Borisoglebsky Monastery
The Borisoglebsky Kremlin is sometimes called the monastery behind powerful stone walls, located in the center of the village of Borisoglebsky, twenty kilometers from Rostov. It originated in the distant XIV century, when the Russian principalities still paid tribute to the Golden Horde, but already felt the power to overthrow the Tatar government. Lost in dense forests, built on a hill, protected on three sides by the Estuary River, the monastery was not only a spiritual center, but also a powerful defensive point on the distant approaches to Moscow. Both Tatar-Mongol troops and Polish detachments stood under its walls during the Time of Troubles. So it is quite appropriate to call this place the Kremlin.
There are many interesting legends and big names associated with the Borisoglebsky Monastery. It is believed that the place for the creation of the monastery was indicated by St. Sergius of Radonezh, the famous Russian ascetic. For a long time, a cross was kept here, with which the wonderworker, if you believe the legends, blessed the founders of the monastery, brothers Fedor and Pavel (now this cross is in the collection of the Borisoglebsky Museum). The legendary warrior monk Alexander Peresvet, who defeated the Tatar strongman in a duel before the Mamaev massacre, was, according to legend, a monk of the Borisoglebsky monastery.
Gradually, the monastery became a popular place for pilgrimage among believers from Moscow and different parts of Russia, and this in turn attracted merchants and artisans here, and a large trading village arose, preceding the modern settlement of Borisoglebsky. The history of the monastery and its settlement is inextricably linked, which is reflected in the monuments with which the villagers decorate their streets – in a few years, as many as four monuments have appeared here. The hero of the Battle of Kulikovo, Alexander Peresvet, and the revered recluse of the monastery of Irinarch of Rostov were sculpted by the famous sculptor Zurab Tsereteli. Here you can also see Princes Skopin-Shuisky and Dmitry Pozharsky who came to the monastery for the blessing (moreover, to make room for Pozharsky, Lenin was removed from the square in front of the administration building, despite the protests of local communists).
In 1924, the monastery was abolished, and a branch of the Rostov State Museum was settled within its walls, several icons from local churches were sent to the Tretyakov Gallery. Over time, many neighbors joined the museum: in the former abbot's building and fraternal cells, a bank, a police dormitory, a pioneer club, a sausage factory, a grain warehouse and other organizations were located next to each other. When the monastery was returned to the faithful, the museum remained on its territory. If you look into it, you will be shown a small exposition, passages of the fortress walls and an observation tower.
