orthodox Church (in Ukrainian). 4 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  11. ^ "President Zelensky after Russia's artillery strike on Sviatohirsk Lavra: Russia has no place in UNESCO". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  12. ^ Butenko, Victoria; Presniakova, Julia; Wright, Bex (2022-06-04). "Zelensky says All Saints church in Sviatohirsk has been destroyed after Russian shelling". CNN. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  13. ^ "У полоні чи перейшов на сторону рашистів? Міноборони рф виклало відео з мером Святогірська Бандурою — ІА «Вчасно»" [In captivity, or did he side with the Rashists? The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation posted a video with the mayor of Sviatohirsk Bandura]. vchasnoua.com (in Ukrainian). 2022-06-07. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  14. ^ Rahutskaia, Lylyia (2022-06-08). "Мэр Святогорска на Донетчине открыто поддержал оккупантов: в ГБР начали расследование. Видео" [The mayor of Sviatohirsk in Donetsk oblast openly supported the invaders: the State Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation.]. Obozrevatel (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  15. ^ Shevchenko, Oleh (2022-06-09). "Меру Святогірська загрожує довічне за держзраду: стало відомо, хто його просував" [The mayor of Sviatohirsk is facing life imprisonment for treason: it has become known who promoted him]. Obozrevatel (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  16. ^ Stepanenko, Kateryna; Hird, Karolina; Kagan, Frederick W. "Russian offensive campaign assessment, May 31" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  17. ^ "Боятся быть разбитыми: на одном из направлений враг остановился из-за опасений мощного удара от ВСУ" [They are afraid of being defeated: in one of the directions the enemy stopped because of fears of a powerful blow from the Armed Forces of Ukraine]. Апостроф (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  18. ^ "Военные РФ заявили, что завершают взятие под контроль города Святогорска в ДНР" [The military of the Russian Federation announced that they were completing the capture of the city of Sviatohirsk in the DPR]. Interfax.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  19. ^ "Пушилин заявил, что Святогорск "почти освобожден"" [Pushilin said that Sviatohirsk is "almost liberated"]. Interfax.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  20. ^ "Шойгу объявил об освобождении Святогорска" [Shoigu announced the liberation of Sviatohirsk]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). 7 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  21. ^ "Russia's war in Ukraine | Mayor of captured Ukrainian town switches sides". CNN. 14 June 2022.
  22. ^ "The head of the so-called DPR, Pushilin, fled from Donetsk against the backdrop of a counteroffensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine". Gazeta.ua (in Ukrainian). 2022-09-10. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  23. ^ "Паблики ОРДЛО сообщают о полном окружении Изюма и потере Святогорска" [Occupied territories of Ukraine report complete encirclement of Izium and loss of Sviatohirsk]. DonPress (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  24. ^ "Война в Украине. Зеленский посетил Изюм и пообещал вернуть все оккупированные территории - Новости на русском языке". 18 August 2022.
  25. ^ Poroshenko signed the laws about decomunization. Ukrayinska Pravda. May 15, 2015
  26. ^ Poroshenko signs laws on denouncing Communist, Nazi regimes, Interfax-Ukraine.
  27. ^ Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols, BBC News (14 April 2015)
  28. ^ (in Russian) Zhebrovsky confirmed that Artyom monument in Svyatogorsk will not be demolished, depo.ua (29 December 2015)
  29. ^ "Розподіл населення за рідною мовою, Донецька область" [Distribution of population by native language, Donetsk region]. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  30. ^ "A Message From First Selectman David Bindelglass". Easton CT Government. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  31. ^ "Ashland's Sister City". City of Ashland. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.

Sources

  • [1] Е. М. Поспелов (Ye.M. Pospelov). "Имена городов: вчера и сегодня (1917–1992). Топонимический словарь." (City Names: Yesterday and Today (1917–1992). Toponymic Dictionary.) Москва, "Русские словари", 1993.
  • [2] Е. М. Поспелов (Ye.M. Pospelov). "Географические названия мира" (Geographic Names of the World). Москва, 1998.

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