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Sergiyev Posad

History: The city of Sergiyev Posad is the religious center of the Moscow Region as its first monastery was founded in 1337. The monastery began as a church built by Sergius of Radonezh, made out of wood, and by 1345 was recognized as a place of religious worship.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the religious center continued expanding into new monastery buildings, living areas, and stone walls, which withheld a Polish Siege of 1608-1610.

In the 18th century, wooden monasteries were mostly destroyed, rebuilt, and began reconstruction and settlement (roads, hotels, stable, living quarters and hospice).

Lavra was closed in 1919 after the Russian Revolution, similar to all other places of worship in the USSR. The monastery reopened in 1941 during WW2 and continued to serve as a religious and historical center of Russia.

Culture:

The culture of Sergiyev Posad focuses on its religious and toymaking history, as well as classical music and art. The Sergiyev Posad State History and Art Museum-Preserve contain the Lavra complex of monasteries, and a museum called the “Konny Dvor”, which is comprised of art and excavated artifacts.

In addition to the Lavra monasteries, the Chernigovsky Skete was built as a men's monastery in the 19th century, providing space for over 400 monks.

Today, the Skete is quiet and peaceful, with only 10 monks coming to complete its everyday functions.

The Russian wooden toys, Matreshki, were invented there by an artist Sergey Malyutin, and are now displayed in the Toy Museum. There are over 800 exhibits from the 11-21st century, including artifacts from other countries. Because of the town’s deep-rooted focus on art and music, it has many schools for children, and they are enrolled between the ages of 6-8 years old.