The Makaryev Yarmarka was Russia's largest annual trade fair — and by contemporary accounts, Europe's largest as well. It was held from 1641 at the walls of the Makaryev Monastery on the left bank of the Volga, opposite Lyskovo. In 1816–1817, following a catastrophic fire, it was relocated to Nizhny Novgorod, where it continued as the Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka, retaining its historical name.
History before the relocation
The fair grew up organically on land belonging to the Makaryev Monastery, which, according to tradition, was founded in 1435. The Makaryev Yarmarka's forerunners were major Volga trading gatherings: in the first half of the 13th century, trade took place at Arskoe Field near Kazan, and in 1524 Vasily III established a fair at Vasilsursk, but that site proved unsuitable because of its strategic importance as a frontier outpost.[3] The earliest documentary mention of the fair appears in a charter of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich addressed to the abbot of the Makaryev Zheltovod Monastery, Avraamy, dated 19 (29) September 1627.[2] The monastery's advantageous position at the midpoint of the navigable Volga, combined with the efforts of its abbots, fostered the growth of trade. The fair was officially established in 1641.[3] The market rapidly acquired an international character: merchants came from Central Asia, the Caucasus, India, Persia, England, Denmark, Sweden, and many other countries, trading in furs, textiles, fish, and metal goods. As it expanded, the fair outgrew the left bank and spread across the Volga to the village of Lyskovo on the opposite shore.[1] Travellers noted that the trading festival at Makaryev was richer and more crowded than the famous European fairs at Frankfurt and Leipzig. The revenue from fair dues enabled the monastery to construct stone buildings.
The fair served as a link between Europe and the countries of the East and was the most important driver of economic development throughout the Lyskovsky District region.[2] Nizhny Novgorod merchants — among them the Bolotov brothers, proprietors of trading stalls at the Lower Posad market — specialized in selling iron, copper, and tin goods both in Nizhny Novgorod and at the Makaryev Yarmarka.[1]
Relocation to Nizhny Novgorod
On a day in August 1816, fire destroyed all 29 trading buildings with more than 300 stalls, the gostiny dvor (covered market), the exchange, 8 taverns, food-and-entertainment booths, and other fair structures.[3] The question of relocation was settled that same year of 1816, with the involvement of Chancellor Count Rumyantsev. Among the first proposals submitted for consideration was a plan to site the fair on Panskie Bugry — an empty field between the The Ascension Pechersk Monastery for Men and the village of Vysokoye. Ultimately, in 1817, the fair was moved to Nizhny Novgorod, primarily for political reasons. It did not, however, lose the name "Makaryev Yarmarka."
The transfer of the fair to the vicinity of Nizhny Novgorod spurred construction in the city: stone houses began to appear sporadically in Blagoveshchenskaya Sloboda and along the Nizhne-Okskaya Embankment almost immediately after the market established itself on the Zarechka side of the river.
Consequences for the Makaryev Monastery
After losing its fair revenues, the monastery was downgraded to non-staple status. A major fire broke out there, and the community was soon dissolved; Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Monastic life was restored in 1883, but now as a convent.
Originally the fair was held once a year for a single day — 25 July (the feast day of St. Makary of Zheltovodsk and Unzha); in 1648 Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich permitted duty-free trading for five days, and by 1666 the fair already lasted two weeks.[1]
Sources
- dic.academic.ru — Originally the fair was held once a year for a single day — 25 July (the feast day of St. Makary of Zheltovodsk and Unzha); in 1648 Tsar (archive)
- znanierussia.ru — The earliest documentary mention of the fair appears in a charter of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich addressed to the abbot of the Makaryev Zheltovod Monastery, Avraamy (archive)
- Wikipedia (ru) — The Makaryev Yarmarka's forerunners were major Volga trading gatherings: in the first half of the 13th century, trade took place at Arskoe Field near Kazan, and in 1524 Vasily (archive)