Uglitch

The ancient Russian town of Uglitch entered history as the place of death of Tsarevich Dimitriy (1582-1591), the youngest son of the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Dimitriy and his mother had been exiled from Moscow by the boyars, who feared that Dimitriy would claim the Russian throne. One day, Dimitriy was playing knives with his friends and a terrible tragedy occurred. Dimitriy was found dead with a wound to his throat. The priest in the bell-tower started to ring the alarm bell, and a many people gathered at the place of the death. Dimitriy’s mother accused two associates of Boris Godunov of assassinating her son, and they were immediately killed by the infuriated crowd. Those who investigated the event afterward though adhered to the belief that the boy was not murdered at all, but had died by tragic accident.

The death of Tsarevich Dimitriy gave rise to the Time of Troubles, while his rumoured survival resulted in three people falsely claiming to be Dimitriy - each of whom claimed their right to the Russian throne.

Tsarevich Dimitriy was canonised by the Russian Orthodox Church. The Church of Tsarevich Dimitriy on the (Spilled) Blood was constructed on the place of his death. Dimitriy is portrayed on the coat of arms of Uglitch. The bell, which also became the victim of the tragedy, was severely punished – its tongue was cut off and it was exiled to Siberia; later, however, it was returned to the Church of Dimitriy on the (Spilled) Blood.

Some images from Uglitch are shown below: