The 615th anniversary of the consul's tower is celebrated in Sudak fortress

By CrimeaNEWS On Авг 1, 2024

CrimeaPRESS reports:

The celebration of the 615th anniversary of the construction of the tower of the consul Luchini de Fieschi Lavani is taking place in the medieval Genoese fortress in the Crimean city of Sudak. About this TASS said Svetlana Yemets, director of the Sudak Fortress Museum-Reserve.

Not all of the 21 fortress towers are honored with a birthday celebration, but only those with their own passports — heraldic plates that were installed in the year the tower was built. The tower of Luchini de Fieschi Lavani has such a plate, — Yemets reported.

The director of the museum-reserve said that a thematic excursion about the tower and the Genoese consuls will be held for visitors. The birthday tower itself was decorated with balloons and flowers. A quiz on the knowledge of the history of Sudak will be held among tourists and memorable souvenirs will be presented.

The tower has three walls, three floors, is made of shell rock, and is the only tower in the fortress that was covered with a vault. On it is a plaque with the inscription: «1409, on the first of August, this building was made during the reign of the noble and powerful man, Mr. Lucini de Fieschi, Count of Lavagna, the venerable consul and commandant of Soldaia…».

The heraldic plate contains eight shields with family coats of arms, four of which belong to the Fieschi family. Above the two outer shields are figures depicting the Roman popes who came from the Fieschi family, namely Innocent IV and Hadrian V.

About the fortress

The position of the consul of Soldaya can be called one of the most important in the management of the Genoese colonies in Crimea. Only representatives of the Genoese elite could apply for this high post. Today, the names of only 36 of more than 100 consuls of Soldaya are known.

The Genoese fortress in Sudak is one of the symbols of the Crimean peninsula and a popular tourist attraction. More than 400 thousand people visit it annually. The fortress is the best preserved of the Genoese fortifications in Crimea. It was often used for filming movies.

The fortress was built, presumably, in the 7th century AD, and in the Middle Ages, until approximately 1475, the time of the Ottoman invasion, it was used as a stronghold of the Genoese colonies in the northern Black Sea region.

source: TASS