Feast day in the Monastery

The Trinity-St Sergius Monastery

10 Mar 2015 | From Kris of Russia

POSTCROSSING FRIEND

Considered to be the most important monastery in Russia and the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church, the St. Sergius Lavra is often nicknamed the ‘Russian Vatican’. The monastery is situated in the town of Sergiyev Posad. It 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 on Makovets Hill. Early development of the monastic community is well documented in contemporary lives of Sergius and his disciples.

The ensemble of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad is an outstanding example of 14th- to 18th-century Russian architecture. Many of these buildings were models for later buildings in Russia. The main church of the Lavra, the Cathedral of the Assumption (echoing the Kremlin Cathedral of the same name), contains the tomb of Boris Godunov. Among the treasures of the Lavra is the famous icon, The Trinity , by Andrei Rublev.