Sviatohirsk Святогірськ | |
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 View of the St. Nicholas Church and the St. Andrew Chapel of theHoly Mountains Lavra | |
 Flag .png) Greater Coat of Arms | |
  Sviatohirsk Location of Sviatohirsk within Donetsk Oblast Show map of Ukraine Sviatohirsk Location of Sviatohirsk within Ukraine Show map of Donetsk Oblast | |
| Coordinates:49°2′9″N37°33′57″E / 49.03583°N 37.56583°E /49.03583; 37.56583 | |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Oblast | Donetsk Oblast |
| Raion | Kramatorsk Raion |
| Hromada | Sviatohirsk urban hromada |
| First mentioned | 16th century |
| City rights | 1964 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Volodymyr Rydakil[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 8.26 km2 (3.19 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 66 m (217 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 4,226 |
| • Density | 512/km2 (1,330/sq mi) |
| Postal code | 84130-84135 |
| Area code | +380-6262 |
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Sviatohirsk (Ukrainian:Святогірськ,IPA:[sʲwʲɐtoˈɦirsʲk];Russian:Святогорск,romanized: Svyatogorsk,IPA:[svʲɐtɐˈɡorsk]), formerlySlovianohirsk (Ukrainian:Слов'яногірськ), is a city in the northern part ofDonetsk Oblast inUkraine. It stands on the banks of theSiverskyi Donets River, 30 kilometers (19 mi) from the city ofSloviansk. The population is4,226 (2022 estimate).[2] The 16th-centurySviatohirsk LavraMonastery is located in the city.
A settlement in the area of theHoly Mountains was first mentioned in written sources in the 16th century.[3] In 1624, theSviatohirsk Lavra Holy Mountains monastery was established here, but in the end of the 18th century all monastic lands were secularized and passed on to private owners.[3] One of the new owners built a bathing house on the nearby lake, which led to the settlement being calledBanne (Ukrainian:Банне)/Bannoye (Russian:Банное) orBannovskoye (Банновское); literallybathing.[3] The proximity of a nearbyselo of Tatyanovka lead to both places sometimes being collectively referred asBannoye-Tatyanovka (Банное-Татьяновка).[3]
During the Soviet times, theselo was officially known as Bannoye.[3] In 1938, it was grantedurban-type settlement status and renamedBannovsky (Банновский).[3] The settlement served as a resort destination and steadily grew in size, until in 1964 it was granted town status and renamedSlovianohirsk (Ukrainian:Слов'яногірськ)/Slavyanogorsk (Славяногорск), with the first part of the name (Sloviano-/Slavyano-) being after the nearby city of Sloviansk (Slavyansk), and the second part (-hirsk/-gorsk) being after the Holy Mountains.[3] In 2003, the name was changed to Sviatohirsk, after the monastery itself.[4]
Unlike neighboring Sloviansk, Sviatohirsk was never controlled[failed verification] by thepro-Russian forces who in spring 2014had made Sloviansk their stronghold.[5] In contrast to most of theDonbas region, which is largely flat open landscape, Sviatohirsk is set among hills and forests - providing some natural defences - making it harder for an army to manoeuvre with artillery and tanks.[6] The city is seen as strategically important during the conflict, due to it being one of the key points preventing an encirclement of the Ukrainian army in Donetsk oblast.[7]
Following the start of the2022 Russo-Ukrainian war, the press service of theUkrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) reported the deaths of two monks and a nun of the city's monastery as a result of shelling on 1 June 2022.[8] On 4 June, as a result of further hostilities in the region, one of the temples of the monastery was engulfed in flames.[9] Ukrainian presidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russian forces for the resulting burning of the temple and mourned the victims, while calling for Russia's expulsion fromUNESCO over it.[10][11] However, the mayor of the city, Volodymyr Bandura, blamed Ukrainian forces for the burning of the temple while in Russian captivity, accusing Zelenskyy of lying.[12][13] TheSecurity Service of Ukraine later accused the mayor of treason over this statement.[14]
According to theInstitute for the Study of War, there were reports of fighting near the city after a battle on 31 May.[15][16] On 6 June,Igor Konashenkov, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson, stated that Russian forces were completing the capture of the city.[17] Later that day,Denis Pushilin, head of theDonetsk People's Republic, stated that Sviatohirsk was almost cleared of Ukrainian forces, except for an unnamed height somewhere in the city.[18] Russian minister of defenseSergei Shoigu announced the city's complete capture the next day, on 7 June.[19] Sviatohirsk's mayor, Volodymyr Bandura, remained mayor after the city's capture, and became the subject of a treason investigation by Ukraine's general prosecutor; Pushilin claimed that the DPR had been in contact with Bandura for "a long time".[20]
Following theUkrainian eastern counteroffensive of 2022, on 10 September, reports appeared in Ukrainian media that the Ukrainian armed forces had retaken the city from Russian control.[21][22] On 12 September 2022, the Ukrainian armed forces confirmed that they were in control of the city.[23]
In March 2023, Sviatohirsk established a sister city relationship withEaston, Connecticut, United States.[24]
In June 2023, Sviatohirsk established a sister city relationship withAshland, Oregon, United States.[4]
Sviatohirsk includes the Holy Dormition SviatohirskLavra, the Holy Mountains National Park, an historical and architectural reserve, as well as a resort of national importance; thirty objects, among them a monumental sculpture of Communist leader Artem (Fyodor Sergeyev) and aWorld War II memorial (opened on the day of 40th anniversary of victory) are included in the historic monuments complex of the reserve. The town has been visited by well-known cultural figures, includingHryhorii Skovoroda,Fyodor Tyutchev,Ivan Bunin,Anton Chekhov,Maxim Gorky,Marina Tsvetaeva, andIlya Repin.
On 15 May 2015,President of UkrainePetro Poroshenko signed a bill into law that started a six months period for the removal of communist monuments and the mandatory renaming of settlements with a name related toCommunism.[25][26][27] However, since the "Monument of the authorship of the outstanding sculptor I.P. Kavaleridze" is listed as "National Cultural Heritage" it will not be demolished.[28]
In terms of ethnicity, the town is home to a largeUkrainian majority. Every fifth inhabitant claims to have an ethnicRussian background, smaller minorities areBelarusians andArmenians. The exact composition was as follows:[29]
| percent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukrainians | 76.29% | |||
| Russians | 21.55% | |||
| Belarusians | 0.55% | |||
| Armenians | 0.47% | |||
| others | 1.14% | |||
According to theState Statistics Service of Ukraine, the population of the city was4,226 (2022 estimate).[2] The results of the2001 Ukrainian census found that the city's population was 3,805, of which 2,492 (65.49%) considered Ukrainian as their mother tongue, 1,292 (33.96%) Russian, 9 (0.24%) Armenian, 5 (0.13%) Belarusian, and 3 (0.08%) Moldovan.[30][31]
| percent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukrainian | 65.49% | |||
| Russian | 33.96% | |||
| Armenian | 0.24% | |||
| Belarusian | 0.13% | |||
| Moldovan | 0.08% | |||
| others | 0.1% | |||
The development plan of Sviatohirsk provides a significant expansion of the resorts, recreational, and tourism network. Within the Sviatohirsk resort are the Holy Mountain sanatorium and hotel-and-tourist complexes. The town carries out a construction and modernization of recreation departments for children and adults.
Early in 2009, a four-star hotel opened. Sviatohirsk also offers the Siverskyi Donets River, chalk mountains, coniferous and mixed forests, centuries-old oak trees, and clean air.
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