Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery

The monastery arose in the wave of monastic foundation at the end of the fourteenth century flowing from the disciples of Sergius of Radonezh: in 1397 the monk Kirill of Beloozero dug a cave on the shore of Lake Siverskoye, and that cave began the story of the future community. His companion Ferapont soon moved further east and founded his own monastery twenty kilometres away — two great northern communities begun at once. The rule of the Beloozero monasteries was famously strict, and the fame of that strictness quickly spread across Rus. The monastery early became a player in great politics: in 1447 Grand Prince Vasily Vasilyevich, removed from the throne and exiled to Vologda, arrived here, and Abbot Trifon released him from his oath not to claim the Moscow throne again. The grand prince repaid the community generously, and in Moscow's rivalry with independent Novgorod the monastery became the key stronghold of Zavolochye. The trade route further north, to the White Sea, ran through it; until Peter's times an extensive trade in salt and fish was conducted here. Its book fame was no less loud. By the end of the fifteenth century the monastery library held two hundred and ten manuscripts, and by 1601 — one thousand and sixty-five handwritten and printed books. The Beloozero monk Yefrosin, six of whose collections survive, left the definitive redaction of the poem 'Zadonshchina' — and it is from his collections that the work's very title is taken. The monastery meanwhile grew strong as a fortress: the massive walls and towers above the lake still define the silhouette of Kirillov, the town that grew from its sloboda. Since 1924 the ensemble has worked as a historic, architectural and art museum reserve — one of the largest museums of the Russian North. A full visit takes at least half a day: cathedrals with ancient icons, cells and chambers, and a climb up the fortress towers for the view over Lake Siverskoye. The town around remains a convenient base: from Kirillov the Goritsky monastery is seven kilometres away and the Nilova pustyn fifteen.