Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra - one of the important cents of Orthodoxy

Sergiyev Posad is a city and the administrative center of Sergiyevo-Posadsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia.

The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius 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.

Info from Wikipedia

My story

The Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra is the largest monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church with a long history. Located in the center of Sergiev Posad, Moscow region, on the river Konchure. Has the status of a stauropegic. (Wikipedia)

The first time I was in Sergiev Posad accidentally.
It so happened that I was in Moscow and I was going to go back to Kostroma (this is a city where I live and It's located in 350 km from Moscow). One my friend was in Moscow too and he offered me to go to Kostroma with him on his car. I do not remember why I was in the capital, but I remember that before I was picked up somewhere on the outskirts of Moscow, I was pretty tired, and I was happy that I could flop down on the seat of a car and relax. Before the meeting I bought a bottle of brandy in the store. As I remember now, the brand "Nakhimov." With a black label.

There were three of us in the car. I, my friend and driver. Looking forward to a 5-6 hour trip home, I, without a long time thinking, took out cognac. The machine was filled with fragrance, and the driver began to drive with his nose ... But nothing shone on him.

"Nakhimov" warmed my soul and body, the car raced along the Yaroslavl highway. The driver said that you need to go to Sergiev-Posad for ten minutes. And, it seems, he said: "... In Zagorsk." There were no objections from our side.

And now a lap to Sergiev-Posad and before me a view of the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra opened! Somewhere in the subconscious I knew what it was and where it was, but the reality turned out to be so bright that I even demanded to stop the car, that a little look at this unique monastery and in general, a historical place. So I was the first time near the walls of the laurels.

At that time and the driver had some business, and it was already quite dark that I would visit the laurels, but the desire to visit there originated and became fixed. Only a small excuse or opportunity was needed.

And this opportunity presented itself to me. My friend went to Moscow to pick up a brand-new car at the car dealership. He offered to go with him for the company, so it was not so scary with a lot of cash in the bag, and in general, together more fun.

On the way back we decided to call in and look at the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra more fully.

So I was inside the monastery. There was good weather, there were not many tourists and we walked quietly inside the walls. Cleanliness and tidiness. Feeling of rest and serenity.

A little about what you can see inside the laurels.

The oldest building is the Trinity Cathedral. It was built in 1422-1423 years. on the site of a wooden church erected over the grave of Sergius of Radonezh. This is one of the few surviving buildings of early Moscow white-stone architecture. Inside, the temple was painted by Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherniy, but, unfortunately, the murals created by them have not survived until our time.

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin (16 in). This is the largest central building of the whole ensemble. It was built in honor of the capture and annexation of Kazan and Astrakhan.

The refectory church is a unique example of Russian baroque.

In general, there are a lot of beautiful churches and structures on the territory of the laurels. And the fortress walls themselves are the topic of a separate conversation.

The monastery sustained a 16 month siege in troubled times. Poles and Lithuanians came to the walls in 1608 and made several unsuccessful assaults. The monastery was shelled from cannon, which was more than 60. As a result of a long siege, a scurvy began in the monastery. The death toll in the laurel was more than 2000 people. But the monastery sustained a siege and was released. As a result, the laurel became a symbol of the struggle of the Russian people for independence.

Here I am writing: "lavra". And what is a lavra?

The Lavra (Greek Λαύρα - a city street, a populous monastery) is the name of some of the largest male Orthodox monasteries of special historical and spiritual significance.

In Russia, there are two such monasteries - the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

In the mills of the Trinity-Sergiyeva there is the Moscow Theological Academy.

The Moscow Spiritual Academy of the Russian Orthodox Church is a higher educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, which prepares priests, teachers, theologians and employees for the Russian Orthodox Church.

I managed to visit the academy, see how students live and eat, but I'll tell you about this another time. Since I had another opportunity to visit the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra and even drink their home wine in the dungeon, where barrels of wine are stored.