Sergiev Posad is the spiritual heart of Russian Orthodoxy, and the Trinity Lavra of St Sergius, its great monastery, is the reason. It was founded in the fourteenth century by Sergius of Radonezh, a hermit who became the most revered saint in Russia, and it grew into a fortified complex with white walls, blue and gold domes and towers painted in bright colours. It withstood a long siege by Polish forces in the early seventeenth century, and its fame as a centre of pilgrimage has never faded. Today it is again an active monastery and a UNESCO site, with crowds of pilgrims at weekends and on feast days.
The Lavra's central church, the Trinity Cathedral, holds the relics of St Sergius and an icon of the Trinity by Andrei Rublev, though the original is now in a Moscow gallery and a copy is on view. The Assumption Cathedral, built under Ivan the Terrible, has a blue ceiling spangled with gold stars. In the grounds, there are a spring said to have healing water and a large bell tower. Women are expected to cover their heads in the churches, and photography is limited in some places.
The town is also known for toys. Sergiev Posad was one of the centres of Russian wooden toy making, and the first matryoshka dolls were reportedly made in the region in the 1890s. A toy museum in town has historic examples, and shops along the main street sell painted wooden dolls, spoons and ornaments. The town has more than a hundred thousand people, with a busy centre and a lot of Soviet housing around it.
The road from Moscow, around seventy kilometres, is a major highway, busy with commuter traffic and trucks, so leave early on weekends. Beyond the town, the roads toward Pereslavl and Alexandrov are quieter and pass through fields, woods and old villages, with wooden houses and small churches. The surface varies, with patches of rough asphalt, and the best weather is in late spring and early autumn. In winter, the snow and frost make the domes look even more striking, though roads can be icy.
Fuel and food are easy in the town, with stations on the main road and cafes near the monastery, serving pies, soups and tea. Semkhoz and Skoropuskovsky are smaller places nearby. Take a scarf for your head and a bit of patience for the queues.