Bakota was first mentioned in the Hypatian Chronicle in the year 1240.[1] When the town was first settled, the town was part of the state of Kievan Rus', until the middle of the 12th century when it became a part of the Halych-Volhynian Kingdom.[5] In the 13th century, Bakota served as the political and administrative center of the Dniester Lowland (Ponyzzia), which was at the time part of Halych-Volhynia.[3] The chronicle also mentions the rule of the Koriatovych dynasty over the area in 1362.[4]
After being ruled by the Koriatovych dynasty, the town was controlled by Algirdas, a monarch of the medieval Grand Duchy of Lithuania.[5] The Lithuanian Chronicle of 1362 mentions that a functioning cave monastery exists within the town.[5] This motivated the construction of fortifications, to protect the town from Crimean Tatar raids.[5] In 1431, Bakota was located and shared between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland. Bakota's inhabitants later started a revolt and proclaimed their independence, which was crushed by Poland within three years[5] The town's fortifications and castle were also destroyed.[5]
In 1893, in place of a formerly standing church, a new wooden one was constructed, founded by the Episcop of Podillia and Bratslav Dmitry.[4][6] The church was destroyed in 1960. On October 27, 1981, the village of Bakota was flooded when the New Dniester Hydroelectric Station was built. The village's inhabitants were moved from the area and re-settled not far away. In 1996, large portions of Bakota's rocky hills broke off and buried most of the village's ancient caves.
^ abcKuzin, Volodymyr. "Bakota". castles.com.ua (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
^ abcdef"Bakota". Architectural and environmental Monuments of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
Ukraine
