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St Sabbas of Storozhev Monastery

The St Sabbas of Storozhev Monastery is one of dozens of abbeys founded through the efforts and initiatives of the disciples of St Sergius of Radonezh. Yet, while part of this tradition, the cloister...

Pskov Monastery of the Caves

The Pskov Monastery of the Caves occupies a special place in the hearts of Russians. One of the country’s oldest cloisters, it is often called a lavra – a special term for the highest ranking monaste...

Ipatiev Monastery

The Ipatiev Monastery is one of the country’s oldest and most famous cloisters. It stands on the bank of the River Kostroma, opposite the city of Kostroma in central Russia. The Ipatiev Monastery was...

St Daniel Monastery in Moscow

The St Daniel Monastery was founded by Prince Daniel of Moscow, the youngest son of St Alexander Nevsky, in honour of his celestial namesake, St Daniel the Stylite. The exact date of the establishmen...

Optina Hermitage

The Optina Hermitage of the Presentation of the Virgin lies approximately two miles from the town of Kozelsk in Kaluga Region. Although the cloister stands on the bank of the River Zhizdra, surrounde...

Iviron Monastery on Lake Valdai

The Iviron Monastery stands on an island in Lake Valdai, two miles from the town of the same name in the east of Novgorod Region. While the cloister may have been founded long after the other famous ...

History of Russian Monasticism

After Rus adopted Christianity in the late tenth century, the new religion was mostly spread by the grand princes of Kiev. The first cathedrals were built in various towns by such rulers as Vladimir ...

Monastic Refectory

Russian monks sat down to eat as a single body, symbolising the unity of the monastic fraternity. The prototype of these joint meals was the Last Supper, when Jesus Christ ate with His disciples. Mon...

Monastic Cell

The life of the Russian monastery did not consist solely of such joint actions as attending church services, religious ceremonies, engaging in physical labour or eating together in the monastic refec...

Balaam Monastery of the Transfiguration

Balaam is an island in the very north of Lake Ladoga, fourteen miles from the mainland and not far from the Finnish border. This is the home of a famous monastery, which became the spiritual centre o...

Monasticism

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