This route takes you deep into the city's history, from the first settlements to the heyday of merchant Vologda. Along the way, layer after layer of the city's past is revealed: traces of fortifications, the sites of former squares, and corners with carefully preserved wooden houses and carved front gardens that tell of the everyday life and tastes of Vologda's people through the ages.
Lazy Square — Where the City Was Founded
🗿 Monument · ⛲ Square
Monument to St. Gerasim of Vologda
🗿 Monument
Karaulov House
🏟️ Architectural landmark · 📜 Historic site
Carved Palisade
🏟️ Architectural landmark · 🏛️ Museum
St. Elijah Monastery
🕍 Place of worship · 🏟️ Architectural landmark · 📜 Historic site
Zasetsky House
🏟️ Architectural landmark
Panteleev House
🏟️ Architectural landmark · 🏛️ Museum
Actors' House
🏟️ Architectural landmark · 🎭 Theater
Kremlin Garden
🌳 Botanical garden · 🌿 Public garden or park
Kremlin Square
⛲ Square · 📜 Historic site
Bishop's Court (Little Kremlin)
🏟️ Architectural landmark · 📜 Historic site
St. Sophia Cathedral
🕍 Place of worship · 🕵️ Urban legend
Resurrection Cathedral
🕍 Place of worship
St. Sophia Cathedral Bell Tower
🕵️ Urban legend · 🔭 Viewpoint
Monument to the Poet K. N. Batyushkov
🗿 Monument
Point 13
🕍 Place of worship
The Resurrection Cathedral in Vologda is an Orthodox church and the cathedral of the Vologda Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was built in 1772–1776 in the Baroque style as a “warm” (winter) church next to the “cold” (unheated) St. Sophia Cathedral. Today it is an architectural monument of federal significance and part of the Vologda Kremlin ensemble.
In 1830 the Vologda nobleman Dmitry Bryanchaninov took monastic vows in the Resurrection Cathedral. He later became St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov, one of Russia's greatest theologians.
In 1923 the cathedral was taken over by the Renovationists, a Soviet-backed breakaway movement in the Church. In the 1930s it was the only working church in the city center, but it was closed on March 5, 1938. The iconostasis was dismantled, and the murals were lost or whitewashed. In 1950 the art department of the Vologda Regional Museum of Local History opened in the building, and in 1952 its collection became the basis of the Vologda Regional Art Gallery. From 1954 the cathedral served as the gallery's main exhibition hall.
In June 2015 it was announced that the cathedral would be handed over to the Vologda Diocese, and on December 4, 2016, it became a working cathedral again. In 2016–2022 it underwent a major restoration: the brickwork was repaired, the wooden window frames were replaced, the plaster was restored and more. In 2023–2024 new murals were painted, and in the sanctuary a section of 19th-century painting that had survived under the whitewash was preserved. During the restoration, a fragment of painting was found under the whitewash — a Last Supper that copied Leonardo da Vinci's famous fresco in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.
Point on route “From an Ancient Settlement to the City of Vologda”
Point 13
🕍 Place of worship
The Resurrection Cathedral in Vologda is an Orthodox church and the cathedral of the Vologda Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was built in 1772–1776 in the Baroque style as a “warm” (winter) church next to the “cold” (unheated) St. Sophia Cathedral. Today it is an architectural monument of federal significance and part of the Vologda Kremlin ensemble.
In 1830 the Vologda nobleman Dmitry Bryanchaninov took monastic vows in the Resurrection Cathedral. He later became St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov, one of Russia's greatest theologians.
In 1923 the cathedral was taken over by the Renovationists, a Soviet-backed breakaway movement in the Church. In the 1930s it was the only working church in the city center, but it was closed on March 5, 1938. The iconostasis was dismantled, and the murals were lost or whitewashed. In 1950 the art department of the Vologda Regional Museum of Local History opened in the building, and in 1952 its collection became the basis of the Vologda Regional Art Gallery. From 1954 the cathedral served as the gallery's main exhibition hall.
In June 2015 it was announced that the cathedral would be handed over to the Vologda Diocese, and on December 4, 2016, it became a working cathedral again. In 2016–2022 it underwent a major restoration: the brickwork was repaired, the wooden window frames were replaced, the plaster was restored and more. In 2023–2024 new murals were painted, and in the sanctuary a section of 19th-century painting that had survived under the whitewash was preserved. During the restoration, a fragment of painting was found under the whitewash — a Last Supper that copied Leonardo da Vinci's famous fresco in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.
15 points
2 km
4 hours
