The historical part Yaroslavl, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers.
Tourist attractions of Yaroslavl
Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl is enlisted in the UNESCO's World Heritage List. The most popular sights are the Spaso-Preobrazhensky (Transfiguration of the Saviour) Monastery, the Church of Ilya Prophet and Tolga Monastery.
The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery
The Spaso-Preobrazhensky ("Transfiguration of the Saviour") Monastery is an ancient construction on the territory of the city. In the 16th century the monastery was surrounded by the stone wall. At the end of the 18th century the monastery became a residence of Archbishops. The ancient Russian poem "The Lay of Igor's Raid" ("Slovo o polku Igoreve") was found in the rich library of the monastery.
The Church of Elijah the Prophet
The real pearl of Old Russian architecture can be named the church of Elijah the Prophet, the earliest of the Yaroslavl churches of XVII century. In spite of its simple forms this solemn temple with five cupolas is extraordinary beautiful. Its composition is supplemented with two snow-white tents. The Church is also famous for its interior decoration. Walls, arches, slopes of windows are decorated with beautiful ancient frescoes.
Tolga Monastery
The most unique ensemble of Tolga monastery (XVII-XIX centuries) is located on the left bank of the Volga River on the territory of the city. The Monastery is one of the most ancient in Russia and was founded at the beginning of XIV century by the Rostov bishop Trifon, when the icon of the Holy Virgin appeared to him.
Now Tolga Monastery is a nunnery with more than 100 nuns. The architectural centre of the ensemble is Vvedensky Cathedral (1681-1688), to the south from the cathedral the most ancient construction - Crestovozdvizhenskaya Church with a refectory survived till our days. One of the most interesting constructions is the Spasskaya Church with hospital chambers. It is considered to be a significant monument of the "Moscow baroque" style in all Yaroslavl architecture.
