St. John the Baptist Convent, founded in 1536, is located in the small town of Vyazma (population about 50,000), in the east of Smolensk region, 210 km from Moscow.

The convent itself is small, on its territory there are two churches: Church of the Ascension with a bell tower and Church of the Icon of the Holy Mother “Hodegetria.”

Church of the Ascension

the beauty of the second church

Tags: churches · smolensk oblast

Lipetsk region is located in the central part of European Russia, about 370 km south of Moscow.

In the region, there are many interesting abandoned churches and manors that have architectural and historical value. Photos by: deni spiri.

Muromtsev’s Manor and church in Balovnevo village. Vladimir Church (1797-1823) is an outstanding example of religious architecture of early classicism.

a trip to Lipetsk region

Tags: churches · Lipetsk oblast

Smolensk is a city with a population of about 330 thousand people; administrative, industrial and cultural center of Smolensk region. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia celebrated its 1150th anniversary in 2013.

The city is located about 400 km west of Moscow, in the upper reaches of the Dnieper River. It has a favorable geographical position on the ways from Moscow to Belarus, Baltic States, Central and Western Europe.

scenic views of Smolensk

Tags: Smolensk city

St. Isaac’s Cathedral (the Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia) is the largest Orthodox church in St. Petersburg, located on St. Isaac’s Square.

It is an outstanding example of late classicism with a number of new directions (neo-Renaissance, Byzantine style, eclecticism). This unique architectural structure is a high-altitude dominant of the central part of the city.

architectural masterpiece

Tags: churches · Saint Petersburg city

Altai region is a subject of the Russian Federation located in the south-east of Western Siberia. The distance from Barnaul, the capital city of the region, to Moscow is about 3400 km.

On the territory of the region you can see almost all typical Russian natural zones – steppe and forest steppe, taiga and mountains. Photos by: Alexey Kachurin.

amazing nature views

Tags: Altai krai · landscapes

In recent years, a lot new churches were built in Russia. Of course not all of them are interesting from an architectural point of view, but there are pleasant exceptions.

For example, take a look at the Church of the Holy Prince Igor of Chernigov located in the suburban village of Peredelkino in Moscow.

quite picturesque church

Tags: churches · Moscow city

“Vitoslavlitsy” is an open air museum of folk wooden architecture located near St. George Monastery, about 4 km from Veliky Novgorod, on the southern shore of Lake Myachino.

The museum, opened on May 16, 1967, has about thirty monuments of the ancient Russian wooden architecture of the 16th century, residential and other buildings of the 18th-19th centuries.

explore the museum

Tags: Novgorod oblast

Tolbachik is a volcanic complex located in the east of Kamchatka. It is a stunningly beautiful place – a lifeless valley covered with volcanic ash with many cracks and cones shrouded in clouds of acid gases.

The area around the volcano resembles landscapes of distant planets from science fiction movies. This is how Tolbachik plateau looks today – after several major eruptions happened in recent years. Photos by: Andrey Grachev.

fantastic scenery

Tags: Kamchatka krai · landscapes

Beautiful Church of the Sign of Our Lady is located in the village of Dubrovitsy, Podolsky district, Moscow region, about 36 km from the center of Moscow, near Podolsk.

The church was built of white stone in 1690-1703. It is famous for its unique, unusual for Russia architecture. Most probably foreign (possibly Italian) masters were involved in the construction. Church in Dubrovitsy on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

architectural masterpiece

Tags: Moskovskaya oblast · Podolsk city

Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan and a major port on the left bank of the Volga River, is located 820 kilometers east of Moscow.

This city with a population of about 1.2 million people is one of the largest economic, scientific, educational, cultural and sports centers in Russia. In 2005, Kazan celebrated its millennium.

Kazan Kremlin, the oldest part of the city

explore Kazan city

Tags: Kazan city