Goritsy is a tiny settlement near the White Lake.
Goritsy’s Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, built in 1397 by St.
Kirill, who left a life of luxury to become closer to God.
Interestingly, by the 16th century, the monastery was the second
richest landowner in Russia and had close connections to ruler
Ivan the
Terrible.
The walled area of the monastery features two priories and
eleven churches, most of them dating to the 16th century. The monastery
walls, about half a mile long and almost 23 feet thick, were
constructed in 1654-80 to hold off Lithuanian invaders. It could
not, however, resist the Bolsheviks. The monks were shot or
sent to labor camps, though it was one of the few monasteries not
turned into a concentration camp.
In October 2010, when these photos were taken, only five monks lived here.