Borisoglebsky Monastery

The Borisoglebsky Monastery stands on the river Ustye eighteen kilometres from Rostov Veliky. It was founded in 1363 by the monks Fyodor and Pavel, on a site chosen, by tradition, by Sergius of Radonezh.

Buildings by Grigory Borisov

The main cathedral of Boris and Gleb was built between 1522 and 1523 by the Rostov master Grigory Borisov, who was then working across the whole district; he followed it with the Annunciation church and its refectory. This is one of the few places where several buildings by one sixteenth-century architect stand together and intact.

The walls

The stone walls with fourteen towers went up in the 1670s under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and in strength they match the fortresses of Rostov and Yaroslavl: the circuit runs about a kilometre. Yet for all the thickness of the masonry the towers carry decorative bands and window surrounds; no real siege was expected by then, and the fortress was built partly for show.

Irinarkh

The monastery is tied to the recluse Irinarkh, who wore heavy chains and blessed Minin and Pozharsky before their march on Moscow. His cell survives and is part of the visit.

What else is inside

The gate churches of the Presentation and of St Sergius, both from the late seventeenth century, survive, along with a belfry of 1690. The monastery was closed in 1924 and handed to a museum; monastic life returned in 1994, and monastery and museum now share the grounds.

Address

Borisoglebsky, Yaroslavl Region · 18 km from Rostov

Opening hours

Grounds open daily, museum keeps its own hours

Prices

Grounds free, museum displays ticketed

On the map