Monastery in Sergiev Posad, Russia

Sergiev Posad is a city near Moscow, about 70 kilometers northeast of Moscow. The city is part of the so-called Golden Ring. During the communist period the town was called Zagorsk. The city is best known for the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra monastery that was founded here in the 14th century by St. Sergius of Radonezh. This monastery was one of the largest and most important in the country, and therefore bears the honorary title Lavra. This Lavra of the Holy Trinity is also the summer residence of the Patriarch of Moscow, and is seen by Russians as the Russian Vatican.