Reid (harbor) of St. Nicholas - First Russian seaports (Severodvinsk)

 water, seaport, place with historical importance, invisible

Even in the XY century, almost half a century before the emergence of the port of Archangel, near the walls of St. Nicholas Korelskogo monastery, on the southern coast of the Northern Dvina mouth Nikol'skii acted first Russian northern sea port.

Nicholas Korelsky monastery has long served the country's maritime gateway: it led the way through the Russian ambassadors to Europe. But after this to the bank Nikol'skii estuary August 24, 1553 storm arrived one of the British warships, seeking the northeastern sea route to China under the command of Richard Chansellora, the port was officially founded. Specifically for trade with Russia was founded by the Moscow company, which received subsequent monopoly trading rights of Tsar Ivan.

Since 1555 began regular sailing British ships in Russia. On a monastery on the island Yagry, where now there is a factory for repair and recycling of submarines "Star", was fitted with anchorage, which received the name "St. Nicholas Reid." Here were built warehouses and homes.
Since arriving ocean-going ships goods transshipped to smaller rivers and carried to Kholmogory, where there were already deep into Russia. England carried the steel and iron products, textiles, spices, paper, wine. From Russia for export was fat of seals and morzhovoe, linen, ropes, tar, leather, wood, fur.

The British used the harbor in front of St. Nicholas Monastery Korelskogo and as transit bases to other expeditions. It went out to sea further east to the Kara Sea (Stifen Barrow, 1556), to the west in search of ways to Novgorod (Spark, 1556), in India on the Northern Dvina and the Volga (Dzhenkinson, 1558).

Periodically, Ivan the Terrible to take us to it by law, sometimes in conjunction with the goods. King did not like the attitude of England, which has not agreed to enter into military alliance with Russia. Thus Moscow company has received, and lost her right up to 1587, when Boris Godunov gave her a new instrument: free trade, but not exclusively.

The place where the monastery, it is convenient to trade. Ships arriving from the sea and go directly to the harbor. There is no need to go up the river Dvina in unfamiliar direction, hiring pilots and so on. From the point of view of Customs, the situation at the mouth of one of the branches is extremely inefficient - that prevents such a route to bypass the other sleeve? It is this concern and was the main reason why in 1584 in a place where all the hoses going to consolidate the Northern Dvina, the city was founded Novoholmogory known from 1613 under the name Archangel.
New Town intercepted all trade and more than a hundred years was the main sea gate of the country.

However, we should not forget that the first Russian sea port was the harbor of St. Nicholas next to Nicholas Korelskim monastery.
www.towns.ru / other / nikkor.html