Kursk Root Hermitage
Korennaya Hermitage Коренная пустынь
The monastery was founded in 1597 by Tsar Feodor I at the site of the appearance of the miraculous Kursk Root Icon of Our Lady of the Sign. The icon was found in the roots of the tree. Starting in 1618, it was moved to the Znamensky Cathedral in Kursk, and on the ninth Friday after Easter brought in solemn procession to the Kursk Root Hermitage for the summer. You won't find the original the original here today. In October 1919, White Russian troops whisked it out of Russia to safeguard it from the communists, eventually storing the icon in New York. In its early days, the monastery burned several times at the hands of Crimean Tatar raiders. It reached its peak at the end of the 19th century, facilitated by the growth in the number of pilgrims and the large Kursk Korenskaya Fair, which was held near the walls of the monastery. In 1924, the monastery was closed, the Nativity Cathedral was blown up, and on the dismantled upper tier the belfries were made into an observation deck for holidaymakers staying nearby. In 1989, the monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and in the early 2000s it was mostly rebuilt. Now the blue-turquoise ensemble on the high right bank of the Tuskar River looks spectacular. The monastery grounds stretch from the center of the settlement to the river, and the descent from the gates of the monastery to churches and wellsprings passes along steep stairs.
- Hours
- 06:00–23:00 daily
Listing from Wikivoyage: Svoboda, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.