Attack of the ticklish pigeons outside the Trinity Lavra (Monastery) of St. Sergius
Dates Visited: August 8, 2012
Sergiyev Posad is 46 miles northeast of Moscow and can be reached conveniently by train for a day trip. Conveniently… …only if you board the correct train! Our English-speaking hotel concierge gave us the wrong directions so when we reached the station where we weren’t supposed to be, it was a game of charades for the helpful ticket clerk as she tried explaining which was the correct station (Yaroslavsky) to go to and which was the correct train to catch. For me, the Yaroslavsky train station has the distinction of having the worst public restrooms I have ever seen in my entire life. Typically, I avoid using public restrooms for the most part, but since Rohan had to go, I didn’t have a choice. I don’t want to go into gory details of how bad those restrooms were (you can thank me for that as I still cannot get those disgusting and vile images out of my head), but if 1 was clean and 10 was dirty-as-shit, these restrooms would score a 1000 from the judges!
Well, back to happy thoughts! The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered to be one of the most beautiful monasteries in Russia. It was founded in 1345 by St. Sergius of Radonezh, a highly revered monk and the patron saint of Russia. We had a wonderful English-speaking old lady who served as our guide. She was very grandmotherly and explained the history and significance of this fortress-cum-monastery with patience and love. Of course, I just went nuts taking pictures of the gorgeous churches and cathedrals inside the monastery… …from the peach-colored Church of the Theotokos of Smolensk to the blue-colored Bell Tower to the white-colored Assumption Cathedral.
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- Gates of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius… …the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church
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- The Gateway Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist… ..built from 1693–1699
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- The lovey-dovey couple outside the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius
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- The Chapel-over-the Well… …thousands of pilgrims drink spring water at this fountain to cure themselves of health issues and personal troubles
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- Bell Tower… …erected in 1740–1770
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- Cathedral of the Assumption
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- Iconostasis of the Church of St Sergius inside the Refectory
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- Be careful when you knock… …
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- Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit
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- Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary… …a few minutes from the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius
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- Gateway Church of St. John the Baptist… …mural depicting the Holy Virgin appearing to St. Sergius
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- Domes of the Cathedral of the Assumption (forgot the name of the pretty pink church)
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- The Bell Tower with the Chapel-over-the Well in front
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- Yeah, I had them eating out of my hand… …
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- Fruit and vegetable sellers outside Sergiev Posad train station