Sergiev Posad - a small town of the Moscow region, located 52 km from the Moscow Ring Road. It is one of the most interesting sights of the capital region due to its largely unique history and architecture. In Soviet times, the city was called Zagorsk, and then it was returned to its former name. Sergiev Posad is one of the eight major cities of the Golden Ring of Russia (also includes Pskov , Rostov, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Yaroslav, Kostroma, Suzdal, Ivanovo, Vladimir ), distinguished by their rich cultural heritage. Let's find out what you can see in Sergiev Posad, what are the most interesting places to visit in this city.
Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra
The city of Sergiev Posad itself was formed from several settlements formed around the Trinity Monastery. The latter was founded by Sergius of Radonezh, a holy monk of the Russian Church, in 1337. Later he was given the honorary title of Trinity-Sergius Lavra, which is the main attraction of Sergiev Posad.
Nowadays the monastery is a working monastery. It is a grandiose complex of church buildings, which include 45 architectural monuments, among which is the majestic Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, the tomb of the Godunovs, the famous iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral. Among the pilgrims of Sergiev Posad, the most popular is the Assumption Church, because it is one of the most beautiful in Russia.
Church of Sergiev Posad
In addition to the monastery of Sergius of Radonezh, there are other churches in Sergiev Posad.
Be sure to visit the Savior-Bethany monastery, being in Sergiev Posad. Earlier it was the monastery of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, which is also known as the "Bethany". A curious sight is a five-domed cathedral on two floors of which there are two churches: the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God and in the name of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Now the temple is a closed monastery.
Not far from the laurels, on the picturesque hill near the Kelar Pond, the most beautiful Ilyinsky church of Sergiev Posad was built. Its peculiarity is that, firstly, it was preserved in its original form until our time, and secondly, this church was the only one in Posada that operated even in the Soviet Union. The architecture of the temple is made in the Baroque style, and its interior is decorated with a gilt five-tier iconostasis.
A popular place for pilgrimage is the Chernigov monastery, famous for its caves and the Miracle-working icon of the Chernigov Mother of God. The restored Chernigov church was built as a large cave refectory. Beautifully designed vaulted ceiling gives this temple a very unusual look.
Chapel "Pyatnitsky well"
According to the legend, St. Sergius of Radonezh extracted from the ground the source by his own prayers only, and in this very place a chapel of white stone was built, covered with a dome made of stone. It is a circular structure, the lower part of which is an octagonal rotunda with attached columns, and above the chapel there are two small domes. Any visitor to the chapel can consume the consecrated water from the spring.
Toy Museum
But not only churches are famous Sergiev Posad. Opposite to the laurels, on the shore of the pond is a large red brick mansion: this is the building of the Toy Museum. There are permanent expositions devoted to the history of Russian toys, as well as various thematic exhibitions are held periodically. Both children and adults will be interested to see the exhibits brought from different countries: England and France, Germany and Switzerland, China and Japan.
