Smolenskaya Church

On the outside wall of the monastery stone kitchen, constructed in the 15th century by the eminent Russian architect V.D. Yermolin, there was an icon, "Our Lady of Smolensk", carved in stone. When in 1730 a monk whose arms had been twisted by rheumatism was ardently praying in front of it, a miracle took place — he was cured. In honour of this miraculous healing the Smolenskaya Church was erected on the kitchen site by Empress Elizabeth's order in 1746–8. The construction was sponsored by Duke Razumovsky. The richly decorated miracle-working icon stood in the gilded carved iconostasis right of the Royal Gate.

In 1920–30 the iconostasis was lost. Instead an iconostasis from a destroyed Moscow church was installed here in 1956. The iconostasis was designed by architect Uhtomsky. It's contemporary to the church and of the same style.

The Smolenskaya Church has no columns inside and all its inner space is open up to the dome. Murals were painted here in the 19th century. At present the miracle-working icon "Our Lady of Smolensk" is at the local museum. A plaster copy of it (bigger in size) is in the altar recess outside the church. The grave of Nicholas, a Petersburg Metropolitan, is in the church crypt.

Tsar Chambers

The Tsar Chambers were erected in the late 17th c. By its outside appearance the edifice matches the Refectory Church. It was used by pilgrims from the royal family. In the 18th c. the Chambers vaults were decorated with fine stucco and carvings.  

The Church Archaeological Museum and the Holy Virgin Intercession Church are situated inside the Chambers. The wall paintings were created in 1987–8 by the iconographers of the local Icon Painting School. 

The church above the gateway, dedicated to the St. John the Baptist's Nativity, was built in 1693–9. At present confessions for pilgrims and exorcism are performed in it every morning.

Refectory and St. Mica Church

By the 18th-c. the monks had considerably grown in number and the old Refectory couldn’t satisfy monastery needs. Instead a new Refectory with a church dedicated to St. Sergius was erected by Peter's order in 1686–92. The church was consecrated by Patriarch Adrian, the last pre-revolutionary Patriarch of Russia, in memory of the 300th anniversary since St. Sergius’ death. 

The building of Moscow baroque style is 85 m long. Open galleries run along its perimeter, with long flights of steps leading up to these galleries. The church building catches the eye with a 4-color design of its façade, creating an illusion of faceted relief-work, as well as with the richness of its elaborate colorful stucco and carvings. They make a perfect match for the Refectory architecture. Although rather spacious (510 m2), its vaults don’t need any intermediate support. The Refectory walls were painted and renovated several times. Last time the church was painted in 1911.

The veneration of the Mother of God was central in the life of St. Sergius. Every night he sang hymns in honour of the Holy Virgin and at the end of his life he and his disciple St. Mica had a privilege of Her visit. She came to his cell with the apostles Peter and John by her side. The Holy Virgin promised to protect the monastery and watch over it. In memory of this appearance a small gem-looking church was constructed in 1734. People connect it with the name of St. Mica, as the church stands above his grave. On the commemoration day of St. Mica, May 6/19, a liturgy is celebrated here.

Deulino

Deulino is a village 4km north of Sergiev Posad famous nationwide as a place of signing ceasefire between Russia and Poland whose troops were standing the same distance opposite. In 1618, after unsuccessfully sieging Moscow with the Trinity Monastery and anticipating a hungry winter, the Poles asked for peace. Russian representatives brought the talks to Deulino instead of the monastery which fortifications the Poles intended to secretly explore. The Deulino peace treaty conciliated the 2 countries for 14.5 years.

Deulino has 1 stone church, the Savior Church (1850-3) by the village cemetery and pond sponsored by its members and the Lavra granting 30K bricks.  

Hospital Wards

The Hospital Wards with the St. Zosima & St. Savvaty (Sabbatius) Solovetsky Church (1635-7) are a rare existing example of medieval civil architecture. Between the 2-storey Hospital Wards stands a steepled church - unique for the Lavra. It's also the only church here built simultaneously with the surrounding stone wards hosting the monastery clinic. The church features orderly proportions and expressive facade decoration with plenty of green glazed tiles.

The Assembly Chambers with the St. Zosima and St. Savvaty Church were constructed by monastery cellarer Alexander Bulatnikov who had come to the Lavra from the Solovets Monastery. Before 1917 the building was used as a hospital for sick monks and an almshouse for the old and disabled. The church is seemingly patterned after the no-more existing Pokrov Cathedral of the Solovky. Now this complex also hosts the Lavra vicar ward. 

Holy Spirit Church

In 1476 on the site of the wooden Trinity Church (1412) by St. Nikon, master builders from Pskov invited for the construction work in the Moscow Kremlin erected a new 1-domed church, dedicated to the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. Under the dome the builders placed an open belfry. In 1608–10 during the Polish siege this church was used as a watchtower. 

The Holy Spirit Church and the Trinity Cathedral form an ensemble. The frescoes in the Holy Spirit Church were executed in 1655, but in the middle of the 19th century they were replaced by oil paintings. The iconostasis was carved of rosewood by Lavra woodcarvers in 1866. In the church there are 2 temples with the holy relics of St. Maximus the Greek († 1556) and St. Anthony of Radonezh († 1877). St. Maximus the Greek was one of the most erudite men of his period who wrote many theological and polemic works. He died in the monastery and was buried here. In 1988 he was canonised. Since 1770 Moscow metropolitans were abbots of the monastery. St. Anthony was the monastery vicar in 1831–77 and canonised in 1996.

Trinity Sergius Lavra

In 1744 Empress Elizabeth (Elizaveta Petrovna) thanked the monastery for helping her father by granting it the highest church rank of lavra, thus making it in fact Russia's top monastery.  In the mid-18th c. the Sergius Lavra was the biggest landowner in land and people. It possessed over 2K km2 of land and 106K serfs in 15 provinces and 45 towns.

In 1764 the Lavra was dispossessed of all its lands due to church secularization (land nationalization). The state took on maintaining the "staff" of 100 monks and 100 priests.

Lavra

The Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra (Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra) is an architectural ensemble of churches, chapels and cathedrals within fortress walls and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The monastery in the Red Army ave. (Krasnoy Armii) is open daily from 8am to 6pm. The churches are publicly open Monday through Friday.

The Lavra is a unique monument of the 16–17th-cc. fortress architecture. The walls have 3 tiers, the towers - up to 6 tiers. The 1st tier was built by Tsar Ivan IV in the 16th c., the 2nd and 3rd — in the 17th c., after the Polish siege.

This magnificent 14th-c. monastery is the jem of the Golden Ring drawing pilgrims from around the country and abroad. It's also the only town on the historic Golden Ring that's a comfortable 1-day trip from the capital. The Golden Ring is a set of towns NE of Moscow that formerly comprised the Zalesye region. Its early-medieval towns also played a significant role in the formation of the Russian Orthodox Church, preserving the memory of Russian history milestones. Called "open air museums" and featuring unique monuments of Russia's 12–18th-cc. architecture, they include kremlins, monasteries, cathedrals and churches. These towns are among the most picturesque in Russia and prominently feature Russia's famous onion domes. The Golden Ring includes Pereslavl-Zalesky, Rostov Veliky, Uglich, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Gus-Hrustalny, Suzdal, Vladimir and Alexandrov (the nearest to Sergiev Posad by train).