The Ferapontov Monastery is a monastery that is part of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is located in the village of Ferapontovo, Kirillovsky District, Vologda Oblast, Russia. The monastery was built by Saint Ferapont in 1398. In the year 2000, the monastery was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

History

The monastery was founded by Saint Ferapont in 1398 in the Russian North, east of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, which was named after Saint Cyril of Beloozero, a fellow monk. The monastery became well-known during the time of Saint Martinian, who was a student of Saint Kirill and later became the leader of the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra in 1447.

Even after Saint Martinian died, members of Ivan III’s family protected and supported the monastery. The oldest building, the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin (built in 1490), was made of brick by workers from Rostov. This structure is the best-preserved of three similar cathedrals built in the 1490s in the Russian North. The walls inside are covered with valuable frescoes painted by the famous medieval artist Dionisius. This church is the only surviving Russian medieval church with fully painted walls.

In the 1530s, the monastery added a treasury, a dining hall, and a unique Annunciation Church with a bell tower. At that time, the monastery had special rights given by Ivan the Terrible and owned about 60 villages nearby. The tsar often visited the monastery as a pilgrim.

During the Time of Troubles, the monastery was attacked by the Poles. Later, during its recovery, new buildings were added, including the tent-like Church of Saint Martinian (1641), a two-tented barbican church (1650), and a bell tower (1680). The belfry clocks (built in 1638) are believed to be the oldest in Russia.

As the monastery lost religious importance, it became a place where important priests, like Patriarch Nikon, were sent into exile. The monastery was closed by Emperor Paul in 1798, reopened as a convent in 1904, shut down by the Bolsheviks 20 years later, and turned into a museum in 1975. The museum is part of the Russky Sever (Russian North) National Park since 1991.

As of January 2013, images of the monastery and its grounds were available through Google Street View.

• The monastery’s hard-to-reach location helped keep it intact since the 17th century.
• St. Nicholas, the patron saint of Russian merchants. Fresco by Dionisius from the Ferapontov Monastery.