Zagorsk (Sergiev Posad)


1  Sergiev Posad is ancient town (former Zagorsk, the name means "beyond the hills"). The Yaroslavl highway, winding through forest covered hills, leads to Sergiev Posad. On the way it cuts through villages and transgresses tranquil streams and rivers. After the last ridge, before the town, the golden cupola of the monastery's belfry becomes visible. The Troitse-Sergiev Monastery is Russia's best architectural ensemble, consisting of monuments that were constructed in the span of five centuries. The other sites include the State Museum and the historic fort.
 The monastery was founded by Varfolomeus, in lay life Sergei Radonezhsky. He was a major political leader from among the clergy, very active in deterring the Tatar-Mongolian onslaught. The Troitse (Trinity) Monastery became a monastery of the first order in the 18th century. It was here that in 1380, Prince Dmitry Donskoi gathered the all-Russian volunteer army. Two Troitse monks - Peresvet and Osliaba - formerly experienced warriors, took part in the famed battle on the Kulikov field. And with their valor inspired the other warriors in achieving victory over the Mamayew forces.
 In the subsequent centuries the Troitse Monastery became a major cultural center and a mighty fort on the trade route leading to the "Cold" (White) Sea. In the 16th century Tzar Ivan the Terrible surrounded the monastery with a stone wall that housed artillery, very powerful for that time. In the 17th century, during the Polish-Lithuanian intervention Pan Sapega's mighty forces spent 16 months in an unsuccessful attempt to capture the Troitse Monastery Fortress.
Some decades later the half-demolished fortifications were reconstructed. The walls were raised, but the former gun-ports and the jagged edges can still be seen. Some towers were totally relayed. On inspecting the fort, from left to right, the first tower is the Krasnaya (Red) tower. The next one is the corner Piatnitskaya Tower, constructed in 1640, and one of the best examples of 17th century military architecture. It has five tiers. They used to house cannons - small ones on the top tiers and larger ones on the bottom.
 Bellow the tower there are two small churches - the Vvedensky and the Paraskevy Friday churches. They were built by Tzar Ivan the Terrible in 1547. Near-by is a well built on the fringe of the 17th and 18th centuries and covered by an attractive chapel.
The fort's southern wall has two towers - the Lukovaya and Vodyanaya (Water). On top of the former a glassed-in summer house was constructed in the 18th century. The latter has retained its 17th century style, only its cupola has been reconstructed at a later date. Near it are the Vodyanye (Water) gates, that lead to the river. On the western wall stands the mighty Pivnaya Tower. It was reconstructed many times. And on the northeastern corner is the severe 17th century Plotnichia tower. On the northern wall stands the attractive 18th century Kalichia gate-tower. But the most attractive is the Utychia tower, whose top is decorated in the intricate Naryshkin style that predominated in the later 17th century. The inspection of the wall ends with the modest Sushylnaya tower and the Assumption gates. The Holy Gates, that used to open only for the Tzar's family, the Patriarch and the Metropolitans, open into a small fort court-yard with the small St. John Predtechi (Predecessor) church, built in 1699, and the archway - the entrance to the monastery.
 The Monastery's most valuable building is the Trinity Cathedral. This first memorial building in Russia was constructed in 1422, to commemorate the centenary of the monastery's founder Sergei Radonezhsky.
 The Troitse-Sergiev Monastery, created by the genius of the Russian people, is a fairytale come true.
Cruises