Istra: sights, history and interesting facts

The city of Istra, the attractions of which we will present in this article, is located in the Moscow suburbs, just 40 kilometers west of the capital. This is the administrative center of the Istra district and one of the major Orthodox centers of our country.

From the history of the city

From 1871 to 1930 the city was called Ascension. It was first mentioned in 1589. In those days there was a monastery surrounded by villages. And later a city appeared at its walls. In 1656, Patriarch Nikon visited these places . He decided to create on this earth "Moscow suburb of Palestine". His plan was realized. The history of the city is inseparable from the history of the New Jerusalem Monastery, founded on the orders of the patriarch.

In 1781 Voskresensk received the status of a city, and a little later it became the center of the district. Historians associate the rapid economic development of the city with the construction of a railway in its vicinity. It happened in the beginning of XX century. Ten industrial enterprises operated here by the beginning of 1916. Around the same time, Voskresensk became a cultural district center. In Istra and today the audience is greeted by the oldest regional drama theater, which first opened its doors in 1908. In Voskresensk long lived AP Chekhov. Here there were AI Herzen and M. Yu. Lermontov.

Istra today

In the terrible years of the Great Patriotic War, fierce, bloody battles were fought in Istra. The city was practically wiped off the face of the earth. Today it is a modern industrial center. The largest enterprises of the city are the branch of OAO Gazprom, OOO Laktalis Istra, OAO Sokol and others. But in addition, Istra is famous for its historical and architectural monuments. The sights of the city are known far beyond its borders. We will introduce you to some of them.

Istra: sightseeing. What to see?

Despite the barbaric destruction of the city by the fascists, many historical and architectural monuments have been preserved and restored in it. One of the main of them is the New Jerusalem Monastery.

G. Istra, whose attractions are described in many of the advertising brochures of travel agencies, is famous for this unique structure. It is with the visit of the New Jerusalem Monastery that all tours of the city usually begin. It was founded in 1656 by Patriarch Nikon. This majestic structure is partly echoed in its architecture by the famous temple in Jerusalem.

The construction of the cathedral began in the spring of 1658 and lasted eight years, until Nikon was sent into exile. The entire construction of the monastery was completed after the death of Nikon (end of the XVII century). In 1919 the monastery was closed, and a museum was placed on its territory.

During the war of 1941-1945. The abode was almost completely destroyed. In 1956, restoration and restoration work began, which continues to this day. The transfer of the monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church began in 1994, but now it exists together with the historical and architectural museum.

The New Jerusalem Museum

For the Orthodox around the world, Istra is a very interesting place. The sights of this small town attract thousands of pilgrims every year. In addition to the religious buildings, the Museum and Exhibition Complex "New Jerusalem" is very popular. It was founded in 1920. This is one of the largest state museums of the Moscow region. In his collection more than 180 thousand exhibits - priceless collections of church utensils, foreign and Russian paintings, weapons, porcelain, unique furniture from noble estates near Moscow, rare manuscript printed editions, a rare collection of graphics and paintings of the XX century.

The unique complex has a park area, which presents monuments of wooden architecture of the XIX century: peasant hut, mill, chapel. Tourists can visit the exhibition building, ride a horse. On the territory of the museum complex, various festive events are regularly held for adults and children.

Now the museum has moved to a new spacious building with an area of ten thousand square meters. There are also rooms of a scientific library, an archive, a well-equipped conference hall, a cafe, souvenir shops.

Pokrovskoe - Rubtsovo Estate

The sights of Istria and its environs are interesting for tourists who have been preserved on this land by noblemen's estates. One of them is Pokrovskoe-Rubtsovo. This is an old estate that belonged to the noble family of the Nashchokins since 1616.

In the XVII century, a boyar courtyard was built here, in the 18th century a stone Pokrovskaya church appeared on the territory of the manor. The building is a rare example of baroque architecture for the Moscow region. Much later, the temple was rebuilt in the style of classicism.

At present, tourists can see the farmyard and the church. After Nashchokiny, the estate was owned by Golokhvastov noblemen, and later by the manufacturer Morozov. The heyday of the manor dates back to the 18th century, when a magnificent park-architectural ensemble of stone buildings was built here. Until now, only the park and the church have survived.

The Troitskoe Manor

The sights of Istra (Moscow region) are a large number of small churches and majestic temples. In the Troitskoye estate there is an amazing ensemble consisting of two churches - the Trinity stone and Trinity wooden church, which was built in 1675 and consecrated in honor of Sergius of Radonezh. Once the estate Troitskoe belonged to the old noble Russian sort of Boborykin. Then the estate was called Bobyrevo, as well as a churchyard. Today, you can see an ancient cemetery with tombstones of past centuries.

Until now, Istra itself, the sights of its some cause scientific disputes. For example, despite the available official data, scientists believe that the wooden church was erected at the beginning of the XVIII century. In the first half of the XIX century under it was a white stone foundation, widened window openings, renovated porches appeared at the entrances, and the church itself was beautifully trimmed.

The author of the stone temple project was MN Litvinov. It is consecrated in honor of the Trinity of the Life-giving. The structure is made in the Neo-Russian (pseudo-Russian) style.

Istra: natural attractions. Garden of Gethsemane

A beautiful park with centuries-old pine trees and cedar grove is at the foot of the monastery hill. He is part of the complex "New Jerusalem" and was conceived as an addition to the monastery. On the territory of the park there is the monastery of Nikon, the chapel. Their names are borrowed from the holy places of Jerusalem. It is interesting that even the river Istra, surrounding the park, was renamed the Jordan.

Interesting Facts

In 1881, a young doctor AP Chekhov began to practice in the city of Voskresensk. On the outskirts of the town was Chikinskaya hospital, it was headed by the famous doctor PA Arkhangelsky, who had a reputation as a great therapist, to whom medical students and young doctors from all over the country came to practice. Became his disciple and Dr. Chekhov.

Everyone knows that Jerusalem (the "city of peace") is located in Israel. But not everyone knows that he has a "namesake" in Russia, near Moscow. And this is not just a temple complex, which has a similar name, but an almost exact reproduction of the Israeli original with its main shrines. M. Yu. Lermontov visited the New Jerusalem Monastery . It was here that the poem "In Voskresensk" was written.