monastery in Shargorod

The country between rivers Marafa and Murashka, granted in 1383 by the Lithuanian prince Vitovt to Vasil Karachevskiy, was passed to the property of the famous Polish magnate, the chancellor Jan Zamoyskiy through two hundred years. By the universal of March 26, 1579 the king Stefan Batoriy ordered to construct a strong fortress on this territory. A place for the castle was found on a high cape at the place of the union of the rivers Murashka and Kovbasna. The fortress was named Shargorod - in honor of Florian Shariy, the founder of the family of Zamoyskis. Jan Zamoyskiy had an opportunity to invite the professional Italian architects for building. The system of fortification of Shargorod was put in May 28, 1585 by the known builder Bernardo Morando – the architect of the strengthenings of the Polish fortress Zamostia. On the engraving there is a panegriku in honor of the founder of Shargorod, which was dating by 1617, the castle is represent of five-bastions. It was confirmed in 1656 by the known Evlia Chelebi, who approved, that the castle in Shargorod had a citadel with five towers, located on the hill above the river. Shargorod had long-range artillery. The royal privilege of Sigizmund III in January 26, 1588 gave Shargorod, which quickly grew rich on the profitable trade ways, the Magdeburg right. However it was vain to the city and fortress to search the easy life. The problems of Shargorod began, as a rule, from Murafska and Mogilyov mountains - so traditionally the hills on a banks of Murashka and Kovbasna were called. From these hills the Shargorod castle was in full view. In 1595 Shargorod was destroyed by the Cossacks of S. Nalivaiko, by defeating a local garrison. Some battles was here in the years of the Liberation War. In August, 1648 the fortress was taken by the army of the colonel Krivonis, in March of the next year it could protect from the strong Polish army. However to approve, that the situation of Shargorod fortress was stabilized, would be inappropriate. According to conditions of Zboriv peace of 1649 the border between royal grounds and the Cossacks territory passed near Shargorod. It is not surprising, that the garrison could not be prepared in time for reflection of spring road of 1651 of the polniy hetman Martin Kalinovskiy and had to yield the town. Soon the “status quo” was renovated. During the 27-year's Turkish domination (1672-1699) Shargorod, the second town of province on importance, was liked by the occupations. They even named it as Kuchuk-Istanbul (Small Istanbul). It is known, that at the end of the XVIIth century the caravans went between Kamenets and Shargorod. However the castle at the same time came in decline ever more. After the returning to Bratslavshchina of the Poles the castle in Shargorod begun to reconstruct, though it hadn’t any strategic value any more. Some restoration works were carried out in the middle of XIXth century. Nowadays only memoirs remains from the castle - only fortress walls, strength by the buttress is looks through in some places.