Jose Pascual Domingo de Ribas was born on June 6, 1749, in Naples. In Russia he is better known as Osip Mikhailovich Deribas. And as with others who lived in the wild and romantic 18th century, his biography is full of mysteries and all sorts of dark spots, which it seems that he himself did much ensure. His actual year of birth is not really known, as there are several versions. The same fog clouds his day of birth. Many historians point to September 24, but to the Russian mind it seems more appropriate for such an extraordinary person to share the same day as Alexander Pushkin. And there is a connection here: Pushkin’s Ethopian grandfather Ibragim Hannibal commanded the very same fire ship in which the then unknown de Ribas began his military career.
The situation surrounding his employment in the service of the Russian army remains unclear. Of great help was Alexei Orlov-Chesmensky. And there was talk in the royal court that clever Spaniard provided assistance in the abduction in Italy of “Countess Tarakanova”, pretender to the Russian crown.
The natural-born cleverness and cunning of de Ribas served as the basis for the Russian saying: “That’s someone even de Ribas couldn’t fool.”
De Ribas served in the Russian navy for quite some time and rather successfully, having earned the Order of St. George of the first and second degree. However, he is best known as the founder of the city of Odessa, which he worked to establish from 1794 to 1797. It is no surprise that he considered this his most important accomplishment in life: “Of my undertakings in this life I consider the most important to be the founding of the port and city, which thanks to the wisdom of her Highness was given the wonderful name Odessa…”
Much less known is the fact that de Ribas was actually a real savior of Odessa. Following the death of Ekaterina II, the new tsar Pavel was inclined to do away with some of the most successful projects of his mother. And Odessa was on the list. However, de Ribas knew of one of the emperor’s soft spots - he simpled loved oranges. And so he sent from Odessa’s port a shipment of several tons of this aromatic fruit (that had arrived from Italy) to St. Petersburg. Tsar Pavel greatly appreciated the gift and Odessa remained in place.
Two hundred years later the thankful residents of Odessa established a monument to de Ribas at the start of Deribasovskaya Street and also to the Orange Bribe near the municipal legislative building.
The situation surrounding the death of de Ribas on December 14, 1800, remains a mystery. It was two months before conspirators killed Tsar Pavel, the “Russian Hamlet”. De Ribas may have been struck down by a stroke. Or as other versions have it, he was killed by coconspirators against the tsar who believed that de Ribas was preparing to turn them in. One way or the other, to this day residents of Odessa continue to demand that their hero be brought from the Smolensk Cemetery in St. Petersburg and buried in Odessa.
