Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius
The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius (Russian: Троице-Сергиева Лавра) is the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. The monastery is situated in the town of Sergiyev Posad, about 70 km to the north-east from Moscow by the road leading to Yaroslavl, and currently is home to over 300 monks.
[Sergiev Posad]The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius ...
The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is a world famous spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church and a popular site of pilgrimage and tourism.
Being situated in the town of Sergiev Posad about 70 km to the north-east from Moscow, it is the most important working Russian monastery and a residence of the Patriarch.
This religious and military complex represents an epitome of the growth of Russian architecture and contains some of that architecture’s finest expressions.
The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius exerted a profound influence on architecture in Russia.
The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, “the pearl” of the Russian church architecture, was founded in the first half 1337 by the monk Sergius of Radonezh, a great abbot of Russia.
Sergius achieved great prestige as the spiritual adviser of Dmitri Donskoi, Great Prince of Moscow, who received his blessing to the battle of Kulikov of 1380.
Over the centuries a unique ensemble of more than 50 buildings and constructions of different dates were established.
The whole complex was erected according to the architectural concept of the main church, the Trinity Cathedral (1422), where the relics of St. Sergius may be seen.
In 1476 Pskovian masters built a brick belfry east of the cathedral dedicated to the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles.
A remarkable feature of this church is a bell tower under its dome without internal interconnection between the belfry and the cathedral itself.
The Cathedral of the Assumption, echoing the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin, was erected between 1559 and 1585.
At the north-western corner of the Cathedral, on the site of the western porch, in 1780 a vault containing burials of Tsar Boris Godunov and his family was built.
In the 16th century the monastery was surrounded by 6 meters high and 3,5 meters thick defensive walls, which proved their worth during the 16-month siege by Polish-Lithuanian invaders during the Time of Trouble.
In 17th century new buildings were erected, including infirmaries topped with a tented church dedicated to Saints Zosima and Sawatiy of Solovki (1635-1637).
Few such churches are still preserved, so this tented church with a unique tiled roof is an important contribution to the Lavra.
Following a devastating fire in 1746, a major reconstruction campaign was launched. At this time one of the tallest Russian belfries (88 meters high) was built.
Thus, the Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra represents the key element of town-planning of Sergiev Posad.
Cathedral Square
Holy spring in the shadow
Bell tower
At the monastery Theological Academy
Moscow Theological Seminary
Historical premises of the Moscow Theological Academy
About Laura watch in Russian: Троице-Сергиева Лавра