Shrines of the northern land. A trip to Veliky Ustyug

Breakfast.

Visit to the Museum of Ancient Russian Art. It is located in the Church of the Ascension (1648), an outstanding monument of the Russian North, in which 6 iconostases of the XVIII century have been preserved.

The museum presents Ustyug iconography of the XV–XVIII centuries, works of Stroganov embroidery, handwritten and old printed books from the libraries of Ustyug monasteries and churches.

The dominant exhibits are the icon "Our Lady of Odigitria of Smolensk" (circa 1558), the carved canopy of the Royal Gates (XVII century), the temple icon of the Assumption Cathedral of Veliky Ustyug "Assumption of the Mother of God" (1496), the carved white stone cross (1625) and the shroud "Position in the Tomb" of the XV century.

In addition to the exposition, museum visitors will be able to get acquainted with the interior of the temple and visit all its side chapels.

A guided tour of Smolnikovsky and Alexandrovsky lakes.

In the old part of the city, near Alexandrovsky and Smolnikovsky lakes, there are recreation areas with gazebos and swings. The shores are landscaped for walking. The new objects resemble the architecture of the medieval Ustyug fortress of the early 17th century.

Lunch.

Visit to the territory of the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Monastery. The oldest monastery in Veliky Ustyug. This is the most fully preserved monastery complex. Its main stone structures date back to the middle of the 17th century.

The compositional center of the architectural ensemble is the monumental five–domed St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral with a tall tent-roofed bell tower. To the right of it is the Church of the Introduction with the refectory, connected to the temple by passages.

In front of the main entrance to the cathedral is the picturesque Vladimir Gate Church. Next to it is a miniature "monument" church, the Church of the Feast of Pentecost. To the north of the cathedral are the two–storey buildings of the abbot's (1734-1735), to the east - the fraternal (1736-1737) cells.

The territory of the monastery is surrounded by low stone walls with Holy Gates, which are adjacent to the chapels of Prokopius and John of Ustyuzha.

Free time in the city.

Supper.

Breakfast.

Departure for an excursion to the Opoki Nature Reserve. About 70 kilometers from the city of Veliky Ustyug, on the right bank of the Sukhona River, there is the village of Opoki, which means "rocks" in ancient Russian.

It is these coastal cliffs, up to 70 m high, that represent an amazing place, a real Northern Wonder. Here, under the onslaught of the river, the Sukhon rocks were formed.

On the opposite left bank of the Sukhona, near the uninhabited village of Bratskoye, there is another attractive place — a gushing spring. It has been rumbling here for decades.

Lunch. Check out of the hotel.