Golden Ring tour - Short Golden Ring tour

This is a short Golden Ring tour, which comprises  main cities – Sergiev Posad, Vladimir and Suzdal. Generally the Golden Ring consists of small ancient towns around Moscow. It is the most popular tourist route through the Russian provinces. During the tour you will have a chance to see Russian towns' beautiful churches, monasteries, fortresses, kremlins; enjoy the scenery of a country side, take hundreds of photos and have a wonderful time.
 

The town of Sergiev Posad got its name from Saint Serguis, who was born in the neighbouring town of Radonezh and in the middle of the 14th century founded the largest and most famous Russian monastery. That monastery, known as the Holy Trinity-St.Sergius Lavra (the word "lavra" in Greek means the most significant monastery), is now something like a Russian Vatican. The place holds the Theological Seminary, the largest library of religious literature, the famous icons, historical and artistic treasures. The architectural complex of Trinity-St.Sergius Lavra was developed in the course of several centuries. The oldest church on its territory is the Holy Trinity Cathedral (1422-1423) famous for its icons painted by the renowned icon painter Andrey Rublev and the 17th century frescoes.

 

Vladimir was founded in either 990 or 1108, depending on which historians you refer to. For the better part of two centuries (from 1169 to the mid 1300s) it was the capital of ancient Rus. Vladimir is now considered one of the major towns of the Golden Ring community towns which have played a significant role in the Russian history. Among many other attractions, the city boasts three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are the Golden Gates, Vladimir's unofficial symbol; the Assumption and St. Dimitry Cathedrals.

 

If tourists go to Vladimir, they should not miss Bogolyubovo as it is also a part of Golden Ring tour. Among the sights worth visiting we should mention the Bogolyubovsky Monastery and the Church of the Intercession. The town of Bogolyubovo was  originally founded as a fortress in the 12th century by Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky ("Bogolyubsky" means "loved by god").