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As early as the Stone Age, Slavelor zone was extremely favorable for the human settlement, fact proved by the discoveries from the Middle Paleolithic (blades, scrapers) and from the Neolithic Age (silex, ceramic) - recently unearthed on the plateaus east from the citadel. In the same zone, ceramic fragments of Bronze Age, Hallstatt and La Tène were found. A large settlement, from La Tène period, was identified on the hill Ladonca. The Lysimach treasure (mentioned by C. Moisil in 1916) dates from the same period.
The gradual integration of the territory situated between Danube, Black Sea and Balkans into the Roman Empire, in I A.D., esentially changed the character and the profile of Slava Valley settlement. The Roman currency and goods (ceramic, glass) are present in an important quantity after in the second half of I A.D.

The citadel from Slava Valley, identified by V. Pârvan as polis Ibida, mentioned by Procopius from Caesarea as one of the fortresses rebuilt by Justinian (De aed. IV 7), also mentioned by Theophylactus Simocata as Libidinon polin, is the biggest from Dobrudja - with 24 ha surface, a belt of fortifications spread on a length of 2000 m, with 24 towers and 3 gates.

The fortress, in the same shape dating from the tetrarchy epoch, is doubled by a fortification with a surface of about 3 ha situated on the Harada Hill (meaning in Turkish "The girl's fortress"), which northern side is common with that of the fortress. At 158 m altitude, on another summit, situated in the prolongation of Harada Hill, a Roman-Byzantine fort which watched the entire Slava Valley is present.

Sporadic archaeological investigations, beginning with the end of XIX century, led to the disclosure - in the centre of the fortress- of a basilica with three naves and three apses, with marble columns and capitals and polychrome mosaic pavement, architectural sole exemplar in the Roman-Byzantine Dobrudja, and to the finding out of the fortress' stratigraphy (I - VII A.D.).

The epigraphic discoveries (not too generous) - 11 Latin inscriptions - inform us about the remake, at the time of the emperors Maximinus and Maximus, of some roads and bridges and about the inhabitants of the citadel: Romans
- Valerius Valens, veteran of the Legion XI Claudia; Q. Marcus Quadratus, nat(ione) Lib(ycus or urnus) and Q. Marcius Provincialis; Tiberius Claudius Vettius, Tiberius Claudius Ingenus, Marcus and Florus ; a veteran of the Legion V Macedonica with his family (Cocceia Dorina, Antonia Crispina and Antonius Alexander); Ulpius Flavius - and Thracians - Othis, son of Seutes, Bithidia, daughter of Bitus; Durisses, son of Bithus.

The archaeological investigations made in 1987 in the territory of the town revealed, at about 3 km west from the fortress, a Palaeo-Christian monastic complex with three constructive phases, dated between the second half of IV century and the first part of the VII century A.D., sole exemplar in the Northern Dobrudja. Between the pieces discovered at the monastic complex, some have an exceptional value: the chandelier vessel, the hanger for the votive light or for the censer, a solidi (gold Roman-Byzantine coins) treasure.

Other discoveries in the territory of Ibida citadel, at Kurt Baiîr, Fântâna lui Bujor, Coşari, Caugagia - Cimitirul turcesc, Camena, Fântâna Mare, pointed out the proportion and inhabitancy density in this area, in connection with the dimensions and importance of the urbane centre from Slava.

The resumption of the systematic investigations, beginning with 2001, occasioned the unearthing of other important vestiges: the precinct wall was investigated in the points Curtina G and tower 8, the defensive ensemble from the Western Gate was disclosed, system which finds analogies at the Hadrianic wall from Britany. The pillae of the ancient bridge which crossed Slava river, dwellings, the sewerage system and over 60 graves and a Roman-Byzantine vault were investigated too. The Roman-Byzantine vault, the single of this type investigated in the Roman-Byzantine necropolis for the time being, with big dimensions (8 X 3.5 m), was constituted by dromos and funeral room, built by bricks and stone slabs, with the interior plastered and painted, with the floor made by brick plates and served as burial place for 39 individuals of a rich family of the town.

The falling down of the Dobrudja's limes in the first quarter of the VIII century determined the cessation of the urbane life at Ibida. Until the XVI century, there is no information about any systemathic inhabitancy in the territory of the actual village Slava Rusă.

The first documentary attestation of the settlement was made in 1584. Turkish registers mention it as Kizil-insarlic. The same name appears in the travel notes of Evlia Celebi (the middle of XVIII century). Still in Turkish variant - Kizilsar - the name of the village is noted by ion Ionescu de la Brad in the description of his agricultural trip in Dobrudja (1850); in a similar form - Kizil-hisar - the village appears in an Ottoman document from the period 1866-1877.

Simultaneously, the locality appears with the name: Islawa - in an Ottoman register from the end of the XVII century, Slawa - on an Austrian map from 1790 and a Russian one from 1828, or Slava - mentioned by the Polish agent Korsak in his travel notes from 1849. In 1819, a Russian map mentions for the first time two localities: Star Slava (nowadays Slava Rusă) and Noia Slava (nowadays Slava Cercheză).



Population

The work of holy books revision, initiated by the Patriarch Nicon and accepted by the Moscow Synod in 1658, determined schism in the Russian Church. The coercion measures taken against the opponents (named „old believers" - „starovierţi" or „staroobriedţi") forced them to emigrate in Serbia, Poland, Moldavia and Ottoman Empire. The refugees arrived in Moldavia and Dobrudja were led by the abbot of the monastery Pomar, whose name was Filip. Its name is the origin of their names: „filipovţi", ‚filipoveni", „lipoveni" (Lipovans). At their turn, they spli into two big groups: „bespopovţi" (without priest) and „popovi" (with priest), in connection with the manner of divine service practice.

In the village Slava Rusă, the Lipovans without priest are attested beginning with 1754; after half century (1804) the Lipovans with priest settled down. After the Independence War Romanians, most of them coming from Oltenia, have been colonized at Slava Rusă,. They occupied with preponderance the northern and north-eastern side of the village (so called „the colonists' zone")

At the beginning of the XIX century the village had 20 houses and about 30 families. A century later, the village had 1166 inhabitants: 899 Lipovans with priest, 222 Lipovans without priest, 12 Romanians, 10 Gypsies, 2 Bulgarians, 1 Greek and 20 Jews and at the end of the XX century, from 1839 inhabitants, 90% are Lipovans (the majority with priest) and 10% are Romanians.

The education was made, at the end of the XIX century, in three schools: a public one and two private belonging to Lipovans (one for those with priest and one for those without priest) where only religious knowledge were provided. After a century, the village has a school with 156 students and 7 teachers.

Slava Rusă is the centre of the old rite orthodox religion. This fact is demonstrated by the presence of two Lipovan churches, Sf. Nicolae and Acoperământul Maicii Domnului, and two monasteries. Uspenia, 3 km south-west from the village, is a monks' monastery. Vovidenia, at the south-eastern limit of the village, is a nuns' monastery.

Uspenia monastery - monks' monastery situated at 3 km south-west of Slava Rusă village, was founded by a faithful group from the village in XVIII century. They elevated a small wooden church and they were living there in seclusion. Since 1848 the monastery became Episcopal headquarters under the authority of the metropolitan bishop of Fântâna Albă (Moldavia). Then it became metropolitan headquarter. In the second part of XIX century, the wooden church was replaced by a built one which was hallowed in 1883 with the name "Adormirea Maicii Domnului".

In time, the number of the monks increased. So, around 1843, they asked to the sultan Abdul-Azis some privileges. Exception from the taxes was one of these. The approval came with the firman emitted in 1851 and recognized by the subsequent sultans, determined an effervescence of the monastic life: in 1877, 200 monks were registered.

after the integration of Dobrudja in the Romanian state, despite the fact that old privileges have been kept the number of monks decreased very much. At the beginning of the XX century only 60 monks were registered and nowadays only 9 monks are living here.

Every year, the monastery festival (29 August) put together the Russian-Lipovan communities from the country and abroad.

Vovidenia monastery - at about hundred years after the foundation of Uspenia Monastery, at the south-eastern limit of Slava Rusă village, the second Lipovan monastic community has been constituted - nuns'. The church, nowadays named "the small'", has been built at the middle of XIX century. 20 years later, in 1866, a new lager church was added. Presently, 40 nuns live here.

There are two Lipovans cult buildings: Sfântul Nicolae Church- elevated in 1852 and rebuilt in 1996, which serves the group with priest - and Acoperământul Maicii Domnului Church- built at the beginning of XIX by the Lipovans without priest. Due to the fact that the number of Lipovans without priest is reduced at only few families, nowadays this church is also served by a priest. The language of the mass is Slavonic and all the canons are respected.

Placed in a zone very picturesque - proposed by the specialists to be a landscape reserve, sheltering the vestiges of the biggest Roman town from Dobrudja, inhabited by one of the most traditional communities (Russian Lipovans), being the Old Rite Christian spiritual centre with its monasteries Uspenia and Vovidenia, the village Slava Rusă could be one of the most important points of the cultural tourism the Northern Dobrudja.