Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi

Medieval Akkerman Fortress on the banks of the Dniester estuary - one of the largest and best preserved in Ukraine.

Built on the site of the ancient city of Thira (archeological excavations are underway). Until the 10th century, there were probably fortifications of Slavic tribes of Tiverts and Ulychi.

The building of the citadel belongs to the Genoese period of XIII-XIV centuries. The main fortifications of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi fortress were built during the Moldavian rule (XV century). The total length of the walls is 2 km. Height of walls and towers from 5 to 15 m. 26 of 34 towers have survived.

In 1484 the fortress came under the rule of Turkey, a mosque was built (the minaret is preserved). In 1789 the town of Akkerman was taken without a fight by the Don Cossacks of Matviy Platov together with the Buz Cossacks sent by Prince Potomkin-Tavriysky.

At present, the Akkerman Fortress architectural complex is managed by the Fortress utility company. An exposition of instruments of torture was opened on the territory, siege weapons were displayed in the yard. Music festivals and historical fencing championships are held.

The Armenian Church of the Assumption of the Virgin (Surb Astvatsatsin) has been preserved since the Middle Ages, when a large Armenian community lived in Bilhorod.

The temple has a squat shape, because the Muslim authorities forbade the construction of Christian churches higher than mosques. Over the centuries, the Armenian Church was repeatedly rebuilt and expanded. Ancient paintings and medieval marble slabs (khachkars) with carved inscriptions have been preserved on the walls, the earliest of which dates back to the 10th century.

The Armenian Church operated until 1940. Until recently, it was the base of an archaeological expedition. In 2013, the church was returned to the Armenian community.

On the territory there is a Sarmatian crypt of the 3rd century AD, made of stone slabs, found on the eastern outskirts of the city.

The main exposition of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Museum of Local Lore is housed in a one-story building in the Empire style, built in the XIX century for the merchant and mayor Mykhaylo Femilidi.

In several halls visitors can get acquainted with the ancient and medieval history of the Northern Black Sea Coast, the history of the city of the XIX and early XX centuries, the nature of the region.

The original objects of life and art of Ancient Greece, numismatic collection, samples of oriental and Russian weapons are presented.

In the next building there is an ethnographic museum, which introduces the traditions of the peoples of the region.

The Greek Church of Saint John the Baptist in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi stands on the high bank of the Dniester estuary.

The first wooden temple was founded in the XIII-XIV centuries by Greek merchants from Trebizond. In its current form, the church was rebuilt in 1478-1480, during the Moldavian period, during the reign of Stephen III the Great. The funds for the construction were collected by the Greek community of the city.

According to legend, in the 14th century, Saint Ioann Suchavskyi, a great martyr who is considered the protector of Moldova, was buried on the territory of the Greek Church. The burial place is marked by a chapel to the right of the church. Later, the relics of the saint were reburied in Suceava in the present territory of Romania.

Despite its modest size, the Church of John the Baptist looks very massive and is a rare type of religious building in the architectural heritage of Ukraine.

The underground church of Ioann of Suchavskyi was built in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi over a stone well, where, according to legend, the Orthodox saint John of Suchavskyi was killed.

In 1330, the Orthodox merchant John from Turkish Trebizond, who traded in Akkerman, refused to convert to Islam, for which he was tortured by order of the governor of the Golden Horde. A chapel was built on John's grave, and the saint's relics were later moved to Moldavian Suceava (now the territory of Romania). Since that time, he is considered the heavenly patron of merchants.

A spring by the sea, which, according to legend, was often visited by Ioann, was named after him. The water from the Saint Ioann's spring is considered healing, and people come from all over for it.