Belogorsky Monastery

The monastery stands on Belaya Gora, the white mountain, a hill of about 450 metres that rises clear of the surrounding forest, and the name comes from snow lying there long after it has gone below. The Cross cathedral, begun in 1902 and finished in 1917, is Byzantine in manner, white with grey domes, and very large for its position - it seats several thousand, on a hilltop with no town. Because the hill stands above the general level, low cloud often sits below it, and the cathedral appears from the road to float. The monastery was closed in 1923 and the monks killed or dispersed; the buildings served as a camp and then a home for the disabled, and the cathedral burned in 1980, losing its roof and domes. Restoration since 1990 rebuilt it. A tall cross on the summit marks where an earlier wooden one stood.

What you actually see

• The hilltop position - a cathedral alone on a bare 450 metre hill above forest.
• The cloud - low cloud sitting below the summit on many days.
• The 1917 cathedral - Byzantine in style, white with grey domes, seating thousands.
• The fire and rebuild - a shell after 1980, restored from the 1990s.

When to go

June to September; the road is hard in winter and the hill is exposed. Two to three hours.

Honest expectations

The hilltop is windy and cold even in summer, and there is no shelter outside the buildings. The monastery is active with dress rules. Restoration is unfinished inside. The road up is poor in wet weather, and there is nothing else at the top.

Nearby

Kungur ice cave is about 70 km north.