In the written sources, Mogilev was mentioned for the first time in the "List of the Russian cities, remote and close", which is dated the late XIV century. At the end of the XIV — beginning of the XV centuries, the city was in the possession of queen Yadviga, who appeared to be wife of the Polish king and the Great prince of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Yagaila, in 1431 — in the possession of the prince of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Svidrigaila. In the XIV— XVIII cc it was a centre of the Mogilev District. The king customs duty free list (a document, granting the right on the trade without the customs duty payment) as of the 4th of April 1488 testifies that in the XV century Mogilev was a commercial centre and had its customs office. In the year 1561 Mogilev obtained the right on "Voitovstvo" (the city self-government) and in 1577 it obtained the Magdeburg right and its own emblem. According to its economical importance in the Great Principality of Lithuania, Mogilev occupied one of the first places after Vil'no.

At the end of the XVI-XVIII centuries Mogilev was one of the most important centers of the Belarussian Orthodox faith. The overwhelming majority of the Mogilev petty bourgeois have professed the Orthodox faith and they established for its defense their organizations — brotherhoods. With the appointment of S. I. Bogush-Sestranzevich to a bishop position of the Mogilev Roman-Catholic diocese, Mogilev become a centre of all the catholic parishes of the Russian Empire.

Starting from the beginning of the 1st world war, a military status was introduced in the Mogilev government. In Mogilev the headquarters of the Supreme commander in chief of the Russian troops were located. Starting from the 15th of January 1938 the City of Mogilev became a centre of the Mogilev Province. During the last years, the city economy has been developing rapidly. The industrial enterprises of the regional centre export more than 65% of the manufactured products in different countries of the world. The Open Joint-Stock Company "Mogilevchimvolokno" appears to be an important complex on the polyester fibers and threads production. The Mogilev Artificial Fibers Factory, the oldest enterprise of the Belarusian chemical industry, named in honour of V V Kuibyshev, is famous for its production. The Republic Unitarian Enterprise "The Mogilev Strommashina Factory" and "The Mogilev Factory of the lift machines building" Republican Unitary Enterprise and the others. The architectural monuments of Mogilev of the XVII—XVIII centuries are different in their types. A complex of now operating Woman Monastery of Saint Nikolai is particularly valuable. It includes: the Nikolaevskaya Church (1669—1672 years), the Onufrievskiy temple (the year 1798), a church apartment building (XVII century), the bell tower (XVII—XVIII centuries), a fence with the gates. The points of interest in Mogilev include the Palace of Georgiy Konissky — a great orthodox figure of the XVIII century, an educator, writer and philosopher, a preacher and a diplomat, a Mogilev saint. The palace was built in 1762—1785 under the project of the Vilnus architect Y. Glaubiza.

Guide to towns and district centers of Republic of Belarus. A.V. Varivonchik [etc.]