At the Red Gate into Lavra Under the Bright Winter Sun

View of the architectural ensemble of Holy Trinity – St. Sergius Lavra in Sergiyev Posad highlighted with bright sun at the nice winter day on a Catholic Christmas from its main entrance. The top-ranked monastery and spiritual center in Russia greet visitors with its impressive Red Gateway Tower topped with gilded dome (16-19 centuries), which was once part of eleven other defensive towers and the thick white brick-and-stone wall encircling the monastery. The mighty monastery walls and towers were built to replace the wooden ones in the middle of the 16th century on the decree of Ivan IV “The Terrible”. The first tsar of all Russia himself supervised the erection of the walls and gave freedom from all state taxes and obligations to the peasants who worked here.

The main entrance to the monastery was previously called the Red Gate or the Fine Gate. Until the revolution, it was used as the entrance only for high clergy and noble people. Ordinary people had to use a small gate standing next to it (at the right on the picture).

Photo #057 taken on December 25, 2017 with my dear clients from India, Arvind Sony.