Sergiyev Posad

Sergiyev Posad (syĕr`gēyĭf pōsäd`), formerly Zagorsk (zəgôrsk`), city (1989 pop. 115,000), central European Russia. It is a rail terminus and a handicraft center known for wood carvings and toys. Manufactures include farm machinery, lacquers and paints, textiles, and furniture. The city developed from a settlement around the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra, one of Russia's most famous monasteries (founded 1340). The original wooden church, built by the monk Sergius, was destroyed in a Tatar raid in 1391. The Lavra contains the Troitski Cathedral (15th cent.); the Uspenski Cathedral (16th cent.), with the tomb of Boris Godunov; and a treasure chamber with rich tapestries and many objects of liturgical art. The monastery, long a place of pilgrimage, was made into a museum in 1920, but since 1988 has been the scene of increasing religious activity.