Murom (, ) is a historical city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which sprawls along the west bank of the Oka River. It borders Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and is situated from the administrative center Vladimir. Its population as of the 2021 census was 107,497.

First mentioned in 862, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It was the center of the Principality of Murom during the Middle Ages.

Etymology

The name of the city is derived from the Muroma, a Finnic tribe that inhabited the area.

History

Middle Ages

In the 9th century, the city marked the easternmost settlement of the East Slavs in the land of the Muroma, a Finnic tribe. The Primary Chronicle mentions it as early as 862. It is, thus, one of the oldest cities in Russia. Around 900, it was an important trading post from Volga Bulgaria to the Baltic Sea.

Between 1010 and 1392, it was the capital of a separate principality, whose rulers included the saints Gleb, assassinated in 1015 and canonized in 1071, Konstantin the Blessed, and Peter and Fevronia of Murom, subjects of an opera by Rimsky-Korsakov. It was believed to be the home town of the Russian epic hero Ilya Muromets. The town has a statue which shows Ilya holding the hilt of his sword in the left hand and a cross in the right.

Along with the Principality of Ryazan, Murom bore the brunt of attacks from the east as it constituted the southeastern border of Russia. As a result, Murom became dependent on the other Russian principalities.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Murom serves as the administrative center of Muromsky District, even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the City of Murom — an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the territory of the City of Murom together with nine rural localities in Muromsky District are incorporated as Murom Urban Okrug.

Economy

Murom has since 1941 played host to the JSC Murom instrument making plant (MIMP) which produces the means of initiation and ignition of ammunition, as well as various pyrotechnic devices. It is a subsidiary of Rostec State Corporation.

Sights

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File:murom abbeys.jpg|Three historic abbeys in the city center

File:Собор Троицкий площадь Крестьянина, Муром, Владимирская область.jpg|The main church of the Holy Trinity Monastery (1642–1643)

File:Painting_of_Murom_city_by_Ivan_Semenovich_Kulikov_(1914).jpg|Painting by Ivan Kulikov 1914

File:Murom aerial view.jpg|Aerial view of the city in 2014

</gallery>

Murom still retains many marks of antiquity. The , one of the most ancient in Russia, was first chronicled in 1096, when Oleg of Chernigov besieged it and killed Vladimir Monomakh's son Izyaslav, who is buried there. In 1552, the monastery was visited by Ivan the Terrible who commissioned a stone cathedral, which was followed by other churches.

The , where the relics of Sts.&nbsp;Peter and Fevronia are displayed, features a fine cathedral (1642–1643), the Kazan Church (1652), a bell-tower (1652), a wooden church of St.&nbsp;Sergius, and stone walls. It is rivaled by the , founded during the reign of Ivan the Terrible to house the relics of local princes and containing a cathedral from 1664. Two last-mentioned cathedrals, being probably the works of the same masters, have much in common with the Resurrection Church (1658) in the downtown. The tent-like church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian was built in 1565 on the bank of the Oka to commemorate the Russian conquest of Kazan.

International relations

Murom is twinned with:

  • Babruysk, Belarus

Notable people

  • Igor Irodov (1923–2002), physicist;
  • Ivan Kulikov (1875–1941), painter;
  • Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky (1863–1944), chemist and photographer;
  • Vladimir K. Zworykin (1888–1982), inventor.

References

Notes

Sources