Znamensky Monastery

Western European Russia


There are fine views across town from this restored early-19th-century hilltop monastery. The white steeple and gold-domed church are easily recognisable from afar, and the interior is decorated with some seriously fabulous frescoes. The grounds are well tended with flower beds, a small aviary with peacocks, and an attractive wooden chapel. Look for the natural spring, beside a blue ablutions hall at the bottom of the hill near the steps.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Western European Russia attractions

1. Regional Museum

0.64 MILES

Housed in a sweet blue-and-white 19th-century building, this surprisingly diverse museum is worth visiting. Among the miscellany, you'll find a room of…

2. Ivan Bunin Museum

0.66 MILES

The writer, poet and 1933 Nobel laureate Ivan Bunin (1870–1953) spent some of his childhood in Yelets, studying at the town’s gymnasium. This small museum…

3. Khrennikov Museum

0.7 MILES

Successful Soviet composer Tikhon Khrennikov grew up and first studied music in this rust-red wooden house. Original furniture, photos and artefacts are…

4. City Park

0.73 MILES

This park has a summertime Ferris wheel, a concert stage, amusement rides and a statue of writer Ivan Bunin. Next to the main entrance is the antique red…

5. Great Count’s Church

0.86 MILES

Built during the early 1900s, this inventive piece of religious architecture has distinctly modernist, art nouveau flair, with an exotically tiled…

6. Vvedenskaya Church

0.86 MILES

This jewel-box of a church stands near a cluster of photogenic late-17th- and early-18th-century wooden houses. Follow the road from the church to the…

7. Ascension Cathedral

0.87 MILES

Designed by Konstantin Ton (1794–1881), the genius behind Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Kremlin Armoury and the Grand Kremlin Palace, this…

8. House Museum of Yelets Lace

1.17 MILES

This quaint, bright-blue building contains an exquisite collection of Yelets lacework displayed in elegant surrounds. The 2nd floor has a collection of…