Kyi Cross Monastery

Kisky Cross Monastery is one of the oldest monastic monasteries in Russia. It was founded in 1656 on the elevated site of Kiy Island on the personal initiative of Patriarch Nikon. The creation of the monastery is a kind of gratitude to God for saving the patriarch in a sea storm. And it was called "Stavros", which means "cross", "godfather". Its distinctive feature was the use of granite blocks in construction, which successfully fit into the rocky landscape of the island.

In this monastery was kept an Orthodox Shrine – “Ki Cross”, made of cypress as a prototype of the Cross of the Crucifixion. Inside it were stored arks with particles of the relics of the saints and earth from the Holy places. Currently, this relic is kept in the Church of Sergius of Radonezh in Moscow.

In the XVIII-XIX centuries, the monastery fell into decline, and during the Crimean War it was ravaged by British troops. In 1922, the monastery was completely closed.

Numerous monastic buildings have survived to this day, including the Holy Cross Cathedral, the Overhead Church, the two-tiered Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, the Church of All Saints and a small fragment of a wooden monastery fence with a four-sided tower.

In addition, you can see the two-storeyed Superior building with mezzanine, refectory and Celar chambers. Many of these buildings are the only surviving monuments of wooden architecture of the Russian North. At the moment, the monastery is not operating, but you can make a fascinating tour of the preserved objects.