The city of Sergiev Posad is located 70 kilometers northeast of Moscow. For many people, Sergiev Posad is perceived as a city of one attraction: the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, founded by St. Sergius of Radonezh in 1337. The city was formed around it, but now there are many other attractions besides the Lavra.
Sergiev Posad is the nearest city to Moscow, which is part of the Golden Ring Route. Beyond Sergiev Posad on the Yaroslavl highway are the cities of Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov the Great, Yaroslavl and Kostroma. This is a great route if you want to see ancient Russian cities and get to know Russian Culture better.
Trinity-Sergius Lavra
Sergiev Posad occupies a prominent place among the cities of the Golden Ring, thanks to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. In 1993, it became one of the first Russian attractions included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List. In Russia, only two monasteries have the highest status of the Lavra: the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. However, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra is called the spiritual center of Russian Orthodoxy.
Sergius of Radonezh became the most revered saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. He lived during the feudal fragmentation, when the Russian principalities were in vassalage to the khans of the Golden Horde. Sergius urged the princes to unite to fight the Horde. Russian Russians even called him "Abbot of the Russian Land", "Collector of Russian Lands". In 1380, he blessed Dmitry Donskoy and his army for the battle of Kulikovo Field.
Several centuries later, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra became the most powerful fortress in the vicinity of Moscow. A beautiful architectural ensemble of churches of various eras has formed inside the lavra, so a trip to Sergiev Posad is a popular excursion in the Moscow region.
Other sights of Sergiev Posad
After visiting the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, it is advisable to schedule time to visit other sights of Sergiev Posad. The Sergiev Posad City Museum is of great interest. Its expositions are placed in four separate places. The largest exposition is located in the Stable Yard, which is located in front of the entrance to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Inside the Lavra there is a branch of the museum called the Sacristy. It contains the most valuable items of religious art. Near the central square there is a Museum of Local Lore, where you can get acquainted with the history of Sergiev Posad in the 19th and 20th centuries.
On the eastern outskirts of Sergiev Posad is the Gethsemane Chernigov Skete. In the middle of the 19th century, it was founded as a small skete for the monks of the Lavra, who were looking for solitude. However, by the beginning of the 20th century, it had become one of the largest monasteries in the Moscow region. In the Skete you can see beautiful pseudo-Russian-style churches and a cave church.
Two interesting sights are located 10 kilometers south of Sergiev Posad, in the village of Khotkovo. In the center of the city is the Intercession Khotkov Monastery, and in the southern part of the village is the Abramtsevo Estate. In the second half of the 19th century, the estate belonged to Savva Mamontov, who created the Abramtsevo’s (Mamontov’s) art society there.
Its members were artists Repin, Vasnetsov, Polenov, Serov, Vrubel, Korovin, Levitan, Matveev, Nesterov and many others. Mamontov created workshops in Abramtsevo where artists could work. For decades, creative life has been in full swing here. After 1917, a museum was established in Abramtsevo. Houses and workshops have retained their original appearance. A visit to the Abramtsevo Estate is of great interest to anyone interested in Russian culture.
