Pechory and Izborsk

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I bought the one-day excursion for me and Luda online from the website of Pervye Linii for 1190 Roubles (



I and Luda had separate places (there is no option to book certain seats from the website), she asked a person to change, the person refused saying ‘I don’t want to’, so we sat separately and I listened to music during the whole drive. I listened to almost nothing the guide was telling us, though, undoubtedly, her speech was interesting and full of details.



The first stop on the itinerary was Pskov, where I have been a year ago. This time I listened to the guide’s story about the Kremlin, the cathedral remains, and other things. There (and in Pechory Monastery as well) we met quite a lot of small (2-3 persons) groups with a personal guide. It is quite possible that there are foreign language-speaking guides. I will now briefly dwell on the “ZAKHAB”, a detail within the Pskov Kremlin and typical for some other fortresses as well, such as Porkhov (possibly I go there this autumn) and Izborsk (described below). It is a fortified structure in mediaeval fortresses, resembling a long and narrow corridor connecting the external fortress walls in the tower with the inner walls leading inside the fortress. Zakhabs in Russian fortresses were 20-40 meters long and 3-5 meters wide and located either outside or inside fortress walls. Zakhab was a ‘trap’ – the assaulting party would find their way inside but the corridor was constrained, so the fortress defenders could easily eliminate them. In the XV-XVI centuries, as people designed more devastating machinery, zakhabs fell out of use to be replaced by barbicans. I really feel so excited about fortresses as time goes by. Inside the Kremlin, Luda asked me an interesting question: ‘The walls are made of rather the same limestone as the chateaux in France. Why did not Russians built any chateaux?’ I replied something awkward, that French chateaux were newer than fortresses… However, many castles and fortresses look alike to my mind.



The guide took us inside Troitsky Cathedral and, what’s unique, expressly stated that it was allowed to take pictures inside it, but without flash. It was the only Russian church I visited where they allowed photos expressly. With a lot of icons and decorations, this was the second church interior I photographed in my life (the first was on a long-ago visit to my native town with a group of children from the holiday camp where I worked as leader – that time, after I have made some photos, with the children posing, a woman told me about the prohibition).



Somewhat unjustly for those who did not have a longer tour of Pskov, we returned to the bus without seeing the panorama of the Kremlin from the river bridge, but people managed to have a glimpse of it as we rode across the bridge.



The next place was a true discovery for me. Pechorsky Monastery surprised me with its bright colours and beauty, and the location itself is praiseworthy. Only a short drive from the Estonian border, the monastery dates back to 1473. It never closed during the ages, and, since the territory belonged to Estonia between the two great wars, it escaped annihilation during the atheistic campaign. It was returned to Russia in 1945. The monastery includes Uspenskaya cave church (small caves), near churches with hallows, and a necropolis of seven underground gallery-streets. For me, it was more interesting from the outside, because its colours and small architectural forms pleased the eye to no small extent, also given the background of green trees and blue sky. The monastery has towers to protect it against invaders: the Tower of the Upper Grates and the Tower of the Lower Grates. The monastery itself is rather masterfully placed on the ravine’s bottom/ I told Luda I would like to live and work in a monastery for a while (joking), but the peace and quiet is so appealing.



Before entering the monastery, we descended to the viewing platform to see the monastery walls and its small blue-and-white domes behind the wall. The peculiarity of its location is conspicuous from the point; there also good photos for sale. As we entered the monastery, we saw two churches and the bell loft, all, I remind, in a harmony of colours that stroke me most. The descending path to the main buildings reminded me of Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra, where even its curve is almost the same.



We saw admirable buildings, neatly arranged and everything in good order, with flowerbeds adorning the place, and the five small symmetric domes decorating, as it seemed, the sky. After the guide’s story, and having been allowed free time for walk and dinner, we went inside the small (really small – may be a hotel with similar rooms would be a hit) caves with coffins. I left the monastery feeling that it was the most beautiful Russian ecclesiastic institution I’ve seen.



We went to a café (Stolovaya) for dinner where the soup, seledka pod shuboy salad and juice were all right, but the chicken meat and mashed potatoes disappointed me by the lack of freshness and softness. You thought everything was perfect, but the skies thought otherwise and sent gallons of water pouring in heavy streams just as we were beginning to eat. We had no umbrellas. The rain lasted for some 20 minutes, and subsided gradually by the time the bus was to depart. The heavens, however, postponed the release of the remaining water for a later, less suitable time for us.



We drove to Izborsk (about 20 kilometers), with some drizzle, and everybody save two or three people came out with umbrellas. Luda stayed in the bus because she had inappropriate shoes. I decided to go to see the fortress (at a certain distance from the bus parking) at any cost. Izborsk is one of the oldest Russian towns, first mentioned in the chronicles in 862. Since 1330 till the XV century, Izborsk fortress withstood eight sieges, battling against the restless crusaders. The fortress we see nowadays pertains to the XIV century.





On the road to the fortress there were women selling apples and vegetables. I phoned Luda and suggested buying a kilogram or two of apples. It was raining and I held the photocamera under my sweater. We saw some ancient crosses as we walked. The fortress is being renovated, so its view is spoilt by building materials, stones, dirt, an excavator driving to and fro, which does not allow feeling its atmosphere fully. The towers and the Nikolsky Cathedral are in good condition. The walking paths were also being renewed. We saw a nice tower called ‘Lukovka’ (an onion due to its shape) and went inside another tower, and saw a Zakhab (see above). Emerging from the tower, we came to an elevated spot from where the fortress was seen to advantage. The guide took the group to the springs, but I decided to return to the bus to Luda, and no sooner had I left the group as it started pouring cats and dogs again, I rushed under some bushes providing no significant protection. Wet, I returned to the bus and later me and Luda bought cucumbers (she bought apples while I was away). I bet those are more healthful that the ones in supermarkets. We arrived home almost at midnight.

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