Golden Ring of Russia

The city grew up around Trinity Lavra St. Sergius monastery complex - the largest monastery in Russia, founded by St. Sergius of Radonezh, after whom the city got its name. The monastery was repeatedly attacked - in the XIII century it was plundered by the khan Edigay, in the XV century the monastery withstood the siege of the Polish army. For several centuries, pilgrims from all over the world visit this place as one of the most revered Orthodox shrines. In the Trinity-Sergius Lavra is a rare collection of handwritten and old-printed books.

Pereslavl-Zalessky as the future capital of North-Eastern Russia was founded by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky in the middle of the XII century . On the swampy plain, he laid a huge for those times city, second only to Kiev and may be Smolensk. Here there are several ancient monasteries and churches, original ritual places of pagan pre-Christian cults and other historical monuments. The Savior Transfiguration Cathedral is the only one of the white-stone temples of North-Eastern Russia that has come down to us in almost complete preservation. The Cathedral was laid by Prince Yury Dolgoruky in 1152, and his son, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, completed the construction. Here in the XIII century Alexander Nevsky was baptized, and Daniel of Moscow, Ivan III and Ivan the Terrible came here.

Rostov Veliky (Great Rostov) is one of the most ancient cities of Russia. Rostov was preceded by prehistoric settlement (Sarskoye Gorodishche), which some scholars interpret as the main place of the Finno-Ugric tribe Merya, while others believe it was an important Viking trade enclave on the Volga trade route. It seems likely that different ethnics like Vikings, Scyths, Slavs and Finns are the ancestors of todays people in that region. First mentioned in the year 862 as an already important settlement, by the 10th century Rostov became the capital city of one of the prominent north-west Russian principalities. According to the official historical version - the founder of the city was the Merya tribal leader Rosta ​​and the city was named after him. Not later than the 8th century , the first Slavs appeared in Rostov , most likely they came from Novgorod. In any case, Rostov remembers pagan times well. There was a strong cult of Veles - the god who was the patron saint of domestic animals and the god of material prosperity. Prince Vladimir Iasno Sunny a few years before the adoption of Christianity even put “the idol of Veles, so large that the gilded head of the idol at sunset was visible even from Rostov. This place was called “Veles's Courtyard” ... ” When in 989 in Rostov they decided to introduce Christianity, they overthrew Veles idol, and in its place erected a church in honor of the feast of the Epiphany The serene mirror of lake Nero, the strict and elegant monasteries, quiet streets and the majestic Kremlin help to break away from the hustle and bustle and touch the formation of Russia and Orthodoxy, scroll through the pages of chronicles and history textbooks. All Rostov within walking distance from the Kremlin. And all on the bank of the lake Nero.

The first Russian city on the Volga, which is mentioned in the annals. 'Tale of Bygone Years' (Primary Chronicle, Book by Nestor the Chronicler) indicates the existence of Yaroslavl as early as 1071. Yaroslavl started in the place of Finno-Ugric settlement Bear Corner. Next to it stood a small fortress, around which they began to build a city. In the XII century, the Transfiguration Monastery (Spaso-Preobrazhenskiy Muzhskoy Monastyr') appeared here, which for a long time was the cultural, spiritual and economic center of the city.

An ancient Russian city on the Volga, which has not only the brightest history, but also has a truly special meaning for Russia. It is believed that the city was founded in 1152 by Prince Yury Dolgoruky. But this is not documented in any way, but is only a conjecture of historians. The first mention of the city dates back to 1213. The city was named after the river flowing into the Volga, but the meaning of the very notion of “Kostroma” is unknown. Some researchers believe that this is the name of a certain pagan god. In 1247 Kostroma became the capital of the Kostroma principality, in 1338 it became part of the Moscow principality. But between these dates there is another very significant one - in 1263, according to legend, Prince Vasiliy Kvashnya saw an icon of the Virgin Mary hanging on a tree. The Zaprudnensky Spassky Monastery was founded on this place (a tree with an icon was located near the Zaprudni River), and many miracles are attributed to the icon itself. In the XVII century, Kostroma was the abode of the Romanov dynasty.

Although Ivanovo is part of the Golden Ring, there are practically no truly ancient sites here. This is due to the fact that the flowering of the city fell on a relatively recent past - XVIII-XIX centuries. Therefore, today Ivanovo is known primarily as the center of the textile industry. The oldest building in Ivanovo dates back to the end of the 17th century. and is called Shudrovskaya tent. This is a small building, very similar to an ordinary hut.

Suzdal is considered the key city of the Golden Ring - one of the most popular tourist routes in Russia. This is a wonderful city, the main feature of which is the unique ancient Russian atmosphere. The city-reserve has preserved the unique atmosphere of the past centuries, there is no mass building here, there are no busy streets and noisy inherent in modern cities. Suzdal is a real fount of historical landmarks, it’s not by chance that the whole territory of the city is declared a landmark of national importance. The center of the historic district is the Suzdal Kremlin, the construction of which began in the 10th century. The main part of the buildings of the fortress, which visitors of the city can see now, were built at the turn of the 11th - 12th centuries. Much of the buildings of the Kremlin was destroyed during a fire in the early 18th century, only the Bishops' Chambers, as well as several beautiful churches, have survived to this day. Suzdal is famous for its unique religious monuments, among which the Virgin Nativity Cathedral stands out in particular. Built in the 12th century, it is a striking monument of Russian architecture, over the years the cathedral has been completely rebuilt several times. Despite numerous renovations, the cathedral managed to preserve its unique appearance, as well as part of the unique interior decoration. Nowadays ancient frescoes are considered to be its main value, some of them were created in the 13th century.

One of the cities most visited by tourists in the Golden Ring: several amazing monuments of Russian medieval white-stone architecture have been preserved here. First of all, this concerns the three landmarks listed by UNESCO on the List of World Heritage Sites: the Assumption Cathedral, the Dmitrievsky Cathedral and the Golden Gate. But the later construction of the city of 16-20 centuries is also very interesting. Vladimir has so many beautiful churches that they can hardly be seen in a day; at least two mandatory museum inspection with ancient church frescoes