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Since July 2001, Dr. Volodomyr Mezentsev (Slavic Languages and Literatures)
and medieval historian Professor Martin Dimnik (PIMS) of the University of
Toronto, Canada, and have participated in an excavation project in Baturyn,
Ukraine.
Located in the Chernihiv region in Eastern Ukraine, Baturyn emerged as a
fortress on the steppe border of the Chernihiv principality in the 11th
century. From the beginning of the 17th century, the significance of this
small provincial town grew considerably. In 1648, the Cossacks led by Hetman
Bohdan Khmel'nyts'kyi liberated Baturyn from Polish occupation. In 1654, it
obtained a Magdeburg Charter of self-government. Between 1669 and 1708,
Baturyn was the official capital of the Hetman state in Left-Bank Ukraine.
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Palace of Hetman Kyrylo Rozumovsk'kyi, built 1799-1803.
One of two extant 18th century structures at Baturyn
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The town flourished during the reign of Hetman Ivan Mazepa (1687-1708),
growing to approximately 100 hectares with a population of 20,000. Baturyn
had 40 churches and a college for diplomats and government officials. The
town's development was disrupted in 1708 during the war between Russia and
Sweden. After Mazepa and his followers sided with Sweden, Baturyn was seized
by Russian troops. The Cossack garrison of 8,000 troops and the bulk of the
civilian population were massacred. Ukrainian researchers have estimated the
number of casualties at between 13,000 to 15,000.
Baturyn remained deserted for several decades, recovering by the mid-18th
century when it briefly regained its status as Hetman capital during the
reign of Kyrylo Rozumovs'kyi (1750-64) until the Hetmanate was abolished in
1764. After Rozumovs'kyi's death in 1803, Baturyn went into decline. Now it
is a small provincial town with a population of 4,000.
In 1995, an archaeological expedition from the University of Chernihiv began
excavating in Baturyn. Over the next two years, archaeologists discovered
remnants of two hetman Baroque palaces, urban dwellings, and town
fortifications as well as masonry from the St. Nicholas Church at the nearby
Krupyts'kyi Monastery. These excavations have uncovered evidence of the
destruction from 1708. Archaeological exploration of Baturyn was halted in
1997 because of lack of funding.
Excavations were renewed in 2001 thanks to financial support from the
Ukrainian diaspora in Canada and the US. Ukrainian and Canadian
archaeologists and historians--sponsored by the University of Chernihiv and
the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies at the University of
Toronto--have continued the field investigations of the hetman palaces,
urban dwellings, and town fortifications; they also discovered 16 graves of
the Cossack elite, which contain the skeletal remains of children and
elderly people slain in 1708.
Dr. Mezentsev has produced and written a documentary video about the
history, architecture, and recent excavations at Baturyn, which is available
for purchase from the Canadian Global Centre (2186 Bloor St.W., Ste. 214,
Toronto ON, M6S 1N3; tel: 416-604-0060; 1-800-763-3303; fax: 416-604-0056;
press@press-global.com).
Continued donor support of the Baturyn project is vital to excavation work
and the dissemination of research findings. For information, please contact:
Dr. Volodomyr Mezentsev at (416) 766-1408.
Martin Dimnik, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies
Volodomyr Mezentsev, Slavic Languages and Literatures
At the University of Toronto, Canada
http://www.utoronto.ca/crees/news/jan02/excavate.htm
Gallery of Images, http://www.utoronto.ca/crees/news/jan02/gallery.htm
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