The Trinity - Saint Sergius Monastery, founded in the 14th century is one of the most honorary active Monasteries of Russia. It is an active residence of Patriarch power located 70 km away from Moscow.  The Trinity-St. Sergiy Lavra, situated north of Moscow in Sergiev Posad, has played an exeptional role in Russian histoty and culture. The monastery was founded by Sergiy of Radonezh in the middle of the 14th century. In 1380, just before the Kulikovo Battle, Prince Dmitri Donskoy came there to recieve the blessing of the Father Superior. During the rule of Ivan the Terrible, in the 16th century, the monastery was turned into an impregnable fortress, which withstood the sixteen months' siege of the Polish and Lithuanian troops in the early 17th century. In the late 17th century young Peter the Great founded shelter twice in the monastery during the Streltsy insurrections.
The unique architectural complex of the monastery was built within six centuries. It contains magnificient relics of different stages in Russian architecture. The Trinity-St. Sergiy Lavra is famous all over the world for its artistic uniqueness and its distinctive appearance.  Today the monastery, The Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, and the Zagorsk History and Art Museum are housed in the Lavra.
The architectural ensemble of the Trinity-St. Sergiy Lavra and its magnificient collection of Russian art of the 14th to 19 century is a national treasure of Russian people. | 
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