Stolpiena tower

The name Pillar refers to the word pillar, that is, a tower. As the first historian of the Kholm region, Bishop Susha , once there was a large castle with four towers ^[2] .

According to the radiological analysis of C14 carbon , the tower was built in the second half of the 13th century from hewn blocks of limestone . Probably, it was laid by Prince Daniil of Galitsky near the road to his capital Hill on an artificially sprinkled hill. In support of this version, an entry is made in the Ipatiev Chronicle under 1259 about the construction of defense towers by the prince near the Hill to strengthen his defense. They are identified as towers in Belavino and Pillars ^[3] . Around the 1280s, the tower performed defense functions. After the destruction by the Tatars at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, it was not updated as a defensive structure, although it could be used for other purposes. Archaeological research of the tower was carried out in the 19th century, 1909-1912, 1970s and 2003-2005.

The tower has an external plan of the rectangle (6.6 by 5.7 m) and a circular inner space with a diameter of 3-3.6 m, which goes into the octagon in the upper tiers. The walls of three tiers with a height of 17 m have survived to this day. During the construction, the tower had supposedly 4-5 tiers. In the upper tier, there was probably a chapel in the shape of a Greek cross with glazed tiles and stained-glass windows. Perhaps the height of the chapel was twice the height of the lower tiers of the tower. Through-wall openings remained in the walls of the upper tier, into which, probably, the beams of the external defense gallery were inserted according to the type of gurdicia . In addition to limestone as a building material, the tower was lined with green stone at the edges, the same material and individual white-stone blocks were used to decorate embrasures. Near the south wall of the tower, the stone foundation of the building was found (12.5 by 15.4 m). On the west side, a wooden platform led to the source. The hill on which the tower was built was surrounded by a picket fence and a moat.

Archaeological research has given reason to believe that the upper tiers were repeatedly rebuilt and used as a chapel . Glazed tiles from its floor are similar to tiles from the castle of Daniil Romanovich in the Hill. It is believed that the tower could be located in the monastery and intended for the stay of a respected person. Such a person could be Anna Maria Angel - the mother of Prince Daniil Romanovich, who ended her life in an unknown monastery near the Hill. Research in the 1970s revealed the existence of an octagonal chapel in the upper tier with large four conchs oriented to the cardinal points, which gave it the shape of a Greek cross. The tier probably had eight- petal arches on thickened ribs of the early Gothic type.

• Kamenetsk tower
• Berestey tower
• Pillar tower in Belavino
• Vasilievskaya Church (Vladimir-Volynsky)

1. ↑ Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa: Rejestr zabytków nieruchomych - województwo lubelskie (Polish)
2. ↑ Ivan KRIP'YAKEVICH.
3. ↑ LITOPIS RUSSIAN. Rocky 1245-1260. (inaccessible link)

• Antipov IV. Defensive towers of the “Volyn type” in the system of fortifications of the cities of Western Russia. // Settlements: environment, culture, society. Materials of the thematic scientific conference. St. Petersburg, October 6-9, 1998. Publishing House of St. Petersburg University. SPb., 1998, p. 193-197.
• Rappoport P.A. Defensive structures of Western Volyn XIII-XIV centuries. Światowit, Tom 24 (1962) s. 619-627

• Godovanyuk, A. (inaccessible link) Manifestations of Gothic art in the monumental stone construction of Volhynia at the end of the 13th century - throughout the 16th century (inaccessible link) // Ukrainian Art History: materials, studies, reviews: Sat. sciences. pr. - K .: IIFE named after M.T. Rylsky, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 2009.
• (gender) Archaeological research 2003-2005
• Aerial view of the tower