Suzdal

The Vladimir-Suzdal museum-reserve

The Vladimir-Suzdal history, architecture and art museum - reserve is one of the first museums of this type in Russia. Founded in 1958 by the Russia's Government decision, initially it united 22 monuments of architecture of Vladimir and Suzdal, included in the Golden Ring tourist system. 54 monuments of the 12 th-early 20th centuries in Vladimir, Suzdal and Guz-Khrustalny belong to the museum now. Eight white stone architectural monuments and two ensembles are inscribed on the Wold Heritage List of UNESCO. They are: the Golden Gate, the Assumption and St. Dimitrius Cathedrals of the 12th century; the Nativity Cathedral; the ensembles of the Kremlin of Suzdal and the monastery of the Saviour and St. Euthimius; and the ancient monuments of Bogolyubovo and Kideksha.The unique experience in restoring architectural monuments and ensembles and using them as museums have been gained by the Vladimir-Suzdal museum-reserve for forty years of its existence. Four exhibition halls and thirty seven exhibitions created by the museum represent masterpieces of old Russian craftsmen, book treasures of the six centuries, wonderful paintings and drawings, as well as works of decorative-applied art. For this work the Vladimir-Suzdal museum became a State Prize Winner in 1977. The same year by the decree of the Russian president the Vladimir-Suzdal museum was included in the state list of particularly valuable historical and cultural monuments and museums of Russia. Every year the museum receives more then eight thousand tourist groups, i.e. five hundred thousand Russian tourists and about thirty thousand foreigners. The museum's depositories preserve rich collections, numbering four hundred thousand items.

The museum of wooden architecture and peasants' life

The museum of wooden architecture was organized in 1960-es, because Suzdal has not preserved such monuments. Wooden churches, houses and household buildings have been moved from the villages where they are perishing. The first rare sample of wooden architecture appeared in the Kremlin. That was the church of St. Nicholas. The place for the museum was chosen on the bank of the Kamenka river on the site of the former St. Demetrius monastery. The church of the Resurrection is a multi-tiered church that is a tent on the octahedron. The church was built in a shape of a ship that is the sanctuary, the main body; the bell tower and the western porch are built on the same axis. The church has an unusual bell tower with its log frame widening upwards. Next to this house there is another one belonging to a rich family. It is a two- story building. On the ground floor there is a weaving workshop with three looms for the hired workers. There is one more house decorated with wooden carving. Besides the above mentioned houses there are household buildings - two windmills, a granary, a well with a huge wheel and special barns to dry the sheaves. The interiors have been reconstructed in the houses according to the social principle - a house of a middle peasant and a house of a rich peasant. The peasants' way of life have been formed within a centuries, all the things are rationally placed in a house. The Russian stove is to the left of the entrance.

Children's museum center

Let's enter the museum. A spacious vaulted lobby in the center turns into a festive main staircase with a mirror and with a mirror and oriental vases and extends with two long corridors on the sides. Stylish furniture, elegant design - everything is made with taste, fantasy and comfort. The children's museum center is on the first floor. There is much interesting for children and grown-ups here.The first surprise is a shaggy stuffed bear which looks like a real one. A funny Baba-Yaga (a famous character from the Russian fairy-tales) is next to him. "In the World of Toys" exhibition is for the younger visitors-rattles, whistles, clay figurines from archeological excavations as well as traditional toys of Gorodets, Dymkovo, Polkhovo-Maidan and aristocratic porcelain dolls of the beginning of the 20th century. Petrushka, the bully, is teasing the guests, laying on the stove.The first surprise is a shaggy stuffed bear which looks like a real one. A funny Baba-Yaga (a famous character from the Russian fairy-tales) is next to him. "In the World of Toys" exhibition is for the younger visitors-rattles, whistles, clay figurines from archeological excavations as well as traditional toys of Gorodets, Dymkovo, Polkhovo-Maidan and aristocratic porcelain dolls of the beginning of the 20th century. Petrushka, the bully, is teasing the guests, laying on the stove.One can travel in time and space together with the toys. Here is France with its Tour Eiffel painted on the walls and vaults, and winter Finland with Santa Claus, and exotic Japan with its pagodas and Japanese cherry in blossom and their toys - traditional and modern - are everywhere. The queen of dolls today is Barbie and her small kingdom with houses and yachts, dresses and flowers is also here.

The Kremlin

The Kremlin is the heart of Suzdal and the oldest part of it. Archaeologists believe the Kremlin date from the 10th century and according to the chronicles the first mention of the Kremlin was made in 1024. At the turn of the 12th century here rose a fortress. It was surrounded by earth ramparts 1400 m. long. On the top there was a wooden wall with towers. The prince's and bishop's residence with the principle cathedral were located in the Kremlin. Here lived the prince's bodyguard, his court and the high clergy. The Kremlin is situated at the bend of the Kamenka River in the southern part of the town. To the east of the Kremlin there was the posad (the part of the city where common people lived) and the northern part was occupied by the largest monasteries (St. Alexander monastery, the convent of the Deposition of the Robe, the Intercession convent and Our Saviour monastery). The Kremlin has preserved the earth ramparts and moats, several churches and the archbishop's residence with the Nativity cathedral.

·        The cathedral of the Nativity

·        The Archbishops' Chambers

·        St. Nicholas church

The cathedral of the Nativity

The Nativity cathedral is a rare monument of Vladimir-Suzdal white stone architecture of the pre-Mongol period. It was built in 1222-1225 on the site of the Assumption cathedral built by Vladimir Monomakh at the end of the 11th - beginning of the 12th centuries which had collapsed. The one-domed Assumption cathedral was built in plinth. The new 13th century cathedral was built in lime stone, but the old plinth from the previous one was used in the masonry inside. This technique distinguishes it from the other monuments of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture. The facades and portals of this 3-domed cathedral were decorated with the white stone carvings. After the fire of 1445 the upper part of the cathedral was rebuilt in brick. The 3 domes were replaced by 5 domes.The 17th century was the period of great changes and reconstructions. The choir gallery was taken to pieces, the windows were widened, new narthexes were added, and the walls were repainted. In the 18th century the wooden roof was replaced by the metal one, the central dome was gilded. In 1950-1960 the Nativity cathedral was released from the later constructions, restored again and took the present day shape. The restoration of the cathedral is still going on. It's being used by the Vladimir-Suzdal museum and the church. The cathedral is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

The Archbishops' Chambers

The architectural ensemble of the Archbishops' Chambers had been created within several centuries. The first brick chambers of Suzdal bishops appeared in the 15th century not far from the Nativity cathedral. In 1635 a monumental octahedron bell tower with a huge massive tent and chime clock emerged in front of the cathedral. There was a home church of the bishop in the middle tier of the tower.  The most important alteration which changed the appearance of the archbishop's residence took place in the time of Metropolitan Illarion (1682-1707). The archbishop's chambers are a rather complicated group of buildings dating back to different periods of time. It combines the features of Old Russian civil architecture with regularity of the royal chambers of the new time. The northern block was built a new, the cross chamber - the reception hall of archbishops, the center of the ensemble - was created. The festive staircase and a spacious seni, (lobby) leads to the cross chamber. The northern block is connected to the earlier buildings. The Annunciation church restored according to the 16th century is one of them. It has an 8-sloped roof, one dome, a refectory and a porch with galleries. The same kind of a porch decorates the entrance on the side of the bell tower. The bell tower is connected to the archbishop's chambers by the gallery restored by specialists. Porches, galleries and other details unite the buildings making a whole ensemble complete. The territory of the archbishop's court yard is surrounded by a low brick fence with a gate. In the yard there is a wooden church of St. Nicholas (1766) from the village of Glotovo. That is the first monument of the museum of wooden architecture, which is situated on the other side of the Kamenka River. The ensemble of the archbishop's court yard is a part of the Vladimir-Suzdal museum-reserve.

St. Nicholas church

It was built in 1766 in the village of Glotovo and was the first exhibit of the future museum of the wooden architecture and peasant life. It was transferred to Suzdal in 1960. It's a perfect example of a wooden village church. The church has a clear silhouette, nice proportions, refined shape of the faceted alter, highly pitched wooden roof and an elegant dome decorated with aspen shingles. This church as a good example of old carpenters' art was hewed with the use of pegs. Such a modest church was usually a winter (heated) in a pair with more beautiful and bigger unheated (summer) church.

The monastery of our Saviour and St. Euthimius

The monastery was founded in the 14th century on the northern outskirts of Suzdal. It was built as a fortress to defend the town from all the enemies - both external and internal. The founder of the monastery was sainted monk Euthimius of Suzdal. Earlier wooden structures of the monastery have not survived and the imposing stone ensemble which stands out in all its beauty on the high steep bank of the Kamenka river now was formed in the 16th -17th centuries.The monastery's defensive walls with twelve battle towers stretch for almost a kilometer and a half. The main entrance tower (twenty-two meters high) stands out from all the others for its monumentality and bright and elaborate decor. The main cathedral of the monastery - the cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour (the 16th century) - was built in the tradition of white stone architecture of Suzdal, it is monumental and austere. The 16th century frescoes were discovered by restorers on the outer wall of the cathedral. Inside the church the walls are covered with the carpet of murals created by Guri Nikitin and Sila Savin - famous Russian icon painters of the 17th century. The subjects for the murals were taken from the New Testament. Peculiar in design is the belfry of the monastery. The appearance it has now had been formed for two hundred years. In the 16th century a nine-sided pillar-shaped structure - which was a combination of a bell tower and a church "under the bells" - was constructed. This is one of the early and very rare surviving monuments of this type. The restores could reconstruct an interesting top of this church which was crowned with an elegant cupola covered with silvery aspen shingles. In the 17th century the arcade for the bells was added to the pillar, both parts were joined into a single whole by a wall, decorated with blind arches, tiles, niches and semi-columns. The brothers' cells were inside a long (about one hundred meters) building dating back to the 17th-19th centuries. The whole monastery is a part of the Vladimir-Suzdal museum-reserve and is inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

·        The church of the Annunciation

·        Entrance tower and the walls. The 17th century monument of defensive architecture

·        The cathedral of the Transfiguration

·        The infirmary (hospital) church of St. Nicholas

·        The jail block

·        Archimandrites chamber

·        The Assumption refectory Church

·        The Belfry

The church of the Annunciation

It's a monument of the monastery architecture of the 16-17th centuries. The low tier with an entrance arch has been probably preserved since the 16th century; it was the main gate to the monastery and marked its southern border. In 1628 the above- the- gate church was mentioned as a stone structure. The 17th century church is a small one cupola building with a four- sloped roof. On the east side there is a paves attached to the main body of the church. Decorative elements are: pointed arches (zakomaras), pilasters and cornices in the upper part of the facades, different size windows put at different height and decorated with pointed window frames and icon niches above the entrance arch. The southern main facade is more ornate. Double windows of the paves add to its decoration. In the 17th century the church was topped with two pyramidal structures, in the 18th century it had five domes. Now it has one dome. There's a staircase leading through the paves to the upper floor. The church contains the 19th century paintings. The building was restored in 1980-es as a part of the monastery ensemble. The church is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

Entrance tower and the walls.

The 17th century monument of defensive architecture.In 1664 the wooden stockade of the monastery was replaced by a new stone wall. The territory of the monastery was considerably enlarged by that, the enclosure being a polygon having 1400 meters in perimeter. On the west side the wall follows the riverside of the Kamenka and from the east it runs along the road leading to Rostov. Though the new stone citadel appeared to be of no practical impotence, as it was never used for defensive purposes it was built according to the rules of fortification - high mighty walls were provided with two rows of loopholes and from the inside they had a covered gallery connecting all the 12 towers, which were also adapted to be used for defense. The main tower is polygonal (unlike the other - round and faceted - ones), 22 meters high and faces the town. In its design monumentality of a citadel was combined with decorativeness, so typical of Suzdalian parish churches. The top of the tower looks like a church cupola, but there is a weathervane instead of a cross over it. In the 18th century the main tower was damaged by a lightning. It was repaired in 1860. In 1980-1990 the walls and towers were restored. As a part of the monastery ensemble they are on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

The cathedral of the Transfiguration

The main cathedral of the monastery of Our Savior was built in the 16th century. It is a brick four-pillared cathedral created in the traditions of old white stone architecture. It is monumental and austere. Two more domes above the chapels are added to five massive domes of the cathedral. The blind arcade and the fresco of the 16th century decorate the outer walls. White stone carving is used on the perspective portals. Arches with keels which crown the walls of the cathedral give it special gracefulness and expressiveness. The cathedral is surrounded by galleries of the 18th century. It was restored in 1980. Together with the architectural ensemble of the monastery it is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

The infirmary church of St. Nicholas

It is a rare monument of church and civil architecture. It was built in 1669. It is a one-domed, 4-sloped roof building, no pillars inside, with decorative semi-circulars (kokoshniks) and window frames, expressive portals. The construction is unusual: the double vault makes the church higher and warmer. Two-storied infirmary with one-pillared vaulted hall was added to the church. There is a staircase inside the wall which is rather a rare phenomenon. At first there was a monastery prison opened in 1766 in the infirmary.The building was restored in 1970-s. Together with the ensemble of the monastery it is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

The jail block

It was constructed in 1730. The building was supposed to be the brothers' chambers at first. It's the last big construction of the monastery; it was rebuilt into a monastery jail for clergy in 1823. The jail block is a long one-story barrack - like building with a yard in front of it where the inmates were taken to walk. It's behind a high brick wall in the northern part of the monastery. The gloomy monotonous facade is in keeping with a long corridor and low dark cells. The building was restored in 1970-es. As a part of the monastery ensemble it's on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

The Archbishops' Chambers

The architectural ensemble of the Archbishops' Chambers had been created within several centuries. The first brick chambers of Suzdal bishops appeared in the 15th century not far from the Nativity cathedral. In 1635 a monumental octahedron bell tower with a huge massive tent and chime clock emerged in front of the cathedral There was a home church of the bishop in the middle tier of the tower. But the most important alteration which changed the appearance of the archbishop's residence took place in the time of Metropolitan Illarion (1682-1707). The archbishop's chambers are a rather complicated group of buildings dating back to different periods of time. It combines the features of old russian civil architecture with regularity of the royal chambers of the new time. The northern block was built anew, the cross chamber - the reception hall of archbishops, the center of the ensemble - was created. The festive staircase and a spacious seni (lobby) leads to the cross chamber. The northern block is connected to the earlier buildings. The Annunciation church restored according to the 16th century is one of them. It has an 8-sloped roof, one dome, a refectory and a porch with galleries. The same kind of a porch decorates the entrance on the side of the bell tower. The bell tower is connected to the archbishop's chambers by the gallery restored by specialists. Porches, galleries and other details unite the buildings making a whole ensemble complete. The territory of the archbishop's court yard is surrounded by a low brick fence with a gate. In the yard there is a wooden church of St. Nicholas (1766) from the village of Glotovo. That is the first monument of the museum of wooden architecture, which is situated on the other side of the Kamenka River. The ensemble of the archbishop's court yard is a part of the Vladimir-Suzdal museum-reserve.

The Assumption refectory church

A rare monument of tent-roofed architecture of the 16th century. It's a combination of a church and civil building. The Assumption church is a small pillar-shaped church (an octahedron on a cube), topped with a tent with two tiers of kokoshniks at the tent basement, with a mighty apse, and decorated with niches, pilaster strips, arches and ceramic tiles. The chapel of St. Diomidas - a tiny pillar-shaped church without apses, with tiers of kokoshniks and graceful cupola - adjoins the church. The refectory chamber is connected with the Assumption church on the western side. It's a two-story structure with several vaulted chambers; the upper section was used as the refectory and the low one as storage. The refectory chamber is covered with wooden roof. Nowadays there are about 20 refectory chambers of the 16th century in Russia. There are fragments of frescoes of the 16th century in the refectory church and in the chambers. The building was restored in 1970. Together with the monastery ensemble it was inscribed in the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

The belfry of the monastery of our Saviour and St. Euthimius

Rare monument of an old Russia architecture. Its different parts date back to different periods of the 16th-17th centuries. The pillar-shaped church "under the bells" of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist was built in the first quarter of the 16th century. In this church the childless couple - grand prince Vasily III and his wife Solomonia - prayed during their visits to Suzdal. The church is a nine-sided, tiered pillar - (with the bells hanging in the upper third tier) crowned with ogee-shaped zakomaras around the drum supporting its small dome. Such pillar-shaped churches "under the bells "had been built for a short period and not so many of them could survive. A rectangular extension with an arched opening to hang a big bell donated by nobleman Denis Cheremisinov was put to the pillar at the end of the 16th century. At the end of the 17th century another arcade was added for the new bells. As the result the belfry in a form of a wall with an arched gallery for bells, similar to the belfries in Rostov and Yaroslavl, has appeared. The biggest bell of the belfry in the 17th century weighed 355 kilos, in the 18th century - 560 kilos. They were rung from the ground with the help of the rope, fixed to the pole, which was connected with a wooden movable shaft to which the bell itself was fastened - so they swung the bell itself, and not its tongue.In the 17th century the original tent-shaped roof of the church was dismantled and replaced by a clock tower with a small tent over it. Today after the restoration which took place in 1970-es the monument has the form of a wall with a triple arcade, added to a pillar-shaped structure with a small dome and a clock tower. The decor of the building, which includes colored tiles, is rather laconic. There are 17 bells on the belfry today and concerts of bell music are performed by the museum's bell-ringers.

The monument, being a part of the monastery is inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

The church of St. Boris and St. Gleb in Kideksha

From the Market Square of Suzdal passing the monastery of St. Basil there goes a road to the village of Kideksha. 4km to the east from Suzdal we've got one of the earliest monuments of Vladimir-Suzdal white stone architecture - St. Boris and St. Gleb church. Within one year (1152) Suzdal prince Yuri Dolgoruky built a number of churches in different cities of Zalessye (region beyond the forests). St Boris and St. Gleb church was among them. Possibly the church of St Boris and St. Gleb was the center of the royal residence, surrounded by earth ramparts. Of all the buildings of the residence only the church survived. The prince didn't stay here for a long time. In 1155 he became the prince of Kiev, where he soon died. The church of St Boris and St. Gleb is striking by its austere simplicity. Its cube-shaped main body with solid apses is built of perfectly trimmed white stone slabs. The plain clear constructions almost devoid of carved decorations. Only a band of blind arcade and modestly decorated portals break the simplicity of the architecture. The upper part of the church collapsed and in the 17th the four-sloped roof with a tiny dome was built instead. In the 14th century there was a monastery here and since the 18th century it was used as a village church. In 1780 a small heated church of St. Stephen was built in addition to the ancient non-heated temple. And in front of them a tent-shaped bell tower with the Holy Gate and a low brick fence were constructed. Nowadays the church of St. Boris and St. Gleb is a part of the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum. It's on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

The cathedral of St. George

It was built according to the design by L.N.Benois, professor of art academy. Benois wrote: "I put all my efforts into this cathedral and it might be my best creation". Elements of the old-Russian architecture - window frames, portals, porches, tiles, mosaics decorate the facades. The combination of natural color of brick with white stone decoration makes the building refined and beautiful. The interior of the cathedral is a basilica with columns made of black Labrador, mosaics and the huge painting "The Last Judgment" by V.M.Vasnetsov on the western wall. It causes a special interest of experts and lovers of art. One of the contemporaries wrote: "It is one of those pieces of art that could be seen and remembered forever". The splendid mosaic "In Thee Rejoiceth" in the alter part of the cathedral was created by well known specialist in mosaics V.Frolov according to the sketch by Vasnetsov. But not everything is preserved in the cathedral. White stone portals, patterned decorative lattices, huge wooden doors were restored by the Vladimir specialists. The painting "The Last Judgment" by Vasnetsov has been returned to its place after the restoration.

The Likhonin house

In ancient Suzdal, aside from the tourist routes on a small and quiet by-street (now it is Slobodskaya st.) stand a merchant house of the early 18th century. It belongs to the Vladimir-Suzdal museum-reserve, but it is not an ordinary museum, it is an unusual museum hotel set up in the 18th century house which had been restored. One can see the high wooden roof of the house already from the road. Its site is extremely picturesque - the steep high bank of the Kamenka river from which the convent of the Intercession on the opposite low bank of the river is clearly visible, in the distance the monastery of Our Saviour and St. Euthimius stands out in all its beauty with its numerous domes, tents and towers. The monastery of St. Alexandre is a little to a side of it and the convent of the Deposition of the Robe is behind it. Two-story, with its stone lower part and wooden upper story, with its odd plan reflecting the gradualness of its construction, the house which is about 300 years old looks at us with a lively bright eye of a Russian merchant. Everything is reasonable here - stout gate, high fence, paved yard, outbuildings. The house's front facade with its windows faces the street and the estate is at the back of it. One can get into the house through a low arched entrance with an oaken door. There is an icon inside a triangular niche-kiot-over the entrance. The windows of the lower stone story are small, deep-set, with wrinkles of recessed window surrounds. All the windows have forged bars of ancient design. The house is quite large, it has many rooms. A spacious seni (i.e. an entrance hall, a lobby) - with benches and a chest - smells of wood and herbs, which hang in bundles on the walls in wicker baskets. Small bust shoes, carved battledores and an old wooden lantern are also here. From the seni one can get to a smaller chamber with long tables and benches - it is a refectory for common meals. The icon lamp is flickering in front of the icon in the red corner. The bedrooms are upstairs; a staircase leads there from the seni. Modern comfort and design are not able to destroy the charms created by the images of the past. Wooden beds under colorful bed-covers, fashionable furniture and carpets and next to them you see a Russian stove on the top of which it is possible to sleep and another stove decorated with ceramic tiles of the 19th century, handles on the window imitating the old ones, lacy curtains, blooming geranium and chrysanthemum... There is one suite, two single and three double rooms here. Especially attractive is the drawing room - a lounge in soft subdued colors with a huge merchant sideboard and boundless table, with modern upholstered sofas and beautiful lamps. The sincere concern and keen loving eye of the hostesses of this remarkable hotel are felt in everything.

The Abbot's house

The monument of the 17th century civil architecture was built between 1628 and 1660. It's the two - story building with the vaulted chambers adjoining the refectory. The wooden covered galleries built on the brick pillars and porches make this building warm and cozy. It was formerly used as the administrative building and in 1764-1818 as the Abbot's house. The building was restored in 1970. Together with the monastery ensemble it was Inscribed in the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

Intercession Convent

The Intercession Convent (Pokrovsky monastyr), founded in 1364, has been handed back to the Church since Soviet times and a small community of black-robed nuns is in residence. The three-domed Intercession Cathedral (Pokrovsky sobor) in the center, built in 1510-18, is in religious use again.The convent was originally a place of exile for the unwanted wives of tsars — among them Solomonia Saburova, first wife of Vasily III, who was sent here in the 1520s because of her supposed infertility. The story goes that she finally became pregnant too late to avoid being divorced. A baby boy was born in Suzdal but, fearing he would be seen as a dangerous rival to any sons produced by Vasily's new wife, Yelena Glinska, Solomonia secretly had him adopted, pretended he had died and staged a mock burial. This was probably just as well for the boy since Yelena did indeed produce a son - Ivan the Terrible.The legend received dramatic corroboration in 1934 when researchers opened a small 16th century tomb beside Solomonia's, in the crypt beneath the Intercession Cathedral. They found a silk and pearl shirt stuffed with rags - and no bones.

Church of the Entry to Jerusalem

The church was built in 1707 from brick and white stone.It is parish church.The church is pillar less, overlapped with groined vault, five-domed (one main dome, four decorative), with one apse.The composition visions as summer church, part of the double ensemble of the two parish churches.The monument situated in the north from the winter (Pyatnitskaya) church.

St. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa church

St. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa church (1772) was called Nikolskaya but it has its presented name due to a church that used to be on its place.There churches formed a single complex with a bell tower and a brick fence.A tabernacle bell tower of the early 18th century was dish-shaped, what was common for Suzdal architecture, with smooth walls and without dormer windows. The fence of that time – brick and colored in white – had stony gated with the most original tops – stony fornication in wooden architecture style.

Ascension Church, Alexander Nevsky Monastery

The church was built in 1695 by tsarist Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina order.The church erected from brick and white stone.The church functions as monastic church.

Can be described as pillar less church, overlapped with groined vault, five-domed (one main dome, four decorative), with three apses.Composed from aisle and parvis adjoined to the north facade; separate bell-tower in the south-west.

Gates in Alexander Nevskiy Monastery

The gates were built in the end of the 17 cent. - beginning of the 18 cent from the brick by the Gryaznov Ivan architect.The gates function as monastic gates.

The gates can be described as building with storey; in the lower part - two octahedrons crowned with circular domeare put on cubicalbulk, overlapped with the arch.

The composition consists of part of monastery, situated in the south part of the fencing.The latest date of restoration is 1947.

Resurrection Church

The church was built in 1720 from brick. The monument functions as parish church. The construction of the church consists from one-domed church with one apse andtwo pillars.Composition is asymmetrical; with the bell-tower atthe north-west corner and the porch at the south entrance.

Vasiliev monastery

Vasiliev monastery was built in the 13th century as an outpost on the way to the Kideisha town. Legendary its foundation is connected with Validimir Krasnoe Solnyshko (Vladimir the Beautiful Sun) and the citizens’ marking with a cross where a church of oak used to be located. The monastery was founded in the 13th century. As an independent unit it existed till the times of Catherine II and later became a part of the Savior’s and St.Ephimius monastery.Vasilievsky cathedral (1662-1669) was built on the place of a tabernacle wooden church. A Two-pillar construction, uncommon for Suzdal, is similar to Lazarev church but its interior is absolutely different. Its decoration is modest and ascetic: small porches and shallow crenels of the windows make it look like an ancient fortress. A three-storey bell tower erected in the 19th century is more festive: it is decorated with carved cornices and closely standing to each other pilasters.There has remained a fence (some parts are dated back to the 17th century) with the low-rise Holy Gates in the monastery. The monastery is active although there is a part of the territory that doesn’t belong to it: there has remained a two-storey house of communal services near a wall.

Cathedral of the Deposition of the Robe (Rizopolozhensky monastery)

Monastery of the Deposition. The Monastery of the Deposition of the Holy Robe (Rizopolozhensky monastery) is said to date from 1207 but the existing buildings are 16th to 19th century. It's now a dilapidated mess but has two pretty, pyramidal entrance turrets (1688) on the south gate. Suzdal's tallest structure, a 72m bell tower (1813-19), rises from the east wall. Rizopolozhensky nunnery established by a bishop John in 1207 stands on a hill of the city. At first, all the constructions in the monastery were wooden and the first stony cathedral.Rizopolozhensky cathedral (the middle of the 16th century) was admittedly built by Ivan Shigoney-Podzhoginji. A three-cupola cathedral with three apses is very uncommon for Suzdal architecture of that time. A low-rise but very beautiful and rich decorated church porch with tiled panels was built from the western side in 1688.The cupolas were oil-shaped in the 19th century. The cathedral was given to a power electro station in 1929.Dome's cupolas were demolished and the interior was damaged badly because of propulsion system. It was restored in 1969 and the cupolas were again helmet-shaped. A warehouse of cultural items was located in the cathedral after its restoration. Today, it belongs to the nunnery.