Istra is the unique place where one can study and feel the fairytale beauty and historical value of the Moscow region in the most detailed way. The main sacred place of so-called New Palestine is the Resurrection cathedral created in the image of the Temple of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. For better acquaintance with the history of the complex, it is offered to visit one of the oldest museum and exhibition complex "New Jerusalem".
A place of attraction for pilgrims, located very close to Moscow.
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The first historical landmark. The skit of Patriarch Nikon was built in 1658 by the architect Averkim Mokeev in the likeness of residential towers on the Holy Mount Athos. This sketch, named Epiphany, took its place in the copy park of the Gethsemane Garden created by the patriarch.
At one and a half hour excursion you will get acquainted with the complex of temples, exhibitions and expositions of the temple, will admire a magnificent collection of precious objects of church utensils, the rarest icons of Stroganov and Yaroslavl schools, isographers of Armory, northern masters of icon painting, rare collections of weapons, porcelain, rare printed and hand-written editions. Free time on the territory of the monastery can be devoted to independent acquaintance with artifacts and shrines.
The red-and-white tiled Church of the Nativity of Christ is currently the only church in the New Jerusalem Monastery where services are held - all others, including the main cathedral - at the restoration. The church itself, its spacious interior, old walls, mysterious vaults and it is here that historical memory is being revived.
Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ is a four-pillar cross-domed temple. To the cathedral on the east side adjoins the underground church of Saints Constantine and Helen, historically deepened by 6 meters. From the south the bell tower, which was destroyed in 1941, was restored during the restoration, which began in 2011. The western part of the cathedral is the rotunda, erected above the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. Inside the temple there are stunning 18th century frescoes.
The legendary Gethsemane Garden is located near the walls of the New Jerusalem Monastery. Nearby there is a stable, where you can ride horses for an extra fee. You can visit the manor house, which was moved from the "village Vykhino", where the atmosphere of the village manor of the late 19th century was recreated. There is a Dutch mill, Nikon's hermitage, wooden chapel and refectory - there you can buy monastery pastries for lunch snack. The entrance to the territory is 50 rubles.
Museum "New Jerusalem" was founded in 1920 in the Sunday New Jerusalem Monastery. In 2013 the museum moved from the monastery to a new building on the right bank of the Istra River. Today, New Jerusalem is the largest state museum complex near Moscow and is included in the list of 50 largest museums in Russia. The museum funds contain more than 180 thousand exhibits representing the history of the New Jerusalem Monastery and the Moscow region since ancient times.
It's a good place for dinner. No extravagances, with an interior that matches the historic site. Here, four cheeses on thin dough and local soups are especially praised.