Not long ago, in the article “All of this os Kochetok,” I briefly touched on the topic of Dr. Yegor Faddeevich Sledzievsky’s health resort, to which many people came every year to Kochetok for treatment with healing mineral waters. Of course, this was by no means the only health resort in our region. Today, we’ll be talking about one of them.
When Svyatohirs’k is mentioned, most people immediately picture an ancient, beautiful, and majestic monastery.
This is not surprising. The monastery, which was abolished by Empress Catherine II and restored by decree of Emperor Nicholas, was described in the memoirs and historical essays of many famous people until 1917.
For example, here is the content of an 1880 book titled *Holy Mountains: Essays and Impressions* by the wonderful writer, traveler, and journalist Vasily Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko:
I. The Road to the Monastery. — A Night
of Nightingales II. The Past
III. A Priest During the Epidemic. — The Hotel
IV. In the Monastery Courtyard. — The Refectory. — The Tea Room
V. Morning on the Holy Mountains. — View of the Monastery
VI. On the Ferry
VII. The Monastic Ladies. — The Women’s Hospital
VIII. The Cathedral. — The Northern and Southern Monks
IX. In the Treasurer’s Cell.
X. Notable Figures. — The Monk-Photographer. — The Monk-Writer
XI. At the Apiary
XII. From the Chalk Cliffs
XIII. Then and Now
XIV. The Svyatogorsk “Edison”—Father Antonin (not Anthony?)
XV. At Countess Potemkina’s
Country House XVI. Monastic Life. — The Bakery and the Shop
XVII. The Underground Passage
XVIII. Hieroschemamonk John the Recluse
XIX. Father Serapion. — The Workers
For many years now, the “Sibilev Readings” academic conference has been held annually in Svyatogorsk. The organizers are the Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Lavra, in collaboration with the municipal institution “State Historical and Architectural Reserve in Svyatohirs’k.”
But this settlement—known in documents until the middle of the last century as Bannoe—is famous for more than just one monastery. In 1886, in the Izyum District on the left bank of the Seversky Donets River, 150 versts from Kharkiv, the “Holy Mountains” summer resort was established. Its founder and owner was Count Georgy Ivanovich Ribopier. The roots of this noble family lie in the canton of Vaadt (Switzerland), where, according to the official account, the Ribopiers’ ancestors were patricians in ancient times. In the 18th century, Ivan Stepanovich Ribopier arrived in the Russian Empire, and in 1865, the Ribopiers were granted the title of count.
Although the well-known writer and journalist Vladimir Alekseevich Gilyarovsky, in his 1934 book *Friends and Encounters*, writes quite the opposite on this subject in a very scathing tone: “…Ribopier was very proud of his title of count, even though his ancestor had received both the title and the surname by the grace of Catherine II for services about which his descendant avoided speaking at length. Pierre, the court barber, was especially charming when he laughed, and Catherine often said to him, ‘Ris, beau Pierre’ (‘Laugh, handsome Pierre’—that is, ‘Laugh, handsome Pierre’). That is where the surname came from.”
The complete history of all its owners is detailed in the book by the distinguished Ukrainian scholar Vladimir Nikolaevich Dedov, *The Svyatogorsk Estate and Its Owners from the Late 18th to the Early 20th Century*
Georgy Alexandrovich, the only son of diplomat Alexander Ivanovich Ribopier, managed to build a successful career serving in the cavalry. He fought against the Turks in 1877–1878, was wounded, and was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 4th Class; the French Legion of Honor; and the Romanian Iron Cross. In 1885, Georgy Ribopier submitted a request to the emperor for retirement on health grounds, which was granted. In retirement, Ribopier actively participated in the development of equestrian sports, weightlifting, and wrestling, as well as the Olympic movement in the Russian Empire of that time. Much was also written in the early 20th century about the popular health resort in the Holy Mountains that Ribopier had established.
It is even mentioned in Vladimir Nikolaevich Zolotnitsky’s book *The Kumys Maker’s Guide*, published in 1914. It turns out that this fermented milk drink made from mare’s milk was produced in only two places in our region. “…in the Kharkiv Governorate, kumis is produced at the Slovyansk Mineral Springs and on Count Ribopier’s estate, ‘Holy Mountains.’ The latter summer residence is located in the Izyum District, 4 versts from the “Svyatogorskaya” station (on the North Donets Railway), in a pine forest near the Siverskyi Donets River.”
The “Report on the Condition of the Medical and Sanitary Unit at Count Georgy Ivanovich Ribopier’s ‘Holy Mountains’ Summer Resort for the 1907 Summer Season” contains a great many interesting details that provide a comprehensive picture of the health resort.
The country estates covered an area of 25 desyatinas and were surrounded by 5,000 desyatinas of beautiful, mature pine forest. There were 35 dachas and mansions in total. Seven of them were located on the high right bank of the Seversky Donets River, three versts from the other buildings, and covered an area of 7 desyatinas. Near the summer homes was the village of Bannoe (now the city of Svyatohirs’k), whose population at the beginning of the 20th century was 1,141 people. It was particularly noted that in this place “the air is clean, with a high concentration of ozone. It is always saturated with a resinous scent, especially on hot, sunny, and windless days…”
Drinking water for summer residents in “Holy Mountains” was drawn from wells built specifically for this purpose: it was pumped out using hand pumps and then delivered in barrels. The water was stored in specially adapted, painted wooden barrels equipped with taps and lids. Each summer cottage had an outhouse built according to the “privileged odorless powder closet” system (developed in 1897 by engineer Timokhovich), from which waste was removed every night.
A special area was set aside below the bathing houses on the riverbank for washing laundry. The park paths and courtyards were cleaned daily early in the morning by janitors. All the summer cottages were whitewashed and disinfected with formalin every year. A special cottage with several rooms and separate servants was set aside for tuberculosis patients. They were required to carry pocket spittoons with them at all times and were strictly forbidden from spitting in the park. However, despite this ban and the posted notices, vacationers who spat on the park paths were still occasionally caught. The medical staff at this by no means inexpensive resort attributed this (as well as the habit of drinking kefir and kumis straight from the bottle) to the “low cultural level of the public.” The following facilities were available for treatment to all those renting summer cottages in the “Holy Mountains”: wooden bathhouses on the Donets River, with separate sections for men, women, and children, as well as several private rooms. For those who enjoyed swimming, access points to the river were provided. To prevent accidents, a boat stood by on the shore, and cork and gas-filled life rings were available. Swimming in the river was free, “but only in the communal sections.”
Near the bathhouses on the riverbank was a special bathing facility consisting of 12 rooms:
— 9 bathrooms (7 wooden and 2 tiled);
— 1 servants’ room;
— 1 waiting room;
— 1 workroom.
According to data from the summer season of 1907:
— 820 people took regular baths;
— 350 people took salt baths, for which only lake salt from Slovyansk was used, and the concentration of the solution was prepared according to the doctors’ instructions;
— 115 people took coniferous baths, prepared using ordinary pine extract.
All baths were not only disinfected daily but also thoroughly cleaned after each visitor. Patients with skin diseases were not allowed to use them. A spacious and comfortable room specifically designed for drinking kumis did not appear at “Holy Mountains” until the early 20th century. A Tatar was specially invited for the summer to prepare the drink under a doctor’s supervision. In the summer of 1907 alone, visitors to the health resort drank 10,000 half-bottles of kumis and 7,000 of kefir. After consumption, all glasses and bottles were thoroughly washed by the staff in a hot 3% soda solution. All mares were kept on a good diet and regularly examined by a veterinarian. There was also a pharmacy on the premises, and each year, at the owner’s invitation, private practitioners would come for the season.
As mentioned above, the summer homes were wooden mansions situated in a pine forest. Each one had a kitchen in the courtyard, an icehouse, and other amenities. It should be noted that it was not necessary to rent an entire house to relax or receive medical treatment in the “Holy Mountains.” The promotional brochures stated: “Three summer cottages are available by the room (44 rooms in total), all fully furnished.” In addition to furniture, each guest was provided with: a samovar, a washbasin, and a bed with a stuffed mattress, though bedding was not included. Guests were expected to bring their own dishes. Those who didn’t want to bother bringing their own spoons and cups could rent them at the dacha shop located right there. Meals could be had either at private dining halls—of which there was no shortage in “Holy Mountains”—or by buying groceries at the market in the neighboring village. And in the center of the summer resort stood a pavilion housing a reading room and a bookcase, a billiards table, a barber shop, and a grand piano. Around the pavilion were flower beds and walking paths. Nearby were swings, a gazebo for refreshing drinks, courts for croquet and lawn tennis, as well as a special room where musicians performed on weekends. All of this was lit by electricity until 11 p.m. There was also a post and telegraph office at the summer cottages. A four-seater stagecoach ran daily to and from the Slovyansk station. A horse-drawn tram (a horse-drawn railway) connected the bathhouse, the bathing areas, and the shop to the center of the summer cottages.
According to data from 1907, during the season (guests usually began arriving in May and left in August), 300 people vacationed at “Holy Mountains” (70 men, 120 women, and 110 children). Seriously ill vacationers, incidentally, were not admitted to the summer cottages. The promotional materials stated that: “The ‘Holy Mountains’ resort is recommended as a vacation spot for people weary of city life, as well as for those suffering from anemia, chlorosis, weak chests, those recovering from debilitating illnesses, and those with nervous disorders.”
After the 1917 Revolution, the estate of Count Ribopier’s heirs was nationalized and ceased to exist. However, thanks to numerous memoirs, photographs, and promotional materials, we can still learn today how our ancestors spent their leisure time more than 100 years ago. I would like to conclude today’s article with the words of Dr. Vladimir Bykov, which remain relevant to this day, from the “Report on the Condition of the Medical and Sanitary Unit at Count Georgy Ivanovich Ribopier’s Summer Residence ‘Holy Mountains’ of Count Georgy Ivanovich Ribopier for the Summer Season of 1907”:
The fresh air of our forests, fields, steppes, mountains, and hills is in no way inferior to the air found at the most renowned health resorts in terms of its benefits to human health. To enjoy it, you need neither expensive equipment nor long journeys.
