Tower of St. Constantine in Feodosia

The Tower of St. Constantine is located near the Port of Feodosia in the park area between the 40th Anniversary of Victory Park and Jubilee Park. This tower was built in 1389, during the construction of the outer wall of the Genoese fortress of Kafa. Previously, the Tower of St. Constantine was located directly on the seashore. 

The Genoese built three fortresses on the Black Sea. Kafa was the capital of their colonies and was protected by the largest fortress on the Black Sea. The main military base was the Genoese Fortress in Sudak. To protect the western coast of Crimea, they built the Fortress of Chembalo in Balaklava.  

The fortress in Sudak has been preserved in excellent condition to this day. There was almost nothing left of the Fortress of Kafa in the center of Feodosia, since it was located in the area of the commercial port. During the expansion of the port infrastructure in the 19th century, all the fortifications of Kafa were demolished. 

In 1343, the Genoese completed the construction of the citadel of the Fortress of Kafa with 14 towers. After that, it was planned to build an external wall, but these plans were postponed for 40 years due to the plague epidemic. In 1343, the fortress of Kafa was besieged by the Golden Horde Khan Janibek. He unsuccessfully besieged Kafa, and in the summer an epidemic of plague began in his army, which originated in the Gobi Desert (Mongolia). Realizing that his troops did not have the strength to storm the Kafa, they decided to put the bodies of people who died of the plague and throw them into the Kafa. An epidemic also broke out inside the city and some Genoese decided to flee by ship to their native Genoa. 

On these ships, the plague reached Western Europe and in 1343 the most terrible plague epidemic in Europe began, which was called the "Black Death". The epidemic lasted until 1356. According to various estimates, from 30 to 60% of the population died in Europe. Despite the epidemic, Kafa continued to develop. In 1389, the Genoese built the outer wall of their fortress 5.5 kilometers long with 30 towers. 

The Tower of St. Constantine was a corner tower on the west of the outer wall and was located on the seashore. At first it was called the Arsenal, as it stored weapons in case of a siege. Then it was named after the Roman emperor Constantine, who in 313 adopted the Edict of Milan, which officially allowed the practice of Christianity.