Russia's Golden Ring

Marg at the Golden Gate of Vladimir-1158 AC (UNESCO), Russia

We’d really enjoyed Moscow and were now driving our motorhome Vanni, to the Golden Ring of Russia, a route that takes in several medieval cities. Heading east out of Moscow, our first stop was Vladimir (Владимир), where we were delighted to find the ancient UNESCO protected 12th century Golden Gate near the entrance to the city. We saw several couples queued up there to have their wedding photos taken. 

Vladimir used to be the capital of medieval Russia and has many grand churches and amazing architecture. We walked from one end of the town to the other seeing quite a lot.

Assumption Cathedral-1157 (UNESCO), Vladimir, Russia

A highlight was seeing two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the beautiful white and gold Assumption Cathedral built in 1158, and St. Demetrius Cathedral. 

The Assumption Cathedral was a mother church of Medieval Russia and is the main temple of Vladimir. The interior contains some beautiful frescoes dating back to 1408. This style of church apparently inspired the design of many other Russian churches.

We also liked the Nativity Monastery dating back to 1191 - it seems it was the most important monastery in Russia until the 16th century; the Protection Church built in 1165; and the Old Believer’s Trinity Church. The Old Believer’s now houses an interesting folk museum.

Our next stop on the route was Suzdal (Суздаль).

Typical ornate wooden house in Suzdal, Russia

Suzdal proved to be a delightful and beautiful old town, full of traditional ornate wooden houses (izbas) that have been restored and look cared for, in nice treed streets. 

We found a camping ground (not many in Russia), got a town map, and set off to explore. 

Suzdal is a smallish town with a population of around 13,000, and it is also very old, dating back to 1025. It sits on the Kamenka River and the surrounding area is rural. The town has a lot of beautiful churches, but our focus was Suzdal’s historic 10th century kremlin which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Leigh at the Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral (UNESCO), Suzdal, Russia

Entering the kremlin, one church in particular caught our eye. It was the beautiful blue-domed Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral. It dates back to 1225, and along with the kremlin, is part of the UNESCO White Stone Monuments sites in Suzdal and Vladimir.

Also within the kremlin, we saw the UNESCO gold and green-domed Transfiguration Cathedral, and the wonderfully interesting Spaso-Yefimiev Monastery with its belfry. We were lucky enough to get there in time to hear and see the local bell ringer performing – it was amazing.

There were several other beautiful buildings that we saw inside the kremlin, such as the Episcopal Palace. Outside the kremlin in Suzdal, we visited several other UNESCO buildings. These included the Intercession Convent, the Church of SS. Boris and Gleb Saviour, and St. Euthimius Monastery.

Rural Russian Orthodox churches on the Golden Ring of Russia route

On we drove.....through tiny little hamlets such as Romanovo (Рома́ново) and Podolets (Подолец). These are very small with a population of under 100 and very few houses, lots of farmland, and lovely old churches.

The road around these parts was diabolical and deserves a special mention. It was like six inches of bitumen had been poured over old rutted dirt roads without any preparation, then left to disintegrate in the extreme weather. So there were lots of holes, and each one was like a chasm!

At the next town of Gavrilov Posad (Гаврилов Посад), it was market day and everyone was out and about. 

Washing day in Gavrilov Posad, Russia 

We crossed a bridge and river out of Gavrilov Posad village later, and saw women washing clothes in the river. It was lovely seeing rural life off the main tourist trail.

As we were driving, we passed several signs indicating that moose cross on the road there. Then, we actually saw an adult moose and baby crossing the road – wow!

Then we drove to Kibergino (Кибергино), another tiny rural village with lovely ornate houses and an old church – green was a predominate theme in church and house colour there!

Ornate wooden houses on the Golden Ring of Russia route

Along the route we’d seen many wooden houses, some with corners fitted together seemingly without using nails, and most had pretty wooden filigree carvings around the windows and doors. 

We also saw local markets, people walking to church, a diverse range of transport and housing, and many other interesting sights that gave us a picture of rural Russia.

Leaving Kibergino, we visited the bigger town of Teykovo (Тейково), and the tiny villages of Yakshino (Якшино-population 13), Krapivnovo (Крапивново-population 550), and Sulost (Сулость), which is a tiny and pretty village surrounded by swampy lakes. Then, a after a few more villages, we arrived in Rostov Veliky.

Rostov Kremlin northern entrance

Rostov Veliky (Ростов Великий) is one of the oldest towns in Russia, dating back to 862. It has an impressive 17th century kremlin located on Russia’s Lake Nero that we visited, and that is a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage list. The kremlin contains some impressive ancient buildings and religious structures. 

The town itself, although smallish (pop 32k), was a major cultural and political centre in medieval Russia, and one of the first spiritual centres of the Russian Orthodox Church. Religious buildings abound here! Favourites included the Dormition Cathedral and the Resurrection Church, built over the northern entrance to the kremlin. 

Dormition Cathedral and bell tower (on right), Rostov Kremlin, Russia

The Dormition is particularly lovely. Built between the 12th and 16th centuries, its domes are made of tin tiles that shine like silver in the sunlight. Next to the Cathedral is a 4-domed belfry with 13 bells. Each bell has its own sound, from the biggest weighing 32 tons, to the smallest. Bellringing is an integral part of the cultural heritage here.

We also liked the Baroque Hodegetria Icon Church. Tucked into a corner of the Kremlin, this 17th century church is painted in a 3-D diamond pattern. 

Overall, there are 5 ‘museum’ churches inside the kremlin, and all are impressive. Some of the interiors are elaborately painted and decorated, although many of the frescoes are faded and pitted by age. 

Onion domed churches seenfrom the Rostov Veliky Kremlin

We climbed the kremlin’s wooden tower to get a view over the town. You could see so many onion-domes from there.

Outside the kremlin, we visited the 11th century Abraham Monastery, one of the oldest in Russia and which contains the Epiphany Cathedral which was built by Ivan the Terrible in 1553; the five-domed Savior-on-the-Market church also with silver domes; the 17th century Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery which accommodates the impressive green-domed Zachatyevsky Cathedral with its beautiful frescoes, and the Dmitriev Cathedral. We were a bit cathedraled-out by the time we’d finished!

Spires of Rostov viewed from the Kremlin

Later, somehow, we got lost trying to drive out of Rostov. Stopping at a garage for directions, a big burly, rather rough looking man offered to help. He gave Leigh hand-directions but when she repeated them to see if she had it right, he shook his head and said “nyeht!” (no) and then suddenly offered to escort us to show us the way. 

Speeding off in his car, we followed his circuitous route (the local’s route) through town and onto the correct road to head to Pereslavl Zalessky. 

What a lovely helpful chap. We gave him a New Zealand branded pen but we were not sure if knew where we were from, as it was written in English!

Finally arriving in Pereslavl Zalessky (Переславль-Залесский), we found it to be an old and small Russian rural town.

Transfiguration Cathedral (1152 AD), Pereslavl Zalessky, Russia

It's famous for its many monasteries and old churches. The most famous is the Transfiguration Cathedral from 1152 AD. It is one of the oldest in Russia.

It is built of two back-to-back rows of limestone - the outer and inner walls – carved to fit perfectly together. 

Although we’d seen a lot of cathedrals up until now, we couldn’t resist a good look around. There are six monasteries, four of which are active, and they were all in a very tight little circle within the town. 

We visited the Nikolsky Women's Monastery to find that it was founded in the 14th century. It contains several cathedrals and churches built over the subsequent centuries.

Cathedral of the Nikolsky Women's Monastery, Pereslavl Zalessky, Russia

The 18th century St Nicholas Cathedral is the most beautiful. It’s gold onion-shaped domes are clustered in a pyramid shape. 

We also visited the Goritsky monastery, which was founded in the 12th century, and incudes the amazing Assumption Cathedral with its collection of historic art; the 16th century Danilovsky Monastery with the Church of Peter the Metropolitan; and the Purification Church of Alexander Nevsky built in 1785.

Later, visiting the local supermarket, we found Russian people were eager to help us, especially when we were trying to work out what we might really be eating! Some speak English but most don’t. Once again, our sign language and a smile worked wonders.

Leigh-Refectory of Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius Monastery (UNESCO)

Our next stop was Sergiev Posad (Се́ргиев Поса́д), famous for its Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius Monastery, the spiritual home of the Russian Orthodox Church and the holiest pilgrimage site in Russia. It was founded in 1337 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site enclosed by walls up to 6 metres high and 3.5 metres thick. 

There are more than 50 buildings inside the Monastery - it’s huge, and it is the largest of its kind in Russia, being a combination of a fortress and a monastery. It is still a functioning monastery for men.

As we walked around, we saw lots of bearded priests; old ladies (babushkas) filling bottles of holy water; crowds of believers lighting candles; heaps of people kissing icons; and lots of Russian tourists. 

Icon wall, Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius Monastery (UNESCO)

There are some significant icons here and beautiful artworks, which we enjoyed seeing. It’s quite a mystical place, and provided a peek into Russia’s age-old belief system.

Later, not finding any camping grounds, we went looking for a safe place to park for the night. Then we spotted a van parked by a small lake so drove there to discover a friendly French family of Mum, Dad, three children and a dog. We settled in, feeling safe there. 

During the night, we were woken by a pitiful meowing. But it eventually stopped, and we gave it no more thought.

We drove through the Sergiev Posad township the next day, having a quick look at the shops.

Shops on the main street of Sergiev Posad, Russia

Houses and shops grew up around the monastery and by 1782, became the town of Sergiev Posad. It now supports a population of around 111,000.

As we were driving along, we heard a meowing noise. How can that be? Is it that cat in the Van? It sounded as though it had become our passenger; but where? 

After a search, Marg lifted the bonnet and there lying on the engine’s fuse box, was a black furry kitten! 

Upon touching it, the little blighter shot down the side of the engine, down the front tyre, onto the road, and was gone (we hoped)! 

After getting our heart-beat back to normal and checking thoroughly underneath Vanni hoping that kitty was ok, we headed off out of town, sans-kitten. 

We’ve now completed our tour of Russia’s Golden Ring and are preparing to drive north toward St Petersburg, but have several stops planned on the way. So our next stop is in the nearby town of Klin.

This blog describes part of our 6-month motorhome trip around northern and eastern Europe, which began in Prague.