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Spasso - Preobrazhensky Monastery (the museum - preserve of history and architecture)

Spasso-Preobrazhensky Monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in the upper Volga. It was founded in the second half of the XII century. The monastery played a prominent role in political and economical life of the city, it was a large center of culture in the ancient Russian state. In 1774 a theological seminary was opened in the monastery. The monastery library possessed thousands valuable books and manuscripts. In the XVIII century it was in the personal library of the Abbot that the manuscript of the famous russian epic "The Lay of Igor's Host" was discovered. After 1658 when the ancient Kremline ruined in fire lost its defensive function Spasso-Preobrazhensky Monastery surroounded by a stone wall became a main fortress of Yaroslavl.

The present monastery walls were erected in the first half of the XVII century instead of old fortifications of the XVI century. The north-east(along Pervomajskaya Street) and partially the north and the west waals were preserved in the original construction. Almost all south wall on the Kotorosl river was reconstructed and turned into ordinary barrier, having no any defensive function. In the XVII century the high stone walls had six massive towers at the corners. Only two towers are preserved at present: Virgin's tower (at the corner of square of the Apparition of christ) and Uglich tower (at the corner of two streets Pervomajskaya st. and Nachimson st.). Uglich tower was used as a gateway into the Zemlyanoy Gorod because it was located on the joint of monastery wall and town fortifications. Other towers were dismantled in XVIII century. Two new corner towers were built on the bank of Kotorosl river in the XIX century. But they are considerably smaller then the ancien towers and a decorative functions only.