Nilo-Stolobensky Monastery

Nil Stolobensky lived as a hermit on this island from 1528 until his death in 1555, in conditions the tradition emphasises - he is said never to have lain down to sleep, using hooks in the wall to rest upright. The monastery founded after him grew wealthy and was rebuilt on a grand scale in the early nineteenth century, so what stands is largely classical rather than medieval: a domed Epiphany cathedral of the 1820s and 30s with a bell tower, embankments and quays, and ranges covering most of a small island so the buildings appear to rise straight from the lake. It became one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Russia before 1917. In the Soviet period it served in turn as a labour colony, a camp for Polish prisoners taken in 1939, a hospital and a tourist base, and it was returned to the church in 1990 with restoration continuing since.

What you actually see

• The island setting - buildings covering a small island and rising from the water.
• The 1820s cathedral - a classical domed church with a climbable bell tower.
• The hermit's story - Nil Stolobensky, who by tradition never lay down to sleep.
• The Soviet uses - a colony, a prison camp, a hospital and a tourist base in turn.

When to go

June to September for the lake; winter when it freezes and the island is reached across ice. Two to three hours.

Honest expectations

An active monastery with dress rules and restricted areas. Restoration is ongoing and parts are closed. The twentieth-century history, including the 1939 Polish prisoner camp, is barely presented on site. Ostashkov has limited facilities.

Nearby

Ostashkov is on the mainland; Lake Seliger spreads north and south.