Sights of Suzdal

Around Ulitsa Lenina

Aleksandrovsky Monastery

  • Ulitsa Gasteva
  • http://alexandermon.wix.com/index

Located on the River Kamenka on the opposite side from the Prokrovsky Convent is the Aleksandrovsky Monastery. According to legend the convent was founded as a convent in 1240 by Aleksandr Nevsky after whom the monastery is now named. However none of the buildings from the time of Aleksandr Nevsky remain; most date from the late 17th century. In 1764 the convent was dissolved under the secularisation policies of Catherine the Great. Only in 2006 was it reopened, but as a monastery… Read more »

Aleksey Lebedev Monument

  • Ulitsa Kremlyovskaya

The poet Aleksey Lebedev was born in Suzdal in 1912 and this monument to him was unveiled in 2008. The statue depicts Lebedev wearing a naval stripped "telnyashka" undershirt as he served in the Baltic Fleet Navy. During the war Lebedev served on the L-2 Stalinets submarine and was killed in 1941 when the submarine was blown up by a mine in the Gulf of Finland. Read more »

Dmitri Pozharsky Monument

  • Skver Dmitria Pozharskogo

Just outside the walls of the Spaso-Yevfimiev Monastery in the small gardens is a monument dedicated to Prince Dmitri Pozharsky who lead the Second Volunteer Army which eventually liberated Moscow from the Polish interventionists during the Time of Troubles. The monument is the oldest surviving monument in Suzdal, having been unveiled in 1955. The inscription reads "A Grateful Russia to Dmitri Pozharsky". Read more »

Dormition Church

  • Ulitsa Kremlyovskaya

The Dormition Church is located next to the earthen walls of the Suzdal Kremlin. It is not exactly known from when the church dates, but it is assumed to have been built in the mid-17th century to replace an earlier wooden church which was destroyed by fire. The church was damaged by the fire of 1719 and subsequently restored. In the 1920s the church was closed and its tent-dome bell tower was demolished. The church has now been returned to the Orthodox Church. Read more »

Ensemble of Our Lady of Smolensk and St Simeon Stylites' Churches

  • Ulitsa Lenina

Across the road from the Old Town House is another church ensemble comprising a summer and a winter church. As usual the summer church, which is the Our Lady of Smolensk Church, is the prettier of the two. It was built between 1696 and 1706 in what was then the settlement (sloboda) of Skuchilikha which was owned by the Spaso-Yevfimiev Monastery. The church comprises a large cube structure with five domes on tall tholobates and a classical-style bell tower. Just next to this is the… Read more »

Ensemble of Ss Constantine and Helena's and Joy of All Who Sorrow Churches

  • Zaprudny Pereulok

The pretty Ss Constantine and Helena's Church dates from 1707 and comprises a cube structure with five domes on tall tholobates. In 1923 the church was closed and used as a store and a garage until it was returned to the Orthodox Church in 1990. In 1995 the church became the cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Free Church which later became known as the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church. However after a court dispute, the church was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. Ss… Read more »

Ensemble of St Lazarus' and St Antipas' Churches

  • Ulitsa Staraya

In between Torgovaya Ploschad and the Rizopolozhensky Convent is another church ensemble: the beautiful summer St Lazarus' Church and the brightly coloured winter St Antipas' Church. St Lazarus' Church dates from 1667 and boast a double row of kokoshniks, five black domes and three carved portals. The main structure of the neighbouring St Antipas' Church, which dates from 1745, is much simpler but it makes up for this plainness by having a wonderfully decorative bell tower. Read more »

Ensemble of St Nicholas' and the Nativity of Christ Churches

  • Ulitsa Lebedeva
  • http://www.rusicons.ru

Close to the River Kamenka is an ensemble of two churches which date from after the fire of 1719. The ensemble's summer church is St Nicholas' Church which was built between 1720 and 1739. In form the church is a single-domed structure attached to a 'octagon-on-cube' style bell tower. The winter church is the Nativity of Christ Church which dates from 1775. It is simple in form, but decorated with colourful cornices and friezes. The front pediment features a fresco depicting the… Read more »

Ensemble of the Entry into Jerusalem and St Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa's Churches

  • Ulitsa Kremlyovskaya

Situated between Torgovaya Square and the kremlin's earthen mounds is the ensemble of the Entry into Jerusalem and St Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa's Churches. The summer church is the Entry into Jerusalem Church which was built between 1702 and 1707 and features five domes on tall tholobates. The neighbouring St Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa's Church dates from 1772 and is simpler in style. Read more »

Ensemble of the Resurrection and Our Lady of Kazan Churches

  • Torgovaya Ploschad

Also located on Torgovaya Ploschad is the church ensemble of the Resurrection and Our Lady of Kazan Churches. The Resurrection Church constitutes the ensemble's summer church and was built in 1720 to replace an earlier wooden version destroyed in the fire of 1719. Its most striking feature is its tall bell tower. The yellow Our Lady of Kazan Church is the winter church and is located right next door. Like most winter churches it is much simpler in comparison to the summer church… Read more »

Memorial to the Fallen of the Second World War

  • Gorodskoy Skver

In the Gorodskoy Skver (city gardens) on the corner of Ulitsa Lenina and Ulitsa Vasilievskaya is a monument dedicated to soldiers from Suzdal who were killed in the Second World War. The monument was opened in 1986 and consists of white-stone arches which form a cube. The memorial also comprises an eternal flame and inscriptions of the names of soldiers who fell at the front. Also in the gardens is a small memorial to citizens of Suzdal who died in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. … Read more »

Old Town House

  • 148 Ulitsa Lenina
  • 10:00 - 17:00 (10:00 - 16:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays). Closed on Thursdays.

The Old Town House is an example of a late 12th - early 13th century town house, the only of its kind surviving in Suzdal and only one of several in the whole of Russia. It is believed that the house was once used as a bread shop or a tavern. In the 1970s the house was restored and its exterior and interior were returned to their original form. Now it is run as a museum exhibiting the house's interior as well as various displays on the history of the city. Read more »

Rizopolozhensky Convent

  • Ulitsa Lenina

The Rizopolozhensky Convent was founded in 1207 by the Bishop of Suzdal. The convent is closely associated with St Yevfrosinia of Suzdal, the eldest daughter of Prince Mikhail of Chernigov. Yevfrosinia became a nun in the monastery in approximately 1233 when her fiancé died on the day of the wedding. From then on she dedicated the rest of her life to religion. In 1923 the convent was closed and only reopened by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1999. The main entrance to the convent… Read more »

Spaso-Yevfimiev Monastery

  • Ulitsa Lenina
  • http://www.vladmuseum.ru
  • 10:00 - 18:00. Closed on Mondays and the last Thursday of the month.

The biggest monastery in Suzdal is the Spaso-Yevfimiev Monastery, which is occasionally mistaken for the Suzdal Kremlin due to its large fortified walls. The monastery was founded in 1352 by Prince Boris Konstantinovich of Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod, originally as a fortification. Originally the monastery was called the Spassky Monastery but was later renamed the Spaso-Yevfimiev Monastery in honour of St Euthymius (Yevfimi) of Suzdal, who was sent by Prince Boris Konstantinovich to… Read more »

Ss Cosmos and Damian's Church

  • Ulitsa Krasnaya Gorka

On the left bank atop the hill historically known as Yarunova Hill is the Ss Cosmos and Damian's Church. It dates from 1725 when it was built to replace an earlier wooden version. The church is asymmetrical with a bell tower built onto its western side and a small side-chapel built onto the other side. On top of the church is a single small green dome on a tall tholobate. Read more »

St John the Baptist's Church

  • 55A Ulitsa Lenina

St John the Baptist's Church (or the Beheading of St John the Baptist Church to give it its full name) was built in 1720. The main structure of the church is cubic in form with a single dome on top. Built over the church's entrance is a tent-dome bell tower and the back features a large apse. Read more »

St Nicholas' Church

  • 65A Ulitsa Lenina

Located on the northern side of Torgovaya Ploschad is St Nicholas' Church which is often called St Nicholas' Cross Church to distinguish it from other churches in the city dedicated to St Nicholas. The church was built in 1770, but in the 19th century a refectory and bell tower were added. These new additions are of a different style giving the church two different appearances depending on which side you are looking at. Read more »

Suzdal Kremlin

  • Ulitsa Kremlyovskaya
  • http://www.vladmuseum.ru
  • 10:00 - 18:00. Closed on Tuesdays and the last Friday of the month.

The most ancient part of Suzdal is the Kremlin which is situated on a curve of the River Kamenka in what is now the centre of the city on Ulitsa Kremlyovskaya. The kremlin was established in the 10th century upon the foundation of Suzdal and in the 11th and 12th centuries earthen walls were erected with wooden walls and towers installed on top of them for defensive purposes. Located inside were the courts of the local prince and bishop. The kremlin's defences were added to during… Read more »

Trading Rows

  • Torgovaya Ploschad

Suzdal's Trading Rows were built between 1806 and 1811 between the River Kamenka and the square which became known as Torgovaya Ploschad (Trading Square). The rows were constructed in the empire style and feature galleries with columns and a tall central gate. Originally the rows were filled by merchants' stalls but now they have been converted into separate shops or cafes. Many souvenir stalls are also set up here for tourists. Read more »

Vladimir Lenin Monument

  • Red Square (Krasnaya Ploschad)

Taking pride of place on Red Square (Krasnaya Ploschad) in front of the administrative building of the Suzdal District is a four-metre high statue of Vladimir Lenin. This monument was unveiled in 1978 and is actually the second statue of the leader of the world proletariat to stand here. The first one was erected in 1941. Read more »

Around Ulitsa Vasilievskaya

Vasilievsky Monastery

  • Ulitsa Vasilievskaya

Located on Ulitsa Vasilievskaya which runs east from Ulitsa Lenina to the bus station is the Vasilievsky Monastery and this will be the first sight you see if you walk to the centre from the bus station. It was founded in the 13th century by converting defences located on the road from Suzdal to Kideksha. Under Catherine the Great the monastery lost its status as an independent monastery and was attached to firstly the Rizopolozhensky Convent and then the Spaso-Yevfimiev Monastery… Read more »

Right-Bank of the River Kamenka

Ensemble of Ss Peter and Paul's and St Nicholas' Churches

  • Ulitsa Pokrovskaya

Just outside the Pokrovsky Convent is the ensemble of St Nicholas's Church and Ss Peter and Paul's Church. The prettier of the two churches is Ss Peter and Paul's Church - the summer church - which was built in 1694 and is a standard cube building with five tall domes. The neighbouring winter church is the simpler St Nicholas' Church which was added in 1712 during the reign of Peter the Great after he had exiled his first wife to Suzdal. Read more »

Ensemble of the Epiphany and Nativity of St John the Baptist Churches

  • Ulitsa Shmidta

Further down Ulitsa Shmidta is another church ensemble consisting of the summer Epiphany Church and the winter Nativity of St John the Baptist Church. The Epiphany Church dates from 1781 and has two levels of windows and a single dome. The ensemble' winter church - the Nativity of St John the Baptist Church, is slightly older than the summer church dating from 1739. The single story church has one small dome but also features a tent-dome bell tower which was added in 1740. Read more »

Eparchial School at Mikhali

  • Ulitsa Mikhailovskaya

Located off Ulitsa Mikhailovskaya close to the River Kamenka in the area known as Mikhaili is Suzdal's Eparchial School which also comprises a church ensemble consisting of three churches. The most beautiful of the three is the decorative Archangel Michael's Church which was built in 1769 in the classical style. Immediately next to this is the small Ss Florus and Laurus' Church which dates from the early 19th century and is decorated in the same style as its bigger neighbour. A… Read more »

Museum of Wooden Architecture

  • Ulitsa Pushkarskaya
  • http://www.vladmuseum.ru
  • summer: 09:00 - 19:00 (09:00 - 21:00 on Thursdays); winter: 09:00 - 16:00. Closed on Wednesdays and the last Tuesday of the month

The Museum of Wooden Architecture consists of a collection of wooden churches and other buildings which have been brought to Suzdal from neighbouring regions. The two churches here are the impressive 67-metre tall Transfiguration Church which once stood in the village of Kozlyatievo in the Kolchugino District and the Resurrection Church from the village of Patakino from the Kameshkovo District. Both churches date from the mid-18th century and both have wooden iconostases inside. In… Read more »

Pokrovsky Convent

  • Ulitsa Pokrovskaya
  • http://www.vladmuseum.ru

The Pokrovsky Convent (or Svyato-Pokrovsky Convent) was founded in 1364 by Prince Dmitri Konstantinovich although most of its present-day buildings date from the 16th century. Famously the first wife of Vasili III, Salomonia Saburova, was exiled to the convent so that Vasili was free to marry Yelena Glinskaya who would eventually give him the heir he so desired - the future Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Peter the Great took Vasili III's lead and also exiled his first wife, Yevdokia… Read more »

Ss Boris and Gleb's Church

  • Ulitsa Borisova Storona

Ss Boris and Gleb's Church is presumed to have been built in 1749 although there is some doubt about this. The baroque-style church consists of a 'octagon-on-cube' main part with a single dome, which is attached to a bell tower via a vestibule. Previously it was joined by a winter church - St Nicholas' Church, but this was destroyed after the Revolution. Today the church looks a little run down but inside fragments of 18th and 19th century frescos have survived. Read more »

St Elijah the Prophet's Church

  • Ulitsa Ivanova Gora

The simple St Elijah the Prophet's Church was built in 1744 on a curve of the River Kamenka opposite the Suzdal Kremlin. Previously it was joined by its own winter church - St John the Theologian's Church - but this was destroyed during the Soviet years, along with the bell tower of St Elijah the Prophet's Church. In form the church is the standard 'octagon-on-cube' design. In 2010 work was completed on the reconstruction of the bell tower. Read more »