Nikitsky Monastery

Pereslavl-Zalessky will not leave indifferent lovers of ancient architecture and historical sights. After all, there are five monasteries preserved in the city, each of which is unique and interesting in its own way. In ancient times, the Orthodox religion occupied one of the most important places in people's lives. The construction of monasteries was considered a charitable deed. Their founders were both clergy and people in power (kings, princes). To this day, many monastery buildings have been preserved, the age of which is estimated to be centuries old.

Not far from Moskovskaya street is located Goritsky Assumption Monastery(Museum Lane, 4), or as it was called in ancient times - “Most Pure on Goritsa”. The monastery domes are visible from afar due to their elevated location. It was founded by Moscow prince Ivan Kalita. The date of foundation dates back to the first half of the 14th century. The monastery was destined to survive enemy raids by the troops of Khan Tokhtamysh, as well as several fires, due to which many wooden buildings were destroyed. In the 15th century Grand dukes often came here and made large donations. This was the first period of prosperity of the monastery. And in 1744 the monastery became the residence of bishops. Then many stone buildings were erected that have survived to this day: the Assumption Cathedral - the largest ancient building in the city, the belfry, the Holy Gate. However, in 1788 the period of the Pereslavl diocese ended, and for more than a hundred years the monastery remained abandoned. Now on its territory there is a Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve, which was founded in 1919 by the historian M. I. Smirnov. You can visit numerous exhibitions, as well as take part in excursion and entertainment programs. The Goritsky Monastery is a popular attraction of the city; numerous tourists visiting Pereslavl-Zalessky flock here. From the monastery walls there is a beautiful view of the city and Lake Pleshcheyevo.

On the other side of Moskovskaya Street there is Trinity-Danilov Monastery(Lugovaya St., 7). Previously there was a cemetery on this site. The founder of the monastery and its first abbot came from the Goritsky monastery. The Monk Daniel founded the monastery in 1508. Later he began to enjoy great respect from Grand Duke Vasily III, and baptized his sons Yuri and Ivan (the future Ivan the Terrible). Interesting sights of the monastery have survived to this day: Trinity Cathedral (1532), Church of the Praise of the Mother of God, bell tower, Holy Gate. In the 1930s, the stone fence was dismantled, and many buildings were also rebuilt, because the monastery was adapted for various economic needs. Only since the 1990s has spiritual life been resumed, the monks who settled here are carrying out restoration work, and the stone fence has been built again. Now it is a functioning monastery.

If you enter Pereslavl from the south along Moskovskaya Street, the first historical landmark you will encounter will be Fedorovsky Convent(Moskovskaya St., 85). According to the legend, it was founded in honor of the victory of the Pereslavl and Moscow troops over the squad of the Tver prince. This battle took place on the day of Fyodor Stratilates, who was considered the patron saint of warriors. The most ancient building on the territory of the monastery is the Fedorov Cathedral, built by order of Ivan the Terrible shortly after the birth of Tsarevich Fedor (he was born near the monastery). Initially the monastery was male, then it became female. For a long time it was a place of imprisonment for unwanted noble women. During Soviet times it was closed, and the buildings were used for other purposes (there was a children's colony and a nursing home here). At the end of the 20th century. Some restoration work is underway. Now the spiritual life of the monastery is being revived, nuns have begun to settle here.

To the north of the city there is one of the oldest monasteries in North-Eastern Rus' and the oldest in the Pereslavl region - Nikitsky(Pereslavl district, Nikitskaya Sloboda, Zaprudnaya st., 20). It was founded at the end of the 12th century. According to legend, its founder was Nikita Stolpnik, a former collector of princely taxes. Nikita was distinguished by greed and cruelty. Well, after he saw a prophetic dream, he retired from the bustle of the world and settled in an earthen cell. He healed many people. And the water from the well he dug is still considered holy. Initially, all the buildings were wooden and, naturally, have not survived to this day. The heyday of the monastery is associated with the name of Ivan the Terrible. Then some stone buildings were erected, such as the Nikitsky Cathedral, walls and towers. In Soviet times, the monastery suffered a familiar fate; its building began to be used for various economic needs. Currently, the monastery has been restored, is a functioning monastery and attracts numerous tourists and pilgrims.

Nikolsky Monastery, located in the city center, was badly damaged during Soviet times. In 1923, the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was blown up. The cathedral was recently rebuilt.

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Christian monasteries near the famous Lake Pleshcheevo are considered one of the most ancient Russian monasteries. One of them appeared at the beginning of the 11th century, and the other was built on an old pagan temple. Largely thanks to the monastic communities and strong monastery walls, it was possible to repel the attack on the city by the troops of Khan Tokhtamysh and his followers, as well as resist Polish-Lithuanian formations during the Time of Troubles. Nowadays in Pereslavl-Zalessky you can visit five monasteries, four of which are active.

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Church of All Saints of the Goritsky Monastery

Squat defensive walls and towers make this monastery look like a massive fortress. In addition, the ancient monastery stands on a hill and is visible from everywhere. It is because of this that the Goritsky Monastery is often called the Kremlin.

The exact date of foundation of the monastery remains unknown. This happened because most of the documents were burned in a fire several centuries ago. However, written evidence has been preserved that a Christian monastery was built on the site of a pagan sanctuary, and this happened no later than the 14th century.

The powerful monastery fortifications were not built for beauty. The Pereslavl monastery more than once became a participant in bloody military operations. It was here that the wife of Dmitry Donskoy, Princess Evdokia, took refuge when the merciless hordes of Khan Tokhtamysh carried out a devastating raid on Russian lands.

To this day, buildings built in the 16th-17th centuries have been preserved in the monastery complex. These are the Holy Gates with the Church of St. Nicholas towering above them, the elegant Travel Gates in the eastern part of the wall, and, of course, the majestic Assumption Cathedral, with its five domes reaching straight to the sky.

Today the monastery is not active, and its premises are used for a variety of museum collections. The city-owned museum-reserve can rightfully be considered one of the largest and richest museum collections in the country. Its collections contain over 80 thousand unique exhibits. Icons, ancient wooden sculptures, paintings, skillful gold embroidery, elegant forged items and rare photographs - there is so much to be found in the museum halls.

The museum has existed in the monastery for many decades. However, a decision was made to restore a functioning Orthodox monastery on the monastery territory. Therefore, nowadays work is being carried out here to gradually transfer museum collections and free up ancient churches and buildings for the monastic community.

The monastery is located to the left of the highway when entering the city from the capital, in Museum Lane, 4.

Holy Trinity Danilov Monastery

Holy Trinity Danilov Monastery from a bird's eye view

More than 500 years ago, the wandering monk Daniel appeared in an ancient Russian city. He lived in the Nikitsky and Goritsky monasteries, and gradually went from a simple monk to an archimandrite. Daniel's special concern was to bury the dead wanderers, homeless and beggars according to Christian customs. Thanks to his efforts, at the very beginning of the 16th century a new monastery appeared in Pereslavl.

A hundred years later, when Russia was going through the devastating Time of Troubles, the monastery was badly damaged. The Polish-Lithuanian troops advancing on the city burned most of the monastery buildings, and killed the peasants who worked for this monastery. However, before the end of the 17th century, the monastery was not only restored, but was also rebuilt in stone.

Some of those first stone buildings survive to this day. This is the majestic Trinity Cathedral, erected by Rostov masters. Inside it you can see wall paintings made by Kostroma and Yaroslavl isographers in the 1660s. On the eastern side of the cathedral stands the All Saints Church, which appeared in the monastery in the 1680s. And in the southeast of the monastery rises the amazingly beautiful Church of the Praise of the Mother of God, erected at the very end of the 17th century.

Today, 20 monks live in the monastery. The monastery is located in the city center, in the former Lugovaya Sloboda, on Lugovaya Street, 17.

General view of the Nikitsky Monastery

The most ancient monastery near the legendary Lake Pleshcheevo was founded at the very beginning of the 11th century. This monastery was among the very first Christian buildings erected by decree of Prince Boris of Rostov. In those days, the purpose of the monastery was one thing - to convert the pagans living on the shore of the lake to the Christian faith as much as possible.

The monastery was dedicated in honor of one of the most revered saints by believers - the Great Martyr Nikita. Often in history, some events overlap with others. It is curious that in the 12th century, an unusual healer and holy fool, Nikita the Stylite, lived at the monastery.

Ancient chronicles have brought to our time the heroic pages of monastic history. At the beginning of the 17th century, for more than two weeks, the monks, together with the abbot, repelled the siege of the Polish-Lithuanian troops of Jan Sapieha. However, experienced soldiers still managed to defeat the monks. The monastery was stormed and its defenders executed.

Today in the ancient monastery you can see the beautiful, monumental Nikitsky Cathedral, built during the time of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. A slender tented bell tower rises above the entire territory. The monastery also preserves the temple where the young Tsar Peter I stayed during his first visits to Lake Pleshcheyevo. This is the Church of the Annunciation.

The entire complex of monastery buildings is surrounded by white stone walls. It is enough to look at their towers and loopholes to understand how powerful the fortification created around the monastery was. Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible took part in the construction of these walls. By his order, the stones were fastened with a special mortar, and the base of the walls was laid out with massive boulders.

Today, 15 inhabitants live inside the monastery. Many pilgrims come to the famous healing spring of St. Nikita, which is located about 1 km from the monastery walls.

The monastery stands in the northern part of the city, in the former Nikitskaya Sloboda.

Nikolsky Monastery

View of the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist in the belfry, the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Church of Peter and Paul along the eastern wall of the monastery

… Today I’ll show you a little bit of Pereslavl-Zalessky.

Pereslavl-Zalessky is a small and very cute city. It's nice to take a leisurely stroll through its quiet streets, admiring the ancient architecture. You can look into one of the museums with funny names: iron, teapot or Botik. But where you definitely need to go is to the shore of Lake Pleshcheevo. It is one of the largest lakes in the Volga region, and in the summer you can meet a lot of people wanting to swim or fish. And of course, it’s worth climbing to the top of Alexandrova Mountain - a great place to view the picturesque nature and many attractions of the Pereslavl region.
I had only a few hours of free time in the city, which I devoted to sightseeing, map in hand.

1. On Red Square, against the background of the ancient city ramparts, a small one-domed temple has been whitening for more than 850 years. A witness to the founding of the city and all subsequent events, Transfiguration Cathedral The 12th century is the earliest surviving architectural monument of the Vladimir-Suzdal school of architecture; its construction date is 1152-1157.

2. Single-domed white stone cathedral, the only monument of pre-Mongol architecture in the Yaroslavl region.

3. Founded in 1152 by Yuri Dolgoruky at the founding of the Pereslavl fortress. It suffered from fires several times, but overall it retained its original appearance well; only the shape of the dome changed.

4. Cathedral of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the Church of Alexander Nevsky were built in the historical part of Pereslavl in the 1740s at the expense of the Pereslavl merchant and manufacturer F. Ugrimov. Both churches were part of the ensemble of the Bogoroditsko-Sretensky Novodevichy Convent. In the second half of the 18th century, due to the abolition of the Pereslavl diocese, the poor monastery was closed, and its churches were converted into ordinary parish churches.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the spacious Cathedral of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God became the new City Cathedral and the ancient Transfiguration Cathedral was added to it. Between the Vladimir Cathedral and the Church of Alexander Nevsky there used to be a bell tower from the 18th century; it was destroyed simultaneously with the monastery fence in 1930 during the expansion of the Yaroslavl highway (only a fragment of the wall with a guardhouse remained). The churches located in close proximity to Red Square have been preserved as a single architectural complex.

5. This elegant church is impossible not to notice - it is located on the main street, right next to the road, pleasing the eye of the passerby. In the distant 1930s, the “arbiters of the destinies of churches” noticed its similarity with the Moscow Sukharevskaya Tower, and therefore Simeon's Church saved. The existence of a wooden church of the same name in Pereslavl-Zalessky has been known since the beginning of the 17th century. The Church of Simeon the Stylite was rebuilt in stone in 1771. In the provincial baroque style, with a hipped bell tower, the two-story temple especially attracts attention with its decorative decoration.

St. Nicholas Monastery. Pereslavl-Zalessky

6. We continue our walk around Pereslavl-Zalessky and its attractions. This temple is located in the western part of the city, adjacent to the St. Nicholas Monastery. Until 1764, there was the Borisoglebsky “what’s on the sands” monastery, founded, according to legend, in 1252 after the Tatar invasion at the burial site of the Pereslavl governor Zhidislav and the Tver princess. This monastery was associated with the name of St. Cornelius the Silent, revered in Pereslavl, who voluntarily took a vow of silence.

7. Since 1996, the church has been assigned to the St. Nicholas Monastery, and there is hope that the temple will be restored.

8. Not far from the historical center of Pereslavl, near the ancient rampart stands, shining with domes, Nikolsky Monastery, “what’s in the swamp.” It was probably founded in 1348. Its founder was Dmitry Prilutsky, a disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh, who visited the St. Nicholas monastery more than once.

Lake Pleshcheyevo

9. Several scenic views Lake Pleshcheyevo.

10. Lake Pleshcheyevo is known far beyond the borders of the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, of which it is a landmark.

11. Spending the day sitting on the shore of such a lake is a romantic’s dream.

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Alexandrova Hill

13. View of the lake from Alexandrova Hill.

14. Ramparts and church of the 17th century on the site of Kleshchin-town.
Kleshchin is the predecessor of Pereslavl. Not far from Alexandrova Mountain, between two ravines, on the top of a flat hill, the earthen ramparts of the ancient town of Kleshchina from the early 12th century have been preserved. The height of the ancient fortress is more than three, and in some places up to eight meters, the circumference of the rampart is about five hundred meters. This once well-fortified point was the center of Slavic settlements. Its complex included the house of the princely governor, a room for a military garrison and a wooden church, and on the outside of the rampart there was a settlement on the site of the modern village of Gorodishche. In the 15th century, Kleshchin still existed and was known, but the administrative center of the region had long been Pereyaslavl New (later Pereslavl-Zalessky).

Nikitsky Monastery. Pereslavl-Zalessky

15. Nikitsky Monastery is located in the northern part of Pereslavl, not far from Troitskaya Sloboda. It is the oldest in the Pereslavl region. Presumably, on the site of this monastery in ancient times there was a pagan temple. The 11th century is considered to be the time when the Nikitsky monastery was founded. Initially, all the buildings of the monastery were wooden and have not been preserved.

16. According to legend, Ivan the Terrible rebuilt the Nikitsky Monastery as a reserve residence in case of betrayal in Alexandrova Sloboda.
The name of the first of the Pereslavl saints, Nikita the Stylite, is also associated with the Nikitsky Monastery. In Pereslavl in the 12th century he served as a collector of princely taxes. The sins he committed led Nikita to a monastery, where he imprisoned himself in an earthen cell. He healed many people and not far from the monastery he “fossiled a student”; the water from this source is still considered holy today. Nikita died because of his iron chains, as the killers mistook them for silver. Nikita the Stylite was buried on the territory of the Nikitsky Monastery and was officially canonized in the 16th century.

17. Sretenskaya Church is located in the sub-monastery settlement near the Goritsky and Danilovsky monasteries. Built in 1778-1785.

Holy Trinity Danilov Monastery. Pereslavl-Zalessky

18. Holy Trinity Danilov male The monastery was founded around 1508 and is located in a quiet, picturesque place - on a hill near Sokolskaya Sloboda, where the Sokoly Pomytchiks once hunted falcons for the royal hunt. The founder and abbot of this monastery, Daniil Pereslavsky, a monk of the Goritsky Monastery, initially performed funeral services and buried poor people here, and later became the “grand-ducal godfather” - one of the godfathers of Ivan the Terrible. The relics of Saint Daniel rest in the Trinity Cathedral, where there is a chapel named after him.

Goritsky Monastery. Pereslavl-Zalessky

19. Goritsky Monastery founded in the first half of the 14th century. For about half a century in the 18th century, the monastery was the center of the diocese. More than once the “Most Pure One on Goritsa” was visited by great princes and kings, making rich deposits.

20. Particularly noteworthy is the Assumption Cathedral, decorated inside with a magnificent iconostasis in the Baroque style. And from the high bell tower of the Church of the Epiphany there is a beautiful view of the entire city.
Currently, the buildings of the monastery house one of the largest provincial museums in Russia - the Pereslavl Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve.

You can view other photographs taken on the territory of the Yaroslavl region in

We continue to add kilometers. This time we reached the Yaroslavl region.
in the photo - Ensemble of St. Nicholas Monastery (reflection in a small pond)

Pereslavl-Zalessky is one of the oldest cities in central Russia. Founded in 1152 by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Located halfway from Moscow to Yaroslavl on the shore of Lake Pleshcheevo. In 1693, Tsar Peter I created an amusing flotilla on Lake Pleshcheyevo, which was the beginning of the creation of the Russian fleet.

Pereslavl-Zalessky is the southernmost city of the Yaroslavl region. The city is included in the Golden Ring of historical cities of Russia. The crown jewel of its architecture is the 12th-century Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, the oldest surviving church in all of central Russia.

The city itself is ordinary. However, the temples and churches are in very good condition or are being restored, the monastery grounds are very pleasant and well-kept. This is understandable, the city is under the protection of UNESCO.

Go under the cut, there are a lot of photos and letters.

Acquaintance with the city begins with the Fedorovsky Monastery, namely from the Holy Gate with the Gate Church:

Fedorovsky Monastery was in the past one of the most noble and rich. First mentioned in the 15th century. Laid in memory of the fierce battle in 1304 between the troops of the Moscow prince Yuri Danilovich and the Tver Mikhail Yaroslavovich. The battle took place on the day of Theodore Stratilates.

The earliest surviving building of the monastery is the Fedorov Cathedral of 1557. The temple is traditional. Four-pillar, five-domed, heavy domes, bulbous in shape:

The construction of the cathedral is associated with the birth of Tsarevich Fedor, the second son of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, who, according to local legend, was born not far from the Fedorovsky Monastery.

In the 17th century the monastery became a women's monastery, and its entire history, all its buildings are associated with the names of women from royal families, rich and noble noble families.

In 1710, at the expense of Natalya Alekseevna (sister of Peter I), the Vvedenskaya Church was built:

Cows graze on the territory of the monastery, a stern bull stands in the distance =))

Next stop - Trinity-Danilov Monastery:

Trinity Danilov Monastery was founded at the beginning of the 16th century. Danil, monk of the Goritsky Monastery (or Nikitsky Monastery, data from various sources). The monastery was a large feudal lord; in its possessions there were “many” villages, hamlets and people (in 1754 the monastery owned 3,173 male souls).

The main monastery gate gives solemnity to the entrance to the territory of the monastery:

Trinity Cathedral was built from 1530 to 1532. by order of Tsar Vasily III in honor of the birth of his son Ivan, the future Tsar the Terrible:

The single-domed Trinity Cathedral is calm and majestic; the facades are almost devoid of decoration. The narrow windows of the walls and drum sparingly illuminate the interior space. The paintings of the cathedral are well preserved. The best creation of painters is the image of the Savior on the dome at the head of the temple. The Face of the Savior is one of the masterpieces of monumental painting of the 17th century.

The refectory chamber with the Pokhvalenskaya Church (circa 1550), relatively recently restored (it was in terrible condition):

Miniature All Saints Church (1687):

The initial history of the Assumption Monastery is little known. It was probably founded at the beginning of the 14th century under Ivan Kalita. In 1382, the monastery was devastated by troops of the Tatar Khan Tokhtamysh, and then restored with the assistance of Dmitry Donskoy’s wife, Grand Duchess Evdokia.

The further history of the monastery is quite sad. In 1744, the Pereslavl Diocese was formed; it was decided to completely rebuild the monastery, erect more majestic buildings that corresponded to the taste of that time in order to accommodate the residence of the diocese. Most of the oldest buildings were dismantled. Construction at first proceeded quite quickly (they even built it at night by candlelight), but after the church reforms of the 60s and the final abolition of the diocese in 1788, construction was curtailed.

The city authorities, in order to support life in Goritsy, transfer the court, treasury, and magistrate to the monastery, and the Assumption Church is turned into the main city cathedral. However, the residents of Pereslavl were unhappy - it was too inconvenient and too far to get to Goritsy. In the end, the townspeople’s request was granted, the monastery was abandoned, and for a hundred years it was not used by anyone, but was only a meeting place for criminal elements.

The monastery was finally saved from complete decay by the Pereslavl Museum of Local Lore, which was transferred to the territory of the monastery after the revolution. (a unique historical fact, by the way: the Soviet government actually helped preserve church architectural monuments; usually the opposite happened).

Currently preserved buildings:

Holy Gates, Gate Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (circa 1800), now an exhibition and
A small chapel brought from the village of Starovo (19th century), now a ticket office.

Church of the Epiphany with a bell tower (1777), now a methodological department and observation deck:

Church of All Saints with the Refectory Chamber (circa 1680), now an exhibition and storage room:

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Assumption Cathedral (circa 1750), now an exhibition and storage facility:

Interior (the iconostasis is very beautiful):

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Belfry, now an observation deck:

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Fortress walls:

The next point on the way to the city center is St. Nicholas Monastery:

Nikolsky (Nikolaevsky) monastery was founded in the 14th century by Saint Dmitry of Prilutsky. Destroyed by the Poles at the beginning of the 17th century, it was soon restored by Schemamonk Dionysius (1645).

Now the territory is very beautiful, a huge number of flower beds, green lawns, a large modern temple, the rest of the buildings are well restored.

Church of Peter and Paul (1748):

Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1748):

Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (2003) and Belfry:

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Now we head to the center, surrounded by a rather high rampart.

The architectural ensemble of the center of Pereslavl includes: Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral (1152):

The main attraction of the city, the oldest building. Founded by Yuri Dolgoruky, completed under Andrei Bogolyubsky. This single-domed, cross-domed, four-pillar, three-apse temple is the earliest of the white-stone architectural monuments of North-Eastern Rus'. The surviving fragment of the paintings (a half-length image of the Apostle Simon) is now in the Historical Museum of Moscow.

Many Pereslavl princes were baptized in the cathedral, including, probably, Alexander Nevsky, born in Pereslavl in 1220.

Church of Metropolitan Peter (15th or 16th centuries):

Currently closed and in need of restoration. Information about the exact date of construction has been lost, and in general the history of the church is somehow incomprehensible.

Vladimir Church (1740):

Church of Alexander Nevsky (1740):

After gawking at the center, we go to the outskirts of the city, to Nikitskaya Sloboda, namely to the Nikitsky Monastery:

Nikitsky Monastery was founded in the 12th century. Until the 16th century, all its buildings were wooden. Only in 1528, by order of Prince Vasily III, a one-domed stone church was built here. The main construction was carried out already under Ivan the Terrible in the 60s of the 16th century.

The Nikitsky Monastery was repeatedly destroyed by the Lithuanians. In 1611, the walls and towers of the monastery withstood a 15-day siege by troops of the Polish lord Jan Sapieha.

The most interesting building of the monastery is the Nikitsky Cathedral (1561-1564), attached to the earlier Nikitsky Church:

At the southern walls of the monastery there is a refectory with the Annunciation Church (XVII century). Peter I stayed in one of the refectory rooms during his visits to Pereslavl. The hipped bell tower (1668) is adjacent to the refectory:

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Sretensky Monastery was founded in 1397 on the site of the meeting of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, which was soon moved to Moscow due to fears of losing it. At that time, Tamerlane’s troops invaded the territory of Russia, they ravaged the Ryazan lands and captured Yelets. But for some reason, on the same day when the icon reached Moscow, Tamerlane turned his troops.

Over the next centuries, the monastery was surrounded by a stone wall and a bell tower was built. At the end of the 17th century, the monastery was abolished, making it a parish. Unfortunately, under the communists, the monastery was ruined, its bell tower was destroyed, and the fence was practically dismantled. The Cathedral of the Presentation of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the chapel of the Nativity of John the Baptist have survived to this day.

Feodorovsky Monastery (Pereslavl-Zalessky)

The Feodorovsky Monastery was erected on the site of the victory of the Moscow prince Yuri Danilovich over the Tver prince Mikhail Yaroslavich. This tragic bloody victory of Russians over Russians occurred in 1304 and remained a dark day in the history of Russia.

In 1557, Ivan the Terrible, in honor of the birth of his third son Fedor, ordered the construction of a church in the Feodorovsky Monastery. The church was named in honor of the holy Christian great martyr Theodore Stratilates. It is known that until 1667 the monastery was for men. Then a terrible epidemic of pestilence occurred in Pereslavl-Zalessky, after which many widows and orphaned girls were left. They had nowhere to live and nowhere to go - then, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the Feodorovsky Monastery was made a women's monastery.

Under Peter I, German weaving flourished here, but under the communists the monastery was closed for a long time, and then completely turned into a military unit. Today, restoration work is underway at the monastery.

Goritsky Monastery (Pereslavl-Zalessky)

The Dormition Goritsky Monastery was founded in the 14th century, under Ivan Danilovich Kalita, who during his life managed to be the Moscow, Vladimir and Novgorod prince. Thanks to serfdom, the Dormition Goritsky Monastery successfully owned many villages in the district (according to some sources there were 19 of them). In 1722, a misfortune happened at the monastery: the monastery archive burned down in a fire. For this reason, many historical facts have been lost forever - it is impossible to even accurately name the year the monastery was founded.

In 1744, the monastery lost its status. Since then, it has changed its functions several times: from the Pereslavl bishop's house to a religious school and, ultimately, a museum. Today, the territory on which the Dormition Goritsky Monastery stands is a historical, architectural and art museum-reserve.

Goritsky Monastery

Goritsky Monastery is a former monastery founded in the early 14th century under Ivan Kalita and abolished in 1744. Currently, the Pereslavl-Zalessky State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve is located on its territory.

The monastery got its name due to its location on a hill - "goritsa".

Shortly before the attack of the Tatar troops in 1382, which destroyed the city, and with it the monastery, the wife of Dmitry Donskoy, Grand Duchess Evdokia, came on a pilgrimage, and in memory of her salvation in 1392, she allocated funds for the restoration of the monastery. Since then, according to established tradition, on the sixth Sunday after Easter in Pereslavl, a procession of the cross on boats is organized from the Goritsky Monastery and the mouth of Trubezh to the middle of the lake - along the path to save the princess.

The monastery, designed in the Moscow Baroque style, is decorated with low passage gates, considered a masterpiece of 17th-century architecture, above the massive arches of which are placed graceful figures of two horses rearing up.

Nikitsky Monastery (Pereslavl-Zalessky)

Nikitsky Monastery is the oldest in Russia: according to some sources, it is already more than 800 years old. The monastery is dedicated to Saint Nikita of Gotha. The monastery gained particular fame after the saint of the Russian Church, Nikita the Stylite, labored there.

Nikitsky Monastery stands in the northern part of the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, on the shore of Lake Pleshcheevo. All the wooden buildings on the territory of the monastery have not survived to this day - after a two-week siege, they were burned by Polish-Lithuanian troops in 1610. The restoration of the monastery was carried out by the Romanov royal family - the walls and towers were rebuilt with only minor changes.

The further fate of the monastery is unenviable: under the communists, the property was nationalized, the monastery itself was actually liquidated, and for many years the buildings were used as a school, residential apartments, a city committee, and even a women’s colony. Since 1993, large-scale restoration began.

Holy Trinity Danilov Monastery

The Holy Trinity Danilov Monastery was founded in 1508 by Daniil of Pereslavl, godfather of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The land on which the monastery stands is nicknamed “god’s land” - during the Middle Ages, those who died without church repentance were buried here en masse. Namely, the poor, the homeless and simple vagabonds.

At that time, Daniel was the abbot of the Goritsky monastery, and therefore traveled a lot around the area, helping the poor and crippled. He often visited the "God's Worship", where he held funeral services for the buried. Daniel really wanted to build a temple on this site, and his prayers were heard. Rejoicing at the news of the lifting of the Grand Duke's disgrace, the Chelyadnins decided to help Daniil, and conveyed his desire to Grand Duke Vasily III. Having learned about the Pereslavl righteous man, Vasily III ordered the construction of a wooden temple, which he himself subsequently visited several times. In 1532, in honor of the birth of Ivan IV the Terrible, the Trinity Cathedral was erected nearby.