Kolomna, founded in 1177, is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the Moscow region located about 100 km south-east of Moscow.

One of the architectural landmarks of Kolomna is the Church of St. John the Apostle built in 1733-1756. In 1826-1846, a new five-tiered bell tower in the Empire style was built. Today, this 67 meters high bell tower still remains one of the tallest buildings in the city. Church of St. John the Apostle on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

very elegant church

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Kolomna is a city with a population of about 140 thousand people located in the south of the Moscow region, about 113 km southeast of the center of Moscow. It is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the region.

The city has a rare monument of old Russian defensive architecture – the Kolomna Kremlin. Its main attraction is the Assumption Cathedral (1672-1682), the main cathedral of Kolomna. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

beautiful cathedral

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Izborsk, first mentioned in 862, is one of the oldest Russian towns. Today, it is a tourist center with the status of the state historical, cultural and natural museum-reserve located in the Pechora district of the Pskov region, 32 km south-west of Pskov.

The main attraction of Izborsk is its old limestone fortress built in the first half of the 14th century. Inside you can also see the Nikolsky Cathedral of the 14th century. Izborsk Fortress on Google Maps. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

picturesque stone fortress

Tags: Pskov oblast

The ensemble of the Monastery of St. Jacob Saviour (Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery in Russian) stands on the shore of Lake Nero on the western outskirts of Rostov Veliky (Rostov the Great) – one of the oldest towns in Russia, located 58 km south-west of Yaroslavl.

The panorama of this monastery with a picturesque combination of architectural forms of various styles – pseudo-Gothic towers, baroque and classical churches – gives the impression of a fairy tale castle perfectly fitting the lake landscape. Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

fly over the monastery

Tags: churches · Yaroslavl oblast

The Borisoglebsky Monastery in Torzhok, a town located 63 km north-west of Tver, is considered the oldest monastery in the Tver region.

It was founded by the boyar Efrem, a former stableman of Kiev Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich, in 1038. That year a stone church was built, named in honor of Boris and Gleb – the first saints of Kievan Rus. Torzhok on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitry Gazin.

beautiful old monastery

Tags: churches · Tver oblast

Krasnoye is a village with a population of about 400 people located in the Staritsky district of the Tver region, 100 km south-west of Tver.

The main attraction of the village is a beautiful pseudo-Gothic church – the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior (1785-1790) built on the territory of the former estate of the noble family of Poltoratsky. Krasnoye on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

magnificent church

Tags: churches · Tver oblast

The Central Children’s Store on Lubyanka or Tsentral’nyy Detskiy Magazin (in Russian) is a department store with goods for children and youth built in the center of Moscow in 1953-1957. Opened in 1957, it became the biggest children’s store in the USSR.

In 2005, the building received the status of a cultural heritage site of the regional level. In 2006-2015, the building was completely reconstructed. The Central Children’s Store on Google Maps. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

center of Moscow from the roof

Tags: Moscow city

This album of projects of urban and rural buildings of the Russian Empire was compiled by the engineer-architect V.G.Zalessky with the participation of a number of other engineers and architects in 1881 – a very interesting document of its time with beautiful illustrations. Source: humus.

architecture of the Russian Empire

Tags: Russian Empire

Rostov Boris and Gleb Monastery, founded in 1363, is an Orthodox monastery located in the village of Borisoglebsky in the Yaroslavl region, on the road from Rostov to Uglich, 76 km south-west of Yaroslavl, part of the famous tourist route “The Golden Ring of Russia”.

The architectural complex of the monastery was fully formed in the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was one of the richest in the Rostov metropolia, while the Moscow princes and the first Russian tsars considered it as their “home” monastery. After the 17th century, the architectural ensemble remained almost unchanged. Rostov Boris and Gleb Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Mikhail Aritkin.

picturesque old monastery

Tags: Yaroslavl oblast

The Resurrection Monastery or New Jerusalem Monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church is located in the town of Istra in the Moscow region, 73 km north-west of Moscow.

The monastery was founded by Patriarch Nikon in 1656. According to his plan, a complex of holy places of Palestine was to be recreated near Moscow. The New Jerusalem Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Mikhail Aritkin.

amazing monastery

Tags: Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast