Troitse-sergieva Lavra

The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius () is the most important Russia n Monastery and the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church . The monastery is situated in the town of Sergiyev Posad , about 90 km to the north-east from Moscow by the road leading to Yaroslavl .

14TH CENTURY

The monastery was founded in 1345 by one of the most venerated Russian saints, Sergius Of Radonezh , who built a wooden church in honour of the Holy Trinity at the Makovets Hill. Early development of the monastic community is well documented in contemporary lives of Sergius and his disciples.

In 1355 , Sergius introduced a charter which required the construction of auxiliary buildings, such as Refectory , Kitchen , and Bakery . This charter was a model for Sergius' numerous followers who founded more than 400 Cloister s all over Russia, including the celebrated Solovetsky , Kirilov , and Simonov monasteries.
'' is the central piece of the Trinity Cathedral's iconostasis.]]

St. Sergius supported Dmitri Donskoi in his struggle against the Tatars and sent two of his monks, Peresvet and Oslyabya, to participate in the Battle Of Kulikovo ( 1380 ). At the outbreak of the battle, Peresvet died in a single combat against a Tatar Bogatyr . The monastery was devastated by fire, when a Tatar unit raided the area in 1408 .

15TH CENTURY

St. Sergius was declared patron saint of the Russian state in monks who had found refuge in the monastery after the Battle Of Kosovo . The relics of St. Sergius still may be seen in this cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Trinity . The greatest icon painters of medieval Russia, Andrei Rublev and Daniil Chyorny , were summoned to decorate the cathedral with Fresco es. Traditionally, Muscovite royals were baptized in this cathedral and held thanksgiving services here.

In , Vasily III added the Nikon annex and the Serapion tent, where several of Sergius' disciples were interred.

16TH CENTURY

It took 26 years to construct the six-pillared Assumption Cathedral , which was commissioned by . Interior walls were painted with violet and blue frescoes by a team of Yaroslavl masters in 1684 . The vault contains burials of Boris Godunov , his family and several 20th-century patriarchs.

As the monastery grew into one of the wealthiest landowners in Russia, the woods where it had stood were cut over and a village (or Posad ) sprang up near the monastery walls. It gradually developed into the modern town of Sergiyev Posad. The cloister itself was a notable centre of chronicle-writing and icon painting. Just opposite monastery walls St. Paraskeva's Convent was established, among whose buildings St. Paraskeva's Church ( 1547 ), Introduction Church (1547), and a 17th-century chapel over St. Paraskeva's well are still visible.

17TH CENTURY

: Orthodox monks led by the chronicler Avraamy Palitsyn bravely defended the monastery against the Polish aggressors from September 1609 to January 1611.]]

In 1550s , a wooden palisade surrounding the cloister was replaced with 1.5 km-long stone walls, featuring twelve towers, which helped the monastery to withstand a Celebrated 16-month Polish Siege in 1608 – 1610 . A shell-hole in the cathedral gates is preserved as a reminder of Wladyslaw IV 's abortive siege in 1618 .

Until the end of the 17th century, when young – 1699 ) was commissioned by the Stroganovs and built over one of the gates. Other 17th-century structures include the monks' cells, a hospital topped with a tented church, and a chapel built over a holy well discovered in 1644 .

18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES

In and Dmitry Ukhtomsky .

Throughout the 19th century, the lavra maintained its status as the richest Russian monastery. A seminary founded in 1742 was replaced by an Ecclesiastical Academy in 1814 . The monastery boasted a supreme collection of manuscripts and books. Medieval collections of the lavra Sacristy attracted thousands of visitors. In Sergiyev Posad, the monastery maintained several Skete s, one of which is a place of burial for the conservative philosophers Konstantin Leontiev and Vasily Rozanov .

20TH CENTURY

After the Russian Revolution Of 1917 , the Soviet government closed the lavra in 1920 . Its buildings were assigned to different civic institutions or declared museums. In 1930 , monastery bells, including the Tsar-Bell of 65 tons, were destroyed. Pavel Florensky and his followers could hardly prevent the authorities from stealing and selling sacristy collection but overall many valuables were lost or transferred to other collections.

Following Joseph Stalin 's controversial conversion during the World War II , the Lavra was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1945 . On April 16 , 1946 Divine Service was renewed at the Assumption Cathedral. The lavra continued as the seat of Moscow Patriarchy until 1983 , when the patriarch was allowed to settle at the Danilov Monastery in Moscow. After that, the monastery continued as a prime centre of religious education. Important restoration works were conducted in the 1960s and 1970s . In 1993 , the Trinity Lavra was inscribed on the UN World Heritage List .

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Troitse-sergieva Lavra