Bogolyubovo Monastery

Andrei Bogolyubsky built a fortified princely residence here in the 1150s and 60s, and it was where he was assassinated by his own boyars in 1174 - a killing described in detail in the chronicles. Almost nothing of secular building survives anywhere from pre-Mongol Rus, which makes what stands here significant out of proportion to its size: a stair tower and a section of gallery from the palace, incorporated into a later monastery church, with the spot where Andrei was killed traditionally identified on the stair. That fragment is the only piece of civil architecture from the period left in Russia. Around it the monastery is mostly nineteenth century, with a large Bogolyubov icon cathedral of the 1860s dominating the site. It is part of the UNESCO White Monuments group and is the starting point for the walk across the meadow to the Nerl church.

Highlights

• The palace fragment - a stair tower and gallery, the only pre-Mongol civil building in Russia.
• The 1174 killing - the spot on the stair where Andrei Bogolyubsky was assassinated.
• The nineteenth-century cathedral - the large Bogolyubov icon church dominating the site.
• The meadow path - the start of the walk to the Nerl church.

When to go

May to September. One to two hours, plus the walk to the Nerl church. Suburban train or bus from Vladimir.

Before you go

The pre-Mongol fragment is small and easy to miss among nineteenth-century building. It is an active convent with dress rules and restricted areas. The stair tower has limited opening. Photography inside is prohibited.

Nearby

The Nerl church is a walk across the meadow; Vladimir is west.

Key facts