RUSSIAN SCHOOL, MID-20TH CENTURY View of the Gate Church of the Borisoglebsky Monastery, Yaroslavl Region

oil on canvas 80.5 × 67 cm The Borisoglebsky Monastery, located near Rostov Veliky in the Yaroslavl region, was founded in 1363 with the blessing of St Sergius of Radonezh and dedicated to Saints Boris and Gleb, Russia’s first native saints. The monastery underwent extensive reconstruction in the late 17th century under Metropolitan Jonah Sysoev of Rostov, when its monumental fortified walls, towers and churches were renovated or rebuilt. Closed for religious worship in 1924, the monastery resumed monastic life in 1995 and continues to function as both a religious institution and a museum.