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Kholmogory (Russian:Холмого́ры) is a historicrural locality (aselo) and theadministrative center ofKholmogorsky District ofArkhangelsk Oblast,Russia. It lies on the left bank of theNorthern Dvina, along theKholmogory Highway, 75 kilometers (47 mi) southeast ofArkhangelsk and 90 kilometers (56 mi) north of theAntonievo-Siysky Monastery. The name is derived from theFinnishKalmomäki for "corpse hill" ("cemetery"). Population:4,150 (2010 Census);[1]4,592 (2002 Census);[2]5,205 (1989 Soviet census).[3]
The Kholmogory area was at first in historical times inhabited by the Finno-Ugrians "Zavolochskaya Chud", (i.e. "theChud [who live] beyond the portage"), known also as Yems in old Novgorod chronicles, and Karelians. The first Slavonic population to enter Kalmamäki werePomors from Vologda area after 1220. As early as the 14th century, the village (the name of which was then spelledKolmogory) was an important trading post of theNovgorod Republic in the Far North of Russia. Its commercial importance further increased in 1554 when the EnglishMuscovy Company made it a center of its operations in furs. The Polish-Lithuanian irregular forces known asLisowczycy besieged the wooden fort during theTime of Troubles (1613), but had to retreat in failure.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the settlement was also a place of exile, notably for ex-regentAnna Leopoldovna and her children includingIvan VI. The use of the location for political prisoners was revived byMikhail Kedrov, after he was appointedCheka plenipotentiary for the region. He turned the Kholmogory prison camp into a death camp where mass executions of former officers of theWhite Army and others he deemed to be political opponents of theBolshevik regime. The death toll was so large and Kedrov's behaviour so cruel that he was relieved of his duties and put in psychiatric care.[4]
In 1682, the six-pillared Kholmogory cathedral was consecrated; the biggest in the region. It was disfigured by theCommunists in the 1930s. Many ancient wooden shrines and mills, however, still survive in the neighborhood.One of the nearby villages is the birthplace of the Russian polymathMikhail Lomonosov. Local artisans—such asFedot Shubin—have been famed for their craft ofcarving the tusks ofmammoths andwalruses.
In Kholmogory, a craft ofKholmogory bone carving was developed in the 17th century. The bone carvings from Kholmogory were notable for excellent craftsmanship and perfected technique. The best carving masters from Kholmogory were invited to work in theKremlin Armoury, which performed orders for the tsar's court. The handicraft reached its peak under the reign ofPeter the Great. Currently the carving is being performed at the Lomonosov Bone Carving Factory.[5]
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64°13′36″N41°39′06″E / 64.22667°N 41.65167°E /64.22667; 41.65167
