Uglich: A Journey Through the Centuries

9 points6 km4 hours

Over its long life, Uglich has witnessed the whole of Russian history. It was the center of a small principality; the last heir of the Rurikid dynasty died here; merchants carried on a lively trade; and in Soviet times one of the country's first hydroelectric power plants was built in the town. Join us for a walk through the streets of ancient Uglich to learn its life story.

Route author

Susanin Team

Things to do

📜 Learn the city's history
🏛️🕰️ Compare the eras

Route points (9)

Resurrection Monastery in Uglich

Point on route “Uglich: A Journey Through the Centuries”

Point 5

Resurrection Monastery

🕍 Place of worship • 📜 Historic site • 🏟️ Architectural landmark

Historical Background

No one knows exactly when the monastery was founded, but according to legend it arose around the 13th century. It was probably one of the many monasteries founded by Prince Roman of Uglich. The old wooden monastery complex was ravaged by the Poles in 1609. The stone complex that stands today was built in 1674–1677 by order of Metropolitan Iona Sysoevich of Rostov. It's worth noting that building a stone ensemble in 4 years was very fast! Usually it took several decades. Quite possibly Iona Sysoevich himself sped up construction considerably, since the Resurrection Monastery was where he had taken his monastic vows.

Architecture

The architectural complex of the Resurrection Monastery consists of four buildings joined by a gallery: the central five-domed Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, the Hodegetria Church*, a belfry with the Church of St. Mary of Egypt, and a refectory with the Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. All the buildings are in the finest traditions of Rostov stone architecture. The monastery's walls are elegantly decorated with ornamental brickwork and tiles depicting battle scenes, animals, and various ornaments. The monastery's main holy treasures are an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker painted around 1700 and images of St. Mary of Egypt and the Smolensk Mother of God. *The Hodegetria is the most widespread way of depicting the Mother of God with Jesus Christ. In icons of this type, the Christ Child sits in the arms of the Mother of God, who inclines her head; he faces the viewer and blesses with his right hand. An example of such an icon is the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.