Arseny Zamostyanov talks about Ivan Susanin, his feat and the significance of this story for Russian statehood.
The feat of Ivan Susanin
The three-hundred-year reign of the Romanov dynasty began with Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich - and this happened after a dashing, shameful decade of unrest.
“Not a single royal house began as unusually as the house of the Romanovs began. Its beginning was already a feat of love. The last and lowest subject in the state brought and laid down his life in order to give us a king, and with this pure sacrifice has already inextricably bound the sovereign with the subject,” these are the words of Gogol.
This last subject is the peasant Ivan Osipovich Susanin, a key figure in autocratic ideology. Remember Count Uvarov’s triad - “Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationality”? The Minister of Public Education formulated it in the 1840s, but in historical reality this ideology existed for centuries. Without her it would have been impossible to overcome the turmoil. This very “nationality” was personified by Ivan Susanin, a peasant from the village of Domnina, seventy miles from Kostroma, a serf of the Shestov nobles. The nun Marfa Ivanovna, aka Ksenia, the wife of boyar Fyodor Romanov and the mother of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, bore the surname Shestov as a girl, and the village of Domnino was her patrimony.
The name of Ivan Susanin is known to everyone in Russia, but only fragmentary and vague information has been preserved about his life. Orthodox Christians - especially Kostroma residents - revere the hero, but in response to the age-old question about canonization, a reasonable answer sounds: “We need to study, research the biography of the martyr. We need to find out more about him...”
Official version
How was it? Let us turn to the official version - on which all the Romanovs were raised.
In February 1613, a Polish detachment scoured the Kostroma region in search of Mikhail Romanov and his mother, nun Martha. They intended to capture or destroy the real Russian contender for the Moscow throne. Or maybe they wanted to capture him to demand a ransom. According to a legend that was passed down from generation to generation in the Domnina parish, the future tsar, having learned about the approach of the Poles, fled from the village of Domnina and ended up in the settlements, in Susanin’s house. The peasant treated him to bread and kvass and hid him in a barn pit, covering it with firebrands and burnt rags.
The Poles raided Susanin's house and began to torture the old man. He did not give Mikhail away. The Poles failed to find him with the dogs: the firebrands interrupted the human smell. The intoxicated enemies chopped up Susanin and galloped away. Mikhail got out of hiding and, accompanied by peasants, went to the Ipatiev Monastery.
Another interpretation of events is better known. Not far from Domnin, the Poles met the village elder Ivan Susanin and ordered him to show the way to the village. Susanin managed to send his son-in-law, Bogdan Sabinin, to Domnino with instructions to equip Mikhail Romanov to the Ipatiev Monastery. And he himself led the Poles in the opposite direction - to the swamps. He was tortured and executed - but it was Susanin’s feat that allowed Mikhail to reach Ipatievsky unharmed.
They buried Susanin first in his native village, and a few years later they transferred the ashes to the Ipatiev Monastery - which became a symbol of the salvation of the dynasty. True, this version is often questioned - there are several supposed graves of Ivan Susanin. And ten years ago, archaeologists (not the first and, probably, not in last time) discovered the place of Susanin’s death...
In a word, a mystery shrouded in a secret. Even the hero’s memorial day has not been established. The most likely date of feat and death is February 1613, 400 years ago... Before the revolution, honors to the savior of the first royal Romanov were brought on September 11, on the feast of the Beheading of the head of the Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John. A special funeral commemoration of the national hero was performed. This tradition was revived in the 21st century.
The late His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II addressed his fellow countrymen legendary hero: “Kostroma, for several centuries called the “cradle of the House of Romanov”, overshadowed by the all-Russian shrine - the miraculous Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God - had a special significance in the events of 1613, which marked the beginning of overcoming the Time of Troubles. We see the appeal to the memory of Ivan Susanin as a good sign of the spiritual revival of the Kostroma region and all of Russia. Lovingly remembering Our visit to the places of life and deeds of Ivan Susanin in 1993, now with the entire Kostroma flock We offer Our High Hierarchal prayers for the blessed repose of the servant of God John in the villages of the righteous, “where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life "
The story is symbolic, parable, mysterious.
Why was the legend about Ivan Susanin necessary?
The point is not only that the village headman became a model of sacrificial, selfless devotion to the sovereign. A striking (albeit mysterious) episode of the reprisal against a peasant who lured a Polish detachment into impassable swamps became the last manifestation of the troubled times - and remained so in the people's memory. Troubles are a civil war, and anarchy, and betrayal of the ruling circles, and the brutalization of the people, and rampant imposture, and the atrocities of the conquerors... Ivan Susanin gave his life in the name of ending this disaster.
Skeptics will throw up their hands: he couldn’t think about such matters as saving statehood or national sovereignty... At best, the peasant showed vassal loyalty.
Perhaps he was hostile to Catholics of other faiths, but Susanin was not and could not be any kind of conscious statesman... Yes, Susanin was hardly a politically literate patriot. It is unlikely that he thought in such categories as “state”, “sovereignty”, “ liberation war" Perhaps he did not even have a chance to see the great Russian cities. But the meaning of any act is determined over decades...
In 1619, during a pilgrimage, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich remembered the winter of 1613. Most likely, it was then, hot on the heels of events, that he was told about the dead peasant. Russian autocrats often made trips to monasteries - but Mikhail Fedorovich chose the Trinity Makaryevsky Monastery, on the Unzhe River, for a prayer of thanks. This monastery is associated with the works of St. Macarius of Zheltovodsk. The holy elder lived 95 years, died in 1444 - and was in Tatar captivity, in Kazan, which had not yet been conquered. They prayed to him (even before his canonization, which took place during the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich) for the salvation of the captives. The tsar's father, Patriarch Filaret, was released from captivity alive and unharmed - and the Romanovs saw this as the protection of the Zheltovodsk elder. There is a version that in February 1613, when Ivan Susanin killed the Polish detachment, Martha and Mikhail were heading to Unzha, to the Trinity-Makarevsky Monastery.
Susanin's feat prevented the plunder of the monastery and the capture of the future king. The king, having bowed to the relics of the Monk Macarius, decided to reward the relatives of the fallen hero. It was then that the sovereign drew up a letter of commendation to Ivan Susanin’s son-in-law, Bogdan Sobinin. This is the only document testifying to the feat! Let's not forget: these lines were written six years after February events 1613, when the memory of them had not yet faded:
“By the grace of God, we, the great sovereign, king and Grand Duke Mikhailo Fedorovich, the autocrat of all Russia, on our royal mercy, and on the advice and petition of our mother, the empress, the great elder nun Marfa Ivanovna, granted us the Kostroma district, our village Domnina, the peasant Bogdashka Sobinin, for his service to us and for his blood, and for the patience of his father-in-law Ivan Susanin: how we, the great sovereign, the tsar and the great prince Mikhailo Fedorovich of all Rus' in the past 121 (that is, in 1613 from the Nativity of Christ!) were in Kostroma, and at that time we came to the Kostroma district Polish and Lithuanian people, and his father-in-law, Bogdashkov, Ivan Susanin at that time was taken away by the Lithuanian people and he was tortured with great, unmeasurable torture and tortured where at that time we, the great sovereign, the tsar and the Grand Duke Mikhailo Fedorovich of All Russia were, and he Ivan, knowing about us, the great sovereign, where we were at those times, suffering from those Polish and Lithuanian people, endless torture, did not tell those Polish and Lithuanian people about us, the great sovereign, where we were at those times, but Polish and Lithuanian people tortured him to death.
And we, the Great Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Mikhailo Fedorovich of all Russia, granted him, Bogdashka, for his father-in-law Ivan Susanin’s service to us and for his blood Kostroma district of our palace village of Domnina, half of the village of Derevnisch, on which he, Bogdashka, now lives, one and a half quarters of land were ordered to be whitewashed from that half-village, with one and a half quarters of land on it, on Bogdashka, and on his children, and on his grandchildren, and on Our great-grandchildren were not ordered to take any taxes, feed, carts, any kind of canteens, grain supplies, city handicrafts, bridging, or any other taxes; They ordered them to whitewash half the village in everything, their children, their grandchildren, and the whole family without moving. And if our village of Domnino will be in which the monastery will be given away, then half the village of Derevnischi, one and a half quarters of land will not be given to any monastery with that village, they ordered according to our royal salary to rule over him, Bogdashka Sobinin, and his children, and grandchildren, and throughout their family, forever and ever. This royal charter of ours was given in Moscow in the summer of 7128 (from the Nativity of Christ - 1619) November on the 30th day.”
Please note: Susanin is called not Ivashka, but Ivan - with respect. And his son-in-law is Bogdashkoy. In those years, autocrats rarely accorded such honor to the “vile people.”
Ivan Susanin: martyr's crown
Since then, Russia has not forgotten about Ivan Susanin.
“True to Christian duty, Susanin accepted the crown of martyrdom and blessed, like the righteous Simeon of old, God, who vouchsafed him, if not to see, then to die for the salvation of the youth, whom God anointed with holy oil and called him the Tsar of Russia,” in this spirit they wrote about Susanina to early XIX century. This is how schoolchildren and high school students recognized the hero.
Is it possible to forget the thought of Kondraty Ryleev - which was studied in school in the Soviet years? True, instead of “for the Tsar and for Rus'” in our anthologies it was written: “For our dear Rus'.” In the Soviet tradition, Susanin is a hero of the liberation struggle of the Russian people against the interventionists; monarchical aspirations were kept silent.
These lines are unforgettable:
“Where have you taken us?” - The old Lyakh cried out.
- “Where you need it!” - Susanin said.
- “Kill! torture me! - my grave is here!
But know and strive: - I saved Mikhail!
You thought you found a traitor in me:
They are not and will not be on Russian land!
In it, everyone loves their homeland from infancy,
And he will not destroy his soul by betrayal.” —“Villain!” the enemies shouted, boiling:
“You will die under swords!” - “Your anger is not terrible!
Whoever is Russian at heart, cheerfully and boldly
And joyfully dies for a just cause!
Neither execution nor death and I am not afraid:
Without flinching, I will die for the Tsar and for Rus'!” —
“Die!” The Sarmatians cried out to the Hero -
And the sabers flashed over the old man, whistling!
“Die, traitor! Your end has come! —
And the hard Susanin fell covered in sores!
The snow is pure, the purest blood is stained:
She saved Mikhail for Russia!
Russian opera also began with Ivan Susanin, in which a peasant in a sheepskin coat made himself so impressively known, singing in his bass the wonderful unborrowed tunes: “They smell the truth! You, dawn, quickly shine, quickly usher in, usher in the hour of salvation!” A great opera image. By the way, Glinka’s “Life for the Tsar” was not the first opera about that feat. Back in 1815, Katerino Kavos created the opera “Ivan Susanin”. This plot was perceived as state-forming. But then the time came to revise the usual ideas about the history of Rus'. The gilding was falling off the monarchical myths. “Are these shrines? A complete lie!
“It could be that the robbers who attacked Susanin were the same kind of thieves, and the event, so loudly glorified later, was one of many that year,” wrote historian Nikolai Kostomarov, an eternal troublemaker of academic peace and a subverter of ideals.
No, Ivan Susanin’s feat is not a falsification, not someone’s fantasy, the peasant really fell victim to the interventionists in the Kostroma swamps. But the main thing in this feat is the parable, the legend, the historical context. If young Mikhail Romanov had not become the first king of a powerful dynasty, it is unlikely that history would have preserved the name of the pious peasant. In those years, Russian people often became victims of atrocities - and the first to die were those who remained faithful to the faith and legitimate authority. History itself wove a laurel wreath for Ivan Osipovich - and the disgrace of noble ideals has never brought happiness to anyone. We are told about the slavish (“dog”) devotion of the serf Susanin to his masters. But what grounds do skeptics have for such a cruel diagnosis? According to many testimonies (including testimonies from foreign guests of Rus'), Muscovite peasants, despite their slave status, developed a sense of self-esteem. Do not throw mud at loyalty, do not treat it arrogantly.
Of course, Susanin did not know that a conciliar decision had been made in Moscow to call Mikhail Fedorovich to the throne. No matter how hard it is to believe, there was no radio or Internet in those years. But it can be assumed that word reached the wise peasant that this young boyar is our future autocrat. And he felt the high significance of the feat - to save the young man, not to let the enemy into Domnino, to give his life with prayer for others...
The Russian land is glorious for its heroes. Many exploits have peasant roots. And Susanin remained the first in people’s memory - he was (I hope that he remains!) an example for posterity. He will still serve the Fatherland: heroes who died for the Motherland do not die. A village does not stand without a righteous man - and without legends and myths.
In addition to the article about Suzdal, another material of mine was published - about a short trip to the Susanino places. It is written in a format close to travel notes, so I will publish it in my journal, accompanied by my own photographs from this trip.
Get lost on the Susanin trail/ “Holidays in Russia”, No. 2 (75), March 2014
The name of Ivan Susanin in our country is familiar even to schoolchildren. But how many people know where the swamp into which he led the Poles is located, and what they actually did there? In search of answers to these questions, Pavel Chukaev pretty much wandered around the places of Susana, but still returned home safely to tell the readers of “Holidays in Russia” about it.
The path from Kostroma to Susanino in slushy winter weather cannot be called pleasant. The quality of the road surface leaves much to be desired; dirt constantly flies from under the wheels of cars rushing past, forcing you to use almost liters of windshield washer. You involuntarily begin to sympathize with the Poles, who were brought here by difficult times four centuries ago.
The regional center of Susanino appears on the horizon after about an hour of travel - it emerges somehow immediately and suddenly - to the left in front, behind the river. In the center of the panorama very soon there appears a five-domed church with a hipped bell tower, the outlines of which may seem familiar to many. Don’t be surprised - you have most likely actually seen the Resurrection Church of the late 17th century more than once - of course, not alive, but in Alexei Savrasov’s painting “The Rooks Have Arrived”. The outstanding Russian landscape painter created his main work here - however, not in Susanino, but in Molvitino - this is what the village was called until 1939. You are unlikely to be able to find the angle from which Savrasov painted his “Rooks” in modern Susanino - apparently, while working on the painting, the artist very freely rethought the landscape that opened up to his gaze.
TO legendary feat Ivan Susanin’s regional center, despite its name, has no direct connection - historical events the end of the Time of Troubles unfolded about ten kilometers from here - in the vicinity of Domnino. No one clears the road to this village down to the asphalt, so the road turns out to be much cleaner and more picturesque. Domnino itself greets travelers with a neat white-walled church with graceful blue domes, but overall it looks little different from thousands of other Russian villages.
The whole difference is in historical content. According to the canonical version national history, at the end of winter - beginning of spring of 1613, in Domnino, the ancestral estate of his mother, the founder of the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, had just been elected to the kingdom and did not even know about it. The church at the entrance to the village stands exactly on the spot where at the beginning of the 17th century the estate house of the Shestov boyars, from whose family the mother of the newly elected sovereign came, was located. In addition, according to one version, it is on the territory of the temple that the grave of the most famous Russian tour guide and part-time national hero Ivan Susanin is located.
Susanin also came from Domnino and, as we know from anecdotes, had leadership qualities and the ability to lead people. By 1613, however, he was already living in Derevenki, a settlement a couple of kilometers from Domnino. Apparently, it was there that Susanin met the Polish detachment, scouring the Kostroma outback in search of the newly elected Russian sovereign. Realizing that the meeting with the lost Polish “tourists” did not bode well for Mikhail Fedorovich, Susanin sent his son-in-law to Domnino with alarming news, and, having promised the uninvited guests to show the way there, he led them in exactly the opposite direction.
In contrast to the well-preserved Domnino, the existence of Derevenek these days is only reminiscent of a small brick chapel built for the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty - sort of on the very spot where Ivan Susanin’s hut stood. The chapel can be seen from the road that leads here from Domnino. Another couple of minutes of driving along the “highway” of densely packed snow, and the next fork greets us with an unusual road sign. That is, the sign looks quite normal - white letters on a blue background - everything is in accordance with GOST, only the inscription on it is non-standard: “Place of I. Susanin’s feat.” And most importantly - no arrows indicating the direction of movement. And all around was a snow-covered forest, snowdrifts - and not a soul. In general, it’s a slightly mystical place - you won’t envy a motorist who, having lost his way, ends up in front of this sign. The only thing worse, probably, is the sign warning that you have entered the territory of the Bermuda Triangle.
Having overcome the goosebumps running through our bodies, we decide to turn right and very soon we come up against a huge boulder standing on the edge of a cliff, from which we can see an impressive view of the Isupovskoe swamp, covered with small forests and covering an area of about two thousand hectares. Due to bad weather, the boulder is covered with a layer of frost, through which another laconic inscription appears: “Ivan Susanin. 1613". This memorial sign was installed here in the late 80s, when the country celebrated the 375th anniversary of Susanin’s feat. At the same time, an asphalt road was laid here. They say that for this, local residents are still grateful to their famous countryman no less than for saving the Tsar from the Poles.
As soon as we got out of the car, a colorful grandfather in felt boots, a hat with earflaps, and a luxurious mustache curled up at the tips emerged from behind a stone. The spitting image of Susanin, we decided. “Just don’t leave trash behind!” - he first warned. It turned out that one of the elderly residents of Domna chose himself to be responsible for keeping the historical place clean and now walks here every day on duty.
“Susanin died there,” our new acquaintance pointed to a red pine tree in the middle of the swamp and held out army binoculars so that we could get a better look at it. A 2.5-kilometer path through the swamp is lined with boards to the pine tree. The descent to it begins right behind the memorial stone. Is it worth going into the swamp without a guide (especially in winter) - decide for yourself. But remember that, given historical experience, taking a local guide is also not a good idea. Although, they say, in fact, entire theatrical programs are organized here for tourists. The excursionists rush along the wooden walkways deep into the swamp following the mummer Susanin, and the group is closed by an accompanying person in the costume of a Polish nobleman, who periodically asks Susanin if he has forgotten the way.
If, unlike the Polish pioneers, you are lucky enough to return safely from the Isupovsky swamp, way back You can still stop by the regional center and visit the museum of the exploits of Ivan Susanin. Moreover, it is located exactly in the very church that is depicted in the painting “The Rooks Have Arrived.” The museum exposition tells not only about the feat itself, but also about the cult of Susanin, the perpetuation of his act in art (one of the most interesting exhibits is a working music box that plays a fragment of Glinka’s opera “A Life for the Tsar”), and about the followers of the “guide” -patriot.
The museum contains the stories of more than fifty people, different years and wars that repeated Susanin’s feat. For example, in August 1919, the Altai peasant Fyodor Gulyaev not only led 700 Kolchak cavalrymen into the swamp, but also managed to get out of this mess unharmed. For this feat, the revolutionary received a silver watch and a saber from Lenin’s hands, and the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, by a special decree, assigned him an honorary surname - Susanin.
P.S. It is curious that the Susanin-Molvitin land gave our country another king's savior - the hat maker Osip Ivanovich Komissarov, a native of Molvitin. On April 4, 1866, he withdrew his hand with a pistol from the terrorist Dmitry Karakozov, who attempted to assassinate Emperor Alexander II, near the Summer Garden in St. Petersburg. For this, he was elevated to hereditary nobility with the surname Komissarov-Kostromskaya, and in Molvitino until 1917 there was even a monument to him.
WHERE IS SUSANIN'S GRAVE?
It would seem, what kind of grave could a person have if he died either in a swamp or in the middle of a forest? However, the question of the burial place of Ivan Susanin has haunted the minds of scientists for several centuries. According to one legend, the national Russian hero was buried in the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma; according to another version, his remains rested near the church in the village of Domnino. But in 2003, a group of archaeologists discovered fragments of remains supposedly belonging to Susanin at the site of a necropolis in the village of Isupovo, after which the swamp was named, which was considered the place of death of the Polish detachment and its selfless guide.
HOW CAN I GET TO
Susanino is located 64 kilometers northeast of Kostroma along the P-99 highway. To get to the Isupovsky swamp, you need to drive another 3.5 kilometers along this highway and turn right onto a country road in the direction of the village of Domnino. The sign “Place of Ivan Susanin’s feat” will appear approximately 3 kilometers after this settlement. If you don’t have personal transport in Susanino, you will most likely have to take a taxi. You can get to the regional center from Kostroma in an hour and a half by buses (buses to Bui are also suitable), which run every 30-40 minutes.
WHERE TO STAY
Kostroma is not only the capital of the region, but also the city of the Golden Ring, so the choice of accommodation options here is quite wide. One of the most luxurious hotels, Azimut (from 3,600 rubles for a double room), is located in the southern part of the city and has its own bath complex. In the historical center, it is worth paying attention to the Kostroma business hotel (from 2800 rubles). Another interesting option is the boutique hotel “Island Pier” (from 1,300 rubles), located on a floating landing stage on the Volga. You can also choose accommodation outside the city - for example, at the Berendeyevka park hotel (from 1000 rubles), whose individual wooden houses are located just on the way to Susanino.
WHAT TO BRING
Despite the rich history and tourist attractiveness of Susanino, travelers are unlikely to be able to profit from anything here other than the duty magnet in the museum of Ivan Susanin’s exploits. Another thing is Kostroma, where all kinds of nesting dolls, bells, whistles and products made of wood and birch bark are presented in abundance. The region is also famous for Peter's clay toys and its dairy products - primarily Kostromskaya and Susaninsky cheeses.
Not a single royal dynasty came to the throne as unusually as the House of Romanov. This remark belongs famous writer Ivan Gogol, who, not without reason, believed that the feat of Ivan Susanin inextricably linked the tsar with his subjects. What is known about this significant incident for Russian history?
Volkov Adrian – picture Death of Ivan Susanin
Due to limited source base The biography of Ivan Susanin is the subject of historical controversy. The only documentary source about his life is the charter of Mikhail Fedorovich in 1619. It talks about granting Susanin's son-in-law half of the village with relief from all taxes and duties, while the folk hero is mentioned quite briefly. The rest of the information about this man’s life is legendary.
It is generally accepted that Ivan Susanin was born in the village of Domnino, 70 miles away from Kostroma. According to one version, he was a serf peasant of the Shestov nobles, according to another, he served as a patrimonial headman. It is known that he had a daughter, Antonida, and a son-in-law, Bogdan Sabinin.
The above-mentioned royal letter states that in the winter of 1613, the newly elected Tsar Mikhail Romanov lived with his mother Martha in the village of Domnino. At that time the Troubles of civil war turned into a struggle against the interventionists from Poland. The nobles decided to capture the newly elected tsar; for this purpose, a small Polish-Lithuanian detachment headed to Domnino.
Along the way, the interventionists met the peasant Susanin, who was ordered to show the way to the village. But he led the detachment in the opposite direction, and sent his son-in-law Bogdan to Domnino to warn the king and his mother of the impending danger. Susanin led the Poles deep into the forest, and then to the Isupov swamp, for which he was tortured and killed. It is assumed that at that time this person was already in old age. The enemy detachment also died in impassable terrain. At this time, Mikhail Romanov took refuge in the Ipatiev Monastery.
After 6 years, the king thanked the relatives of the peasant who saved him by giving them land and exemption from taxes. The death of Ivan Susanin was not forgotten even later. The descendants of the national hero repeatedly received letters of grant and preferential decrees until 1837.
The cult of Ivan Susanin during the Russian Empire
IN Tsarist Russia The image of Ivan Susanin was the subject of a cult. Paintings, sculptures, musical and literary works. It was his name that official propaganda actively used during the suppression of the Polish uprisings and the War of 1812.
In 1838, the central square of the city of Kostroma began to be officially called Susaninskaya. In addition, the hero was depicted among other prominent historical figures on the monument “Millennium of Russia” (1862). Propaganda had its effect; two centuries later, what Susanin did was to some extent repeated by Osip Komissarov, who saved Emperor Alexander II from death. Interestingly, Komissarov was born not far from native village Susanina.
However, it is in pre-revolutionary Russia The first criticism of the official version of the feat was voiced. Thus, the historian N. Kostomarov believed that the only reliable fact in the entire history of Susanin was his death from one of the robber detachments in Time of Troubles. S. Soloviev was also known for critical reviews of this story, who believed that the peasant was tortured by the Cossacks.
probable place of death
IN Soviet era the initial attitude towards Susanin was negative. So, in 1918, the monument to Ivan Susanin was thrown off its pedestal. The people's hero began to be called the king's servant, and the feat for which he became famous was called a fairy tale.
Attitudes changed dramatically in the late 1930s. He again entered the list of national heroes. The regional center, near which Susanin once lived, was renamed in his honor. At the same time, a version spread that he was a “patriot of the Russian Land” who fought against foreign invaders, and did not save the Tsar. In the 60s of the last century, a monument to Susanin was even erected in Kostroma.
In post-Soviet Russia, Susanin’s personality is interpreted in two ways. Most historians continue to call him a folk hero, while recognizing that he was prompted to his feat by vassal loyalty rather than patriotism. There are also several versions of how events took place. For example, A. Shirokopad believes that Susanin suffered from a predatory raid of the Zaporozhye Cossacks.
- In some publications, Susanin is given the patronymic name Osipovich. However, there is no mention of this in the sources; in addition, in the 17th century it was not customary to call peasants by their patronymics.
- IN Soviet time The peasant Matvey Kuzmin was no less famous than Susanin. In 1942, at the cost of his own life, he led a German detachment under machine gun fire Soviet soldiers. The enemy detachment was destroyed, but the German commander managed to kill Kuzmin. After the end of World War II, a book appeared describing the exploits of 58 “followers” of Susanin.
In 2003, remains were discovered in the necropolis of the village of Isupovo that may belong to Susanin. However, professional archaeologists and historians dispute their authenticity.
January 29, 2018
The proposal to take a ride “along Susanin’s route” is alarming: after all, it is known from history that for the Polish detachment this route became a one-way road. But in Kostroma region there is no escape from the heroic legends of the Time of Troubles, and anyone interested in history will probably want to go on an excursion “to the places of Susana.” Moreover, these places are very picturesque!
Historical reference
Despite the abundance of legends about Susanin’s feat, very little historical evidence about the events related to him has been preserved. It is reliably known that Ivan Susanin was the headman in Domnino - the family estate of the boyar Marfa, the mother of Mikhail Romanov, and in 1619 the peasant's son-in-law Bogdan Sobinin received a royal charter, according to which half of the village of Derevenki passed to him, and he himself and all his descendants were exempt from taxes and duties “for service to us and for the blood and patience of his father-in-law Ivan Susanin.” The letter said that Lithuanian people tortured the peasant about the whereabouts of Mikhail Romanov, but he, although he knew the necessary information, did not give it out and was tortured to death. The details of the incident are known from the descendants of the Susanin family, and these stories over time became overgrown with a mass of dubious details. The classic version of the legend says that in the winter of 1613, Martha and her son - already elected Tsar Mikhail Romanov - were in Domnino. Since Sigismund III and his son Vladislav also laid claim to the Russian throne, a Polish detachment was sent to Domnino to “remove a competitor.” In the village of Derevenki, Ivan Susanin was with his daughter, who agreed to accompany the Poles to Domnino. But instead, the peasant led his enemies into the forests and impassable swamp, where he was killed.
Researchers rightly point out the shortcomings of this story. Firstly, it would be very difficult for the Poles to end up in Derevenki without first getting to Domnino. Secondly, in winter the impassable swamp usually freezes. Thirdly, it is unclear who and how found out about Susanin’s heroic death if he, along with the Polish detachment, disappeared in the surrounding forests.
Historians have other versions: probably the Poles arrived here not in the winter of 1613, but in the late autumn of 1612, before Michael was elected king. In Domnino they found the headman and tried to find out from him about the whereabouts of Martha and Mikhail, who at that moment were on a pilgrimage in the Makaryev-Unzhensky Monastery. Susanin did not tell the truth and, in order to stall for time, led the detachment through the swamp to the village of Isupovo located on the other side. Already there, realizing the deception, the Poles killed him in front of his fellow villagers. By the way, it was in this village, in the churchyard, that the alleged remains of Ivan Susanin were found in 2003 (which, however, historians also doubt).
Susanino village
To get to the Susaninsky district, you need to leave Kostroma along the central street - Mira Avenue, which gradually turns into Kostroma Street, and then into the Kostroma - Bui highway. You will have to drive approximately 60 kilometers along this road to the village Susanino, and count on long trip- this road has a bad reputation due to its poor condition, the abundance of patches and potholes; it is impossible to drive along it at high speed.
Susanino is worth making your first stop. To Ivan Susanin this locality not directly related and in the past was called Molvitino. But here it is Museum of Susanin's Feat, which tells not only about the hero himself, but also about others historical figures who committed in different time similar feats. In the museum you can also see a 17th-century saber found near the Isupovsky swamp; it is believed that it belonged to someone from that same Polish detachment.
The museum is housed in the building of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, depicted in Alexei Savrasov’s painting “The Rooks Have Arrived,” so, of course, you cannot miss such an interesting object. Just keep in mind that this museum has slightly unusual opening hours: it is open on Monday, but closed on Friday. And getting here is easy - after the bus station you need to turn left from the highway, onto Karl Marx Street, and drive along it to the center of the village.
In the footsteps of Susanin - without a car
You can travel through the “Susaninsky places” on your own if you are willing to drive on bad roads and are not afraid of walking through a swamp. However, you can come here without a car: for example, by intercity bus “Kostroma - Bui” until the turn to Domnino, and then walk a few kilometers along the Susaninsky places. If you doubt your ability to navigate the area, you can join an excursion to Susanino - such routes are regularly offered by local travel agencies. Excursions usually include a theatrical performance “The Path of I. Susanin”, so you can clearly imagine what was happening in these parts 400 years ago.
To the village of Derevenki
As we remember, according to the official version of events, the Poles intercepted Ivan Susanin in a village with the tautological name Villages near Domnino. Perhaps the Susanin family home was located there, where Ivan’s daughter Antonida lived with her family. In any case, in this village in 1913 there appeared memorial chapel, consecrated in honor of John the Baptist.
The village no longer exists - it is deserted, abandoned and overgrown with forests. But the chapel has been preserved and can be reached. To do this, leave Susanin and move further along the highway for about 5 kilometers, past the turn to Shipilovo and Domnino. You need the next turn (towards Sumarokovo). The chapel is about 2 kilometers away; there will be a sign along the road.
A red brick chapel with one dome rises in the middle of the forest. It is usually locked, but you can see a painting on its outer wall and a memorial plaque: “The chapel was built in 1913 at the expense of local peasants in memory of the 300th anniversary of the feat of Ivan Susanin. According to legend, in this place in the village of Derevenki stood the house of I.O. Susanina."
By the way, don’t think that the chapel is a completely insignificant object! In 2006, a series of stamps “Russia. Regions”, where the stamp of the Kostroma region was decorated with a monument to Susanin, a view of the Volga and this very chapel.
How to choose the right time to travel
You can visit Susana’s places at different times of the year, but the ideal time is dry autumn, when there are no mosquitoes in the swamps, and the forests with yellow-red foliage look especially picturesque. But if you want to see all the sights, including the legendary path through the swamps, take rubber boots with you: you will have to walk on rotten boards submerged in swamp mud, so any shoes will get wet and dirty.
Domnino and Isupovskoe swamp
After standing at the chapel, you need to return to the road and follow it to the previous turn - now the village awaits you Domnino, the ancestral patrimony of the Shestov boyars (it was to this family that the boyar Marfa, in the world Ksenia, belonged, until Fedora Romanov married). Turn left and drive another 4 kilometers to Domnino. This village, unlike Derevenka, is quite inhabited and boasts very picturesque wooden houses with carved platbands, as well as monastery in the name of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers- Nicholas II and his family. This monastery was founded recently - in 2004. But the monastery Church of the Assumption was built much earlier - in 1809-1817 on the site where the house of the Shestov boyars once stood (a sign on the wall of the temple reports this). It is believed that there was also a wooden Church of the Resurrection nearby, which was destroyed over time - there is even a version that it was in the basement of this old church that Ivan Susanin was buried.
Finding the monastery is easy: you need to drive along the main street of the village, you will see the church behind the fence on the right side. Getting into the territory can be more difficult: sometimes it is closed, and you should ask the nuns for permission to take photographs.
Near the temple you can see a white stone two-story parochial school building, built in late XIX century at the expense of the Alexander Orthodox Brotherhood - again in memory of the salvation of Mikhail Fedorovich.
From Domnino the road goes further, past the village of Perevoz - to the famous Isupovsky swamp. Its second name is Clean Swamp (which is unlikely to console you much if you fall into it). The swamp is not only a historical place, but also a natural monument federal significance. On the edge of the swamp, to the left of the highway (follow the sign “Place of I. Susanin’s feat”) lies a large boulder with the name of the peasant hero. This impressive monument weighing under 60 tons was installed here back in 1988. The stone offers a picturesque view of the swamp and forests below. From here you can see a lonely pine tree in the middle of a swamp- for some reason it is considered the place of death of Ivan Susanin.
To get to the pine tree, you need to go down from the boulder to the swamp and move along the boardwalk. The road stretches for 2.5 kilometers, the boards are quite slippery, rotten in places and half-submerged in slurry, but you can walk along them, only carefully. First, the path leads through a forest, then out into an open area with sparse birch trees. A few meters from the beginning of the trail there will be a fork with a branch towards the well.
Near the pine tree there is an object that is often called a chapel, although in fact it is just a small candlestick box with icons. Here you can light a candle in memory of Ivan Susanin, no matter where he actually died.
"Trouble" monasteries
Susanino, Domnino and the path through the swamp are a classic Susanino route, after which most tourists want to return home or to the hotel. But if you are not too tired and are full of desire to continue traveling to places associated with the history of the Time of Troubles, you have plenty of options! For example, you can drive another 24 kilometers along the road to the side Buya- to the village Bohrok. Here, in the center of the village, on Kolkhoznaya Street, there is Predtechensky Jacob-Zheleznoborovsky Monastery, where Grigory Otrepiev, the same future False Dmitry I, with whom the whole Troubles began, was tonsured a monk.
You can, however, return to Kostroma and visit Ipatiev Monastery, where after the events that killed Ivan Susanin, Marfa and Mikhail Romanov were hiding. In Kostroma it is worth visiting Romanov Museum, where you will be told about the history of ancient boyar families associated with this area.
But there is a third monastery in the Kostroma region, without mentioning which the story about the origins of the Romanov dynasty would be incomplete. It's about the same thing Makaryev-Unzhensky Monastery, where, at a very dangerous time, the future Russian Tsar and his mother went on pilgrimage. The place for the pilgrimage was not chosen by chance: the monastery housed the relics of its founder, Saint Macarius of Unzhensky, who was captured by the Kazan Tatars. Mikhail and Martha prayed to him for the release of their father and husband Filaret (in the world - boyar Fyodor Romanov), who at that moment was captured by the Poles. Probably, the future tsar also prayed for the liberation of Rus' from foreigners - and, as we know from history, both requests for prayers to Macarius were fulfilled. Later, having already become a king, Mikhail Fedorovich again made a pilgrimage to this monastery as a vow. It was during the second trip that he learned about the feat of Ivan Susanin and granted his descendants land and exemption from taxes.
Road to Makariev not close - you need to go through Sudislavl, or rather, through Kostroma and Sudislavl, since the road between the Kostroma - Bui highway and Sudislavl is almost insurmountable. From Kostroma to Makaryev there are more than 180 kilometers, so you should not combine this trip with a trip to Susanino. But if you still have free days in Kostroma, you can expand the “geography of the Time of Troubles” by visiting this ancient monastery.
The name of Ivan Susanin, who gave his life for the Tsar, is known to many history buffs, but this folk hero is especially appreciated by Kostroma residents. In the glorious city on the Volga there is a monument to a martyr who died a terrible death to save the life of the monarch. We invite you to find out what Ivan Susanin is famous for, and also get acquainted with some interesting facts from his life's journey.
Information about life
Since the hero of our material was a serf before he accomplished his feat, very little data about his childhood and life in general was preserved - no one was interested in the fate of an ordinary forced person. Therefore, in the biography of Ivan Susanin there are more blank spots than verified facts. However, researchers believe that this brave man was originally from the village of Derevnischi (another version is Derevenki), and lived in the village of Domnino, Kostroma region (which now belongs to the Susaninsky district).
It is believed that Susanin was not an ordinary serf, but the headman of the estate, however, this version is based on local legend and has no evidence. There is also an opinion that the future national hero lived at the boyar court and served as a clerk.
The next fact is that Ivan Susanin had a daughter, Antonida, who got married and gave birth to children. However, we have not received any information about the peasant’s wife, so researchers assumed that he was married, but widowed early.
Historical background
Speaking about what Ivan Susanin is famous for, it is necessary to characterize the historical situation that developed in Russia during the period of his life. It was a difficult time, the Time of Troubles, a time of fierce struggle for the throne on the one hand and Polish-Lithuanian attacks on the other. At the beginning of the 17th century, the country was struck by a horrific famine, the autocratic throne was temporarily occupied by an impostor, then the throne went to Prince Vasily Shuisky, who was king for about 4 years. The former monarch was overthrown, captured by the Poles and ended his life path far from their native land.
The boyars came to power and tried to place a prince from Poland on the Russian throne. In these circumstances, Susanin’s feat takes on new meaning - the peasant not only saved a particular young monarch, but also prevented the fact that a Pole would be at the head of Russia.
Legend of the feat
What did Ivan Susanin do to immortalize his name forever? At the cost of his life, he saved Tsar Mikhail Romanov from an attack by a Polish-Lithuanian detachment. In 1613, the young monarch and his mother lived on their Kostroma estate in the village of Domnino, of which Susanin was the headman. The Polish invaders decided to get to the young king and kill him, but they needed a guide to show the way. The headman had to carry out this mission. Susanin managed to ask his son-in-law, Bogdan Sobinin, to warn Mikhail and advise him to take refuge behind the walls of the Ipatiev Monastery, which saved the Tsar’s life.
Death of a Hero
Threats and bribery had no effect. According to a popular legend, the brave peasant agreed, but led the enemy detachment into an impassable swamp, from which the strangers could not get out. Having exposed the deception, the Poles tortured the hero, but he did not give up and did not give up the tsar’s refuge. After this, the angry invaders brutally killed Ivan Susanin. Who was he, according to this concept? A true patriot who accepted martyrdom for the sake of Tsar Michael.
Another version of the feat
There is another legend explaining why Ivan Susanin is famous, more prosaic and therefore less popular. The point is this: Tsar Mikhail, while on his estate in Domnino, accidentally learned that a Polish detachment was approaching him to capture him. The monarch hastily fled and by chance ended up in the house of Ivan Susanin. He fed the tsar and hid him so well that the arriving Poles could not find Mikhail even with their dogs. They tortured the peasant, forcing him to reveal the location of the king, but the hero remained faithful to the ruler and accepted his death courageously.
After the detachment left, Mikhail left his refuge and hid behind the walls of the Ipatiev Monastery.
Historical facts
We got acquainted with the legend about the feat of Ivan Susanin. However, there is so little reliable information about this folk hero that some skeptics believe that he did not really exist. We invite you to find out some real historical information that has documentary evidence.
- Susanin entered the annals of history as a man who gave his life for the king. At the same time, some scientists question the formulation itself, because if this man led the Poles into impenetrable forests at the end of 1612 (and not in 1613, as is commonly believed), then young Mikhail was not yet a king.
- It is known for certain that the national hero was not a simple peasant, but a patrimonial headman of the Romanovs.
- Susanin's patronymic has not been preserved, despite the fact that, according to tradition, the full name Ivan Osipovich is attributed to him. We have not received information about the real name of the hero’s father.
- The sources do not contain information about the name of Susanin’s wife, but he had a daughter, Antonida, most likely his only descendant. The name of Antonida’s husband, Bogdan, is also known.
The key evidence that Ivan Susanin really existed is a personalized letter from the monarch, in which the hero’s son-in-law, Bogdan, and his descendants are exempt from taxes. Also, by the will of the king, half of the village was granted to Antonida’s husband. If we assume that the feat is nothing more than a legend, then it becomes unclear why the king would grant such unprecedented favors to an ordinary peasant.
Controversial issues
We found out why Ivan Susanin is famous, but in his biography a large number of white spots. The very facts of the heroic feat of this patriot are also controversial:
- The place of the hero's death is unknown. Thus, some researchers believe that the Poles, angry at the deception, brutally tortured the unfortunate peasant and then killed him in the forest. This version, being more interesting, was used by writers and poets in literary works and is therefore more widespread. However, other historians believe that the national hero was killed near the village of Isupovo.
- The death of the Poles in the swamp. It is generally accepted that Ivan Susanin led the enemy detachment into an impassable swamp, where his plan was exposed, he himself was brutally tortured and killed. But the invaders could not get out of the swamp and died themselves. However, this fact is questioned by archaeological finds.
- Age. It is customary to portray Susanin as a very old man with long gray hair. In fact, his age was hardly more than 40 years. Most likely, Antonida was 16 years old at the time of her feat.
- Saved the king from what? Not all historians are sure that if captured by the Polish invaders, Mikhail would have been killed. It was suggested that a captive monarch would force Russia to be more accommodating and capitulate.
Despite these disagreements, the Romanov dynasty subsequently highly valued the feat of Ivan Susanin:
- Nicholas the First ordered to call the main square of the city of Kostroma Susaninskaya (this name has been preserved to this day). Also in the city on the Volga, a majestic monument to the national hero was erected.
- After the charter of 1619, for two hundred years, Susanin’s descendants received charters from subsequent monarchs confirming their privileges.
The legend of Ivan Susanin and his feat is widely popular; musical and literary works are dedicated to this man; many streets in Russian cities bear his name. There is a museum of the feat of this patriot; motor ships and an ice drift were named in his honor.
The meaning of the feat
Speaking about what Ivan Susanin is famous for, it is necessary to indicate the following points:
- After the national hero saved the tsar, the Romanov dynasty reigned in Russia, ending the difficult Time of Troubles for the country and its people. A certain stability appeared, still weak and illusory, but the monarch, God’s chosen one, was on the throne, instilling in people hope that life would get better.
- The very accession of Michael is associated with patriotism, a simple peasant gave his life for this monarch, his sacrifice was selfless, so the young king immediately earned special treatment.
Ivan Susanin is a significant figure; this peasant managed not only to save the Tsar, but also to demonstrate to the enemy the power of Russian patriotism.
