The history of the emergence of Russian monasteries begins about a thousand years ago. For a long time, Orthodox monasteries were not only pilgrimage and spiritual centers, but also defensive fortresses. Today, monasteries attract believers and those who like to look at beautiful architecture and examples of ancient art. We have selected 7 impressive monasteries in Russia that can be visited any day of the week, and getting to them is not difficult.
Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra
Where is: Moscow region, city of Sergiev Posad, Krasnogorskaya square.
One of the most recognizable and famous monasteries in Russia was founded in 1337 by St. Sergius of Radonezh. The monastery near Moscow took an active part in important historical moments – the fight against the Tatar-Mongol yoke or opposition to the rule of False Dmitry II in the Time of Troubles. In 1742, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna awarded the monastery the highest status of a Lavra. Her decree with a letter of grant on 12 sheets of parchment is kept within the walls of the Trinity Monastery.
Today, the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is the largest operating monastery and the main spiritual center of the country, where thousands of pilgrims come every year. Here you can not only pray and look at the iconostasis, but also take a sightseeing tour of the territory. The Lavra represents a large complex of architectural monuments: the Trinity and Assumption Cathedrals, the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Refectory Church and the 88.5-meter bell tower (the highest in Russia). The monastery is open to the public every day from 05:00 to 21:00; the donation for visiting the sightseeing tour is 250 rubles. The schedule of services is published on the Lavra website.
How to get there: from Moscow by train from Yaroslavsky station to Sergiev Posad station.
Where to stay: in the three-star boutique hotel “Krasnaya Gora” from 3,300 rubles* per room, in the three-star hotel “Old Town” from 4,000 rubles* per day or in the two-star Central Hotel from 2,400 rubles* per night.
Holy Vvedensky Tolga Convent
Where is: Yaroslavl city, Tolga village, 1.
The largest convent in Russia was founded in the 17th century on the high bank of the Tolga River near Yaroslavl. Over the course of two centuries, the beautiful white-stone Vvedensky Cathedral, fortress walls with 12 towers, churches and chapels, residential cells, as well as a large park made of Siberian cedar appeared here. The miraculously found icon of the Tolga Mother of God is kept in the cathedral, and thousands of pilgrims come to the monastery every year to venerate this shrine.
The territory of the active monastery resembles a real fortress. Immediately upon entering you are greeted by massive gates with high towers and former defensive walls. And in the building of the Vvedensky Cathedral, magnificent paintings and a valuable iconostasis have been preserved. The monastery is open daily from 07:00 to 20:00, admission is free, and services are held as scheduled.
How to get there: by train from Moscow to Yaroslavl, and from there by minibus No. 93 to the stop “Zheleznodorozhnaya Street, Tolgobol village” (~ 45 minutes on the way).
Where to stay:in the four-star hotel “Ring Premier Hotel” from 5,100 rubles* per room, in the three-star boutique hotel “Music and Time” from 3,000 rubles* per day or in the PRO100HOSTEL.76 hostel from 600 rubles* per night.
Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevo Convent
Where is: Nizhny Novgorod region, Diveevsky district, village of Diveevo, st. Soviet.
Not far from the city of Arzamas in the south of the Nizhny Novgorod region there is one of the youngest monasteries in Russia. The first building appeared here in 1779, when the Monk Alexandra from Kyiv ordered the construction of a stone Kazan Church near the village of Diveevo to house a women’s community. Now about 500 nuns permanently live in the current monastery.
The territory of the monastery is striking in its size – there are more than 35 temples, 80 altars and about 20 hermitages. Pilgrims from all over Russia come here to venerate the relics of Seraphim of Sarov and bathe in the healing baths. This place is also interesting for lovers of beautiful architecture. The Cathedrals of the Transfiguration and the Life-Giving Trinity, as well as the 70-meter bell tower, deserve special attention. The monastery is open to the public daily from 05:00 to 22:00, and services are held as scheduled.
How to get there: by train from Moscow to Arzamas, and from there by bus to the bus station in Diveevo (~ 1.5 hours on the way).
Where to stay: in the four-star hotel “Diveevskaya Sloboda” from 5,000 rubles* per room, in the three-star hotel complex “Valentina” from 1,800 rubles* per day or in the Planet guest house from 2,000 rubles* per night.
Vvedensky stauropegial monastery Optina Pustyn
Where is: Kaluga region, city of Kozelsk, village of Optina Pustyn.
The oldest Russian monastery is located in a picturesque location near the quiet provincial town of Kozelsk. The exact time of creation of the monastery is still unknown, but according to legend it is believed that Pustyn appeared here long before the invasion of Rus’ by the Tatar-Mongol yoke. The founder of the monastery is said to be a robber named Optin, who repented of his sins and built a wooden church in dense forests on the river bank.
Everything that can be seen in Optina Pustina now was built at the end of the 18th century during the revival of Orthodox monasteries – stone churches, residential fraternal buildings, a refectory building, a mill and small houses where writers Dostoevsky and Gogol stayed, among others. Optina Pustyn is open to the public every day from 05:00 to 21:00, and services in churches are held as scheduled. Entrance to the territory is free, donation for the tour is 200 rubles.
How to get there: by train from Moscow to Kaluga, and from there by bus to the city of Kozelsk. From the local bus station you can get to the monastery by taxi or by city bus No. 6 (~ 25 minutes on the way).
Where to stay:in the Snegir hotel from 6,500 rubles* per room, in the two-star guest house Usadba from 4,000 rubles* per day or in the Kozelsk guest house from 1,800 rubles* per night.
Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra
Where is: city of St. Petersburg, embankment of the Monastyrka river, 1.
The Lavra is located at the end of Nevsky Prospect on the banks of the Monastyrka and Neva rivers. The monastery was built in 1713 by decree of Peter I, who ordered the construction of a temple in the place where the Battle of the Neva took place. True, historians later established that the famous battle was fought upstream of the Neva River. Despite this, the Lavra is dedicated to the feat of the commander-Novgorod prince Alexander Nevsky and the Holy Trinity.
The Orthodox male monastery received the highest status of the Lavra in 1797. Now it is the oldest active monastery in the city, on the territory of which a whole complex of architectural monuments of the 18th-19th centuries has been preserved. Here you can look at the beautiful and austere monastery buildings, churches and chapels, and also bow your head before the outstanding figures of Russia who are buried in the Lavra cemeteries (F. M. Dostoevsky, M. V. Lomonosov, V. A. Zhukovsky). The monastery is open to the public daily from 05:30 to 23:00, admission is free, and services are held as scheduled.
How to get there: by train or plane to St. Petersburg. The complex is located next to the metro station “Alexander Nevsky Square 1”.
Where to stay: in the four-star Kravt Nevsky hotel from 5,300 rubles* per room, in the three-star Green loft hotel from 2,100 rubles* in overnight or in the mini-hotel “Pilgrim’s House” from 1,400 rubles* per night.
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery
Where is: Vologda region, city of Kirillov, Bazarnaya street, 1.
The largest monastery complex in North-West Russia is located in a small provincial town on the shores of Lake Siverskoye. The date of its foundation is considered to be 1397, when the monk Kirill came to these lands and decided to found a monastery. The territory of the operating Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery resembles an ancient city and an open-air museum, where about 40 architectural structures are collected behind high stone walls. Once outside the gates of the monastery, in one place you can see 11 churches at once, the oldest of which is the Placing of the Robe, 1485 (an example of Russian wooden architecture).
In the Assumption Cathedral, look at the gilded iconostasis of the 15th century, which has remained virtually unchanged since then: 58 out of 60 icons have survived to this day. It will be especially interesting to look inside the buildings, because on the territory of the monastery is located the largest in the Vologda region Kirillo- Belozersky Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve. The cost of a single ticket to view all exhibitions is 1,500 rubles. You can buy a ticket at the box office or online on the website. The complex is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 18:00.
How to get there:by train or plane from Moscow to Vologda, and from there about 3 hours by bus to Kirillov.
Where to stay: in the guest house “Ecotel Tourist Village” from 5,600 rubles* per room, in the guest house “Lumanskaya Zavod” from 1,400 rubles* per day or at the Legenda apart-hotel from 2,500 rubles* per night, which is located in the neighboring historical settlement of Belozersk.
Holy Dormition Pskov-Pechersky Monastery
Where is: Pskov region, Pechory city, Mezhdunarodnaya street, 5.
50 km from Pskov there is a huge monastery complex of 17 architectural monuments that were recently restored. The central and oldest place of the active monastery is considered to be the Assumption Cave Church, which was built in 1473, and it was from that time that the monastery began its history. In addition to visiting traditional and cave churches, you can stroll along the massive fortress walls, climb the Holy Mountain, or feel the power of the entire complex by walking under the Holy Gate.
Despite the difficult history and enemy invasions due to the border position, the monastery never closed and continued to work even in the most difficult years. The monastery is open to the public daily from 10:00 to 18:00, and morning services begin at 7 a.m. as scheduled. Entrance to the monastery territory is free. Before visiting the monastery, you can pre-register for a sightseeing tour (it is held several times a day from 09:00 to 19:00, including on weekends and holidays).
How to get there: by train or plane from Moscow to Pskov, and from there about 1.5 hours by bus to Pechory.
Where to stay: at the three-star Pechory-Park Hotel from 1,400 rubles* per room, at the Sova Hotel from 2,500 rubles * per day or at the Planet Hotel from 1,600 rubles* per night.
*Prices are current at the time of publication.
