On the very outskirts of Kolomna is the Staro-Golutvin Monastery. It was founded in 1385 (or possibly in 1374) by St Grigory of Golutvin, a pupil of St Sergius of Radonezh, upon the wish of St Sergius and Dmitri Donskoy. In fact St Sergius actually played a significant role in its foundation by choosing the location near to where the River Moskva flows into the Oka and dedicating the first church to the Epiphany. Originally just called the Golutvin Monastery the word Staro (meaning old) was added after the founding of the Novo-Golutvin Monastery in the Kolomna Kremlin. Over time the monastery developed; it grew rich and influential and became known for its wide collection of books and manuscripts. During the 18th century many of the monastery's building were replaced and it acquired its most striking feature - the tall Russian gothic towers. However when the Kolomna Eparchy was dissolved in 1799 and moved to Tula, the monastery's influential status began to wane and it even lost its seminary which followed the new eparchy to Tula. The monastery was closed in 1929 and subsequently used by the army and by a social club. The monastery was reopened in 1994 and the Kolomna Theological Seminary was re-established on the territory of the monastery in 1996.

Epiphany Cathedral

The monastery's main cathedral is the Epiphany Cathedral. It was built in the first part of the 18th century to replace the original stone version which was constructed by St Grigory and St Sergius at the founding of the monastery. In fact the foundations of the original cathedral are still visible in the cellar of the new cathedral and include a stone which has become known as the Saint's Stone as St Sergius would have walked on it.

St Sergius of Radonezh's Church

St Sergius of Radonezh's Church is a simple yellow church built between 1828 and 1833. In addition to being dedicated to St Sergius it has altars dedicated to St Grigory of Golutvin and St Nicholas. Built onto the church is the abbot's chambers.

The monastery's bell tower was built in the 19th century as part of the monastery's walls. It has four tiers and stands at 64 metres tall. Inside the bell tower is the Presentation of Mary Gate-Church.