Ivan Mazepa and construction of the Pechersk Fortress

Did you know that Ivan Mazepa was involved in the construction of Pechersk Fortress? It was before he received the Hetman’s mace.

In 1680 Mazepa, as a bunchuk comrade, left for Moscow to complete an assignment of Hetman Ivan Samoilovych. Hetman had to confirm new proposals (that dealt with the potential defense of Kyiv from the Turks) with the tsarist government. In particular, Hetman Ivan Samoilovych was considering a debatable version of the organization of defense measures. According to his plan, it was advisable to strengthen only the Upper Town, without investing significant funds in the defense of Pechersk. After inspecting the city fortifications as early as 1679, Hetman Samoilovych came to the conclusion that it was impossible to build a single system of fortifications due to the complex landscape of Kyiv and the lack of funds. However, he thought it was necessary to defend Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery that was an important shrine. That is why, it was logical to protect Pechersk – the place of the Monastery’s location, as well. Those were the issues that Ivan Mazepa, who had already shown great diplomatic skills by that time, had to discuss on behalf of Hetman Samoilovych.

Caption to the illustration:

1. Portrait of Hetman Ivan Samoilovych. 19^th century.

Hanna Filipova