In 2016–2017, in the course of architectural and archaeological investigations of the Church of the Annunciation, small-scaled surveying works (trenching and probing) were conducted in order to define more precisely the line of the defensive ditch at Ryurik Gorodishche (Rurik's Hillfort). Because of the closeness to the foundations, the excavations touched only its sand backfill. Nevertheless, it has been established that the eastern section of the church of the early 12th century certainly

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... d in the place of the backfilled ditch and that was evidently the reason why the church was destroyed in 1342. The western boundary of the ditch passed approximately to the west of the temple's apses. The re- sults of these works confirm E. N. Nosov's conclusions on the causes of the destruction of the Church of the Annunciation.