The largest men's monastery in Yaroslavl and one of the 16 largest monasteries in Russia, Spaso-Preobrazhensky is certainly also one of the country's most ancient and beautiful historical and religious monuments. It is also known for the fact that the oldest monument of Russian literature, "The Tale of Igor's Campaign," was found on its grounds.
The first mentions of the monastery date back to 1186, so the 12th century is generally considered the time of its foundation. At that time, all the buildings in the complex were wooden, and the current stone structures appeared after the fire of 1501.
In 1516, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral was built. The frescoes adorning its walls are now the oldest surviving monument of 16th-century wall painting. There are only two such examples in Russia that have survived to the present day since the time of Ivan the Terrible - here and in the Sviyazhsk Assumption Monastery in Tatarstan. Moreover, 17 icons from that period have been preserved in the Cathedral.
At the end of the 18th century, by decree of Catherine II, all monasteries, including Spaso-Preobrazhensky in Yaroslavl, were abolished. The residence of the archbishops was located there, and with the arrival of Soviet power, the monastery was closed altogether.
After the war, the churches and cells were used as educational institutions and a military commissariat. Since the 1950s, the Yaroslavl State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve has been operating here.
