By the order of Peter the Great the construction of the Admiralty shipyard was started near the Voronezh fortress on the bank of the Voronezh River at the end of the 17th century. It is there at the Admiralty Square the formation of the Russian Navy began.
Peter I realized that it was necessary to fight with Sweden for the outlet to the Baltic Sea. But at the same time there remained the threat of a war with the Turkish Empire. He decided to strengthen the Azov Fleet with multi-gun ships to hold Turkey in check and prevent a war on two fronts. So, on October, 20 1696 the Boyar Duma took a decision about the state funded construction of the regular Russian Navy. Earlier, all such enterprises were usually funded by private companies.
The first St. Andrew`s flag was approved and made in Voronezh. Totally, in the period from 1696 through 1711 there were built 215 ships, which took part in the Azov campaigns, which resulted in the peace with Turkey and let Peter I begin a war with Sweden.
The Admiralty square was beautified by the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy, which was celebrated in in 1996. The Admiralty square is near the well-appointed Peter`s embankment. In the middle of the square is a rostral column symbolizing the formation of Russia as a naval state.
The Goto Predestinatsia (God`s Predestination, literally The Providence of God), which was reconstructed by the historical drawings, was moored there in 2014. It was the first Russian ship of the line and the first fourth rate ship created in Russia without the help of foreign specialists.
The Assumption Admiralty church built in 1600 is also on the Admiralty Square. Earlier, it was the main church of the Assumption monastery. All ships, which were built at the Admiralty shipyard, were consecrated by its officers. However, eventually, with the extension of the shipyard, the Assumption monastery was closed down, and there remained only the Assumption church.
