Elista (in the Kalmyk language “elst” means “sandy”) is a city located in the south of the European part of Russia, the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Kalmykia.

Elista is known as one of the Buddhist centers of Russia. The temple “The Golden Monastery of the Buddha Shakyamuni” is the main attraction of the city and the largest Buddhist temple in Kalmykia. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

explore Elista

Tags: Elista city · Kalmykia republic

Dmitrov is a town with a population of about 67 thousand people located in the Moscow region, 65 km north of the center of Moscow. It is one of the oldest towns of the Moscow region founded by Prince Yury Dolgoruky in 1154.

One of the main architectural attractions of the town is the Assumption Cathedral built in the early 16th century and located on the territory of the Dmitrov Kremlin. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

take a stroll around the cathedral

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Vvedenskiy Tolga Convent is located on the outskirts of Yaroslavl, on the left bank of the Volga River. You can easily get here by water-bus from the city center.

Founded as a monastery in 1314, it was named after the Tolga River flowing nearby. In 1987, after nearly sixty years of closure, it was reopened as a convent. Tolga Convent on Google Maps. Photos by: Vasiliy Nikitinskiy.

visit the convent

Tags: churches · Yaroslavl city

Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, situated on the shore of Lake Siverskoye in the town of Kirillov of the Vologda region, is the largest monastery in ​​Europe.

In the 15th-17th centuries, it was one of the largest and richest monasteries in Russia, the spiritual center of the Russian North. In 1924, the monastery was turned into a historical, architectural and art museum-reserve. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

fly over the monastery

Tags: Vologda oblast

The Marian Tikhvin Assumption Monastery is an Orthodox monastery located in the town of Tikhvin in the Leningrad region, about 220 kilometers east of St. Petersburg.

Pimen, the Archbishop of Novgorod, founded the monastery by the order of Ivan the Terrible in 1560. The main relic of the monastery is the miracle-working Tikhvin Icon of the Holy Mother. Tikhvin Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Dmitriy Gazin.

very picturesque monastery

Tags: Leningrad oblast

Staritsky Holy Assumption Monastery is an Orthodox monastery located in the town of Staritsa, on the right bank of the Volga River, in the Tver region.

The ensemble of the monastery is one of the most important and interesting architectural complexes in the region. This is one of the oldest monasteries in Russia, officially founded in the first half of the 16th century, although the first monks came here from Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in 1110.

explore the monastery

Tags: churches · Tver oblast

The village of Dubrovitsy, located in the Podolsk district of the Moscow region, about 36 km from the center of Moscow, is famous for its preserved old manor with an amazing church.

This Orthodox church, named after the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”, was built of white stone in 1690-1703. It is famous for its unique architecture, unusual for Russian architecture. Photos by: Alexander Maretsky.

wonderful church

Tags: Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast · Podolsk city

Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist in Dyakovo is one of the two survived multi-pillar churches of the 16th century, an outstanding monument of Russian architecture.

The church is situated in the territory of Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve in the Southern Administrative District of Moscow. In the 16th century, the royal residence was located in this area.

interesting architectural monument

Tags: churches · Moscow city

Solovetsky Islands or simply Solovki is an archipelago located in the White Sea (Arkhangelsk oblast), consisting of six major islands and more than 100 small islands.

The archipelago and the five-kilometer water area of ​​the White Sea are included in the protected area “Solovetsky State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve.” Photos by: Petr Ushanov.

winter on Solovki

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast

Voskresensky New Jerusalem Monastery is a historic monastery located in the town of Istra in the Moscow region.

The monastery was founded by Patriarch Nikon in 1656. The plan was to recreate the holy places of Palestine, it was the embodiment of the idea of Moscow as the “Third Rome” located in Russia.

Russian Jerusalem

Tags: churches · Moskovskaya oblast