240 Years on Russian Soil (The history of the town of New Nakhichevan founded by Armenian settlers)

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2020-50-2/26-46

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of a settlement founded in 1779 by Armenian settlers relocated by an order of Catherine the Great from Crimea to Russia, They were granted – various privileges and the new town was successfully developing due to an intensive trade, crafts and industries, charity activities, that favoured an extensive construction of schools, churches, a theatre, a museum and other cultural institutions. As result it became one of important economic and cultural centers in the South of Russia. However in December 1928 it was merged with the neighbouring and rapidly developing city of Rostov-Don. First it retained the original name Nakhichevanski as a district within the city of Rostov, but in 1929 it was given a rather meaningless name Proletarski district. Thus the historical name of the town where the national way of life prevailed and many outstanding Armenians had been born gradually disappeared and later the population considerably suffered in stalinist purges of 1920–1930-s. Today the Armenians of the Don Basin show more and more interest to the history and begin to demand a restoration of the original name of the town. This would be an act of a great moral value.

References

1. Ananian, Zh.A., and V.A. Khachaturian. 1993. Armianskie obshchiny Rossii. [Armenian communities of Russia], 120. Erevan: izd-vo M. Varandian.
2. Avdulov, N.S. 2012. Nakhichevan' v zhizni i tvorchestve Marietty Shaginian [Nakhchivan in the life and work of Marietta Shaginyan]. In Armiane Iuga Rossii: istoriia, kul'tura, obshchee budushchee. Materialy vserossiiskoi nauchnoi konferentsii "Armiane Iuga Rossii: istoriia, kul'tura, obshchee budushchee» (30 maia – 2 iiunia 2012. Rostov-na-Donu) [Armenians of the South of Russia: history, culture, common future. Materials of the All-Russian Scientific Conference “Armenians of the South of Russia: History, Culture. common future ”(May 30 – June 2, 2012 Rostov-on-Don)], edited by. G.G. Matishov, 314–318.
3. Bagdykov, G. 2011. Progulki po Nakhichevani. [The promenados through Nakhichevani], 78. Rostov-Don: Kniga.
4. Bagdykov, G. 2018. 45 let Muzeiu russko-armianskoi druzhby [45 years of Russian-Armenian friendship museum]. Gazeta “Noev kovcheg”, 3 (302). Mart.
5. Bagdykov, M.G. 1991. Nakhichevanskie portrety. [The portraits of Nakhichevan]. Rostov-Don: Rostovskoe knizhnoe izd-vo.
6. Barkhudarian, V.B. 1996. Istoriia armianskoi kolonii Novaia Nakhichevan'. 1779–1917. [History of the Armenian colony of New Nakhichevan. 1779–1917]. Erevan: Aiastan.
7. Berberova, N.N. 1996. Kursiv moi. [The italics are mine]. Moscow: Soglasie.
8. Gevorgian, G.G. 2012. Obraz Iosifa Argutinskogo v rabote Leo [The image of Joseph Argutinsky in the work of Leo]. In Armiane Iuga Rossii: istoriia, kul'tura. obshchee budushchee. Materialy vserossiiskoi nauchnoi konferentsii "Armiane Iuga Rossii: istoriia, kul'tura, obshchee budushchee' (30 maia – 2 i.iunia 2012 g., g. Rostov-na-Donu) [The image of Iosef Argoutinsky in the work of Leo. In: Armenians of the South of Russia: history, culture, common future, ed. by G.G. Matishov. Materials of All-Russian scientific conference], edited by G.G. Matishov, 340–345. Rostov-Don: IuNTs RAN.
9. Kazarov, S.S. 2009. Armianskoe kupechestvo Nakhichevana-na-Donu [About one forgotten source about the resettlement of Armenians from Crimea to the Don]. In Tret'i Lazarevskie chteniia po istorii armian Rossii. Moskva, 3–6 iiunia 2006 g. [The Armenian merchantry of Nakhichevan-Don. In: The Third Lazarev Reading on the history of Armenians of Russia, ed. and compos. by E.E. Dolbakian], edited by E.E. Dolbakian, 118–122. Moscow: MAKS Press.
10. Kazarov, S.S. 2012. Nakhichevanskoe kupechestvo (konets XVIII – nachalo XX veka). [The merchantry of Nakhichevan (from end XVIII to beginning XX century]. Rostov-Don: Kovcheg.
11. Kazarov, S.S. 2015. Ob odnom zabytom istochnike o pereselenii armian iz Kryma na Don [About one forgotten source about the resettlement of Armenians from Crimea to the Don]. In Armiane Iuga Rossii: istoriia, kul'tura. obshchee budushchee. Materialy II mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii “Armiane Iuga Rossii: istoriia, kul'tura. obshchee budushchee” (26–28 maia 2015 g., g. Rostov-na-Donu). [Armenians of the South of Russia: history, culture, common future, ed. by G.G. Matishov. Materials of II International scientific conference], edited by G.G. Matishov, 28–32. Rostov-Don: IuNTs RAN.
12. Kazarov, S.S. 2016. Sud'by nakhichevantsev v 1920 – nachale 1930-kh godov v istoricheskoi pamiati [The destinies of people of Nakhichevan in 1920 – early 1930 years in the historical memory]. In Armiane Povolzh'ia i Iuga Rossii: istoriia i sovremennost'. Materialy II vserossiiskoi nauchnoi konferentsii "Armiane Povolzh'ia i Iuga Rossii: istoriia i sovremennost'' (Saratov, 15–16 aprelia 2016 g.) [Armenians of the Volga Area and of the South of Russia: the history and contemporary status. Materials of the Second All-Russian scientific conference], edited by V.A. Cholakhian, 235–239. Saratov: Nauka.
13. Kazarova, N.A. 2016. Nakhichevanskii teatr i ego rol' v kul'turnoi zhizni donskikh armian [The theatre of Nakhichevan and its role in cultural life of Armenians of Don]. In Armiane Povolzh'ia i Iuga Rossii: istoriia i sovremennost'. Materialy II vserossiiskoi nauchnoi konferentsii "Armiane Povolzh'ia i Iuga Rossii: istoriia i sovremennost'' (Saratov. 15–16 aprelia 2016 g.) [Armenians of the Volga Area and of the South of Russia: the history and contemporary status. Materials of the Second All-Russian scientific conference], edited by V.A. Cholakhian, 232–234. Saratov: Nauka.
14. Krinko, E.F. 2012. Istoriia armian iuga Rossii: memorial'naia versiia [The history of Armenians of the South of Russia: the memorial version]. In Armiane Iuga Rossii: istoriia, kul'tura, obshchee budushchee. Materialy vserossiiskoi nauchnoi konferentsii "Armiane Iuga Rossii: istoriia, kul'tura, obshchee budushchee' (30 maia – 2 iiunia 2012 g. g. Rostov-na-Donu) [Armenians of the South of Russia: history, culture, common future, ed. by G.G. Matishov. Materials of All-Russian scientific conference], edited by G.G. Matishov, 171–177. Rostov-Don: IuNTs RAN.
15. Patkanian, R. 1968. Istoriia osnovaniia Nakhichevani-na-Donu [The history of foundation of Nakhichevan-Don]. In Sobranie sochinenii v shesti tomakh [Complete works 6 vols.], vol. 5. Erevan: Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR, 253–271 (In Armenian).
16. Sarmakeshian, G. 1990. U samogo Tikhogo Dona [At the Quietest Don]. Gazeta “Kommunist”. 23 may.
17. Popovian, G.A. 1989. 210 let v edinoi sem'e (1779–1989) [210 years in the united family]. Chaltyr': Fabrika tsvetnoy pechati Rostov-Don.
18. Smirnov, V.V. 2012. Publitsistika M. Shaginian v "Priazovskom krae' (1918–1919 gg.): aktual'nost' kul'turno-istoricheskoi tematiki [Journalism M. Shaginyan in the Priazovsk Territory (1918–1919): relevance of cultural and historical subjects]. In Armiane Iuga Rossii: istoriia, kul'tura, obshchee budushchee. Materialy vserossiiskoi nauchnoi konferentsii "Armiane Iuga Rossii: istoriia, kul'tura, obshchee budushchee' (30 maia – 2 iiunia 2012 g., g. Rostov-na-Donu) [Armenians of the South of Russia: history, culture, common future. Materials of the All-Russian Scientific Conference “Armenians of the South of Russia: History, Culture, Common Future” (May 30 - June 2, 2012, Rostov-on-Don)], edited by G.G. Matishov, 383–389. Rostov-Don: IuNTs RAN.
19. Vartanian, V.G., and S.S. Kazarov. 2008. Istoriia Armianskoi apostol'skoi tserkvi na Donu (XVIII – XX vv.). [History of Armenian apostolic church on Don (XVIII – XX centuries]. Taganrog: TIUIE (Taganrogskii institut upravleniia i ekonomiki).
20. Cherniakhovskii, S., and Iu. Cherniakhovskaia. 2015. Vershina Kryma. Krym v russkoi istorii i krymskaia samoidentifikatsiia Rossii. Ot antichnosti do nashikh dnei. [The top of Crimea in the Russian history and creamean selfidentify of Russia. From antiquity to our days]. Moscow: Knizhnyi mir.
21. Shaginian M.S. 1971. Peremena [The change]. In Sobranie sochinenii v deviati tomakh. T. 2. [Complete works 9 yols. Vol.2]. Moscow: Khudozhestvennaia literature.
22. Shaginian M. 1982. Chelovek i vremia. Istoriia chelovecheskogo stanovleniia. [The man and time. History of human formation]. Moscow: Khudozhestvennaia literatura.