Russia is an amazing country! It houses preserved monuments of wooden architecture, original frescoes, and icons of the Early Middle Ages, as well as still functioning ancient churches and monasteries. Nizhny Novgorod alone is home to three active monasteries of the 13th-14th centuries, miraculously preserved almost intact. One of such unique monuments of ancient Russian sacred architecture is the Orthodox Pechersky Ascension Monastery, which is one of the main city attractions.

Founded in 1328, the monastery became the abode of monks, known for their strict manner of living. One of the oldest Russian manuscripts, the Laurentian Codex, was later created here. Today, it can be seen in the National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg.

Unfortunately, the monastery was mercilessly destroyed by the natural forces at its heyday in the 16th century. The remains of the old monastery were carefully moved to another place and used in the construction of the new monastery complex, the beauty of which has survived to this day.

During the era of the Soviet Union, the monastery suffered minor losses. However, it could manage to preserve its interior decoration and solemn exterior.

The monastery, occupied by residential premises and workshops, remained inactive for 70 years without conducting services and ceremonies. However, it did not lose its greatness and resumed its activities with a vengeance in 1994. At the same time, the monastery underwent restoration work. In 2018, three park alleys dedicated to the Rurik and Romanov dynasties, as well as to the great Russian patriarchs, were opened here. Today, the Pechersky Ascension Monastery comprises the 17th-century Ascension Cathedral with an old bell tower decorated with a unique clock, chiming "God Save the Tsar!", the Church of Dormition of Our Lady, the Church of Saint Venerable Euthimios of Suzdal, the Church of Saint Peter and Paul, the Cathedral of Michael the Archangel with the ashes of Kuzma Minin, and the restored Bishop's Chambers.