Reshma brings together the village’s history, a distinctive monastery complex and a hiking trail through forest and a cedar grove to Cape Lyubvi. When planning a visit, different interests therefore come into play: exhibitions and religious architecture, carved details on wooden houses, and a trail with views of the Volga landscape. The cultural programme can be explored through the village’s history, monastery architecture and everyday life; the hike offers a different focus. You can shape your stay according to whether you are more interested in village history, architectural styles or exploring the landscape on foot.
Village History and Exhibitions
Opened in 2016, the Reshma Museum and Exhibition Centre is dedicated to the village’s history, service in the monastic community and the folk traditions of the Upper Volga. Two themed exhibitions are open: “Pages from the History of the Makaryev-Reshma Monastery” and “Museum of Peasant Life”. Check before your visit whether the exhibitions are still open. Their themes lead, on the one hand, to the history of the monastery and, on the other, to peasant life.
Monastery Complex and Historical Traces
The Makaryev-Reshma Monastery was looted and destroyed in 1927; its spiritual life has been revived since the 1990s. The village’s history thus includes both a historical rupture and a later revival. The monastery forms an architectural ensemble with fortified walls, watchtowers and a massive gate. Its entrance leads through a gate and, at the same time, through a gate church dedicated to the Archangel Michael, which houses an old icon of the same saint.
Makary is also associated with a historical trace on the banks of the Volga: below a hill, he built a simple wooden church dedicated to the Holy Life-Giving Trinity. It was an early church building.
Wooden Houses and Hiking Trail
On a walk through Reshma, you can spot carved window frames, turned “ears” and “earrings”, decorated cornices and columns, relief carvings, and closed shutters on the simple wooden houses. The focus is therefore on many features of the houses, not just individual façades. If you enjoy looking closely at details, you can compare the different forms of woodwork on a walk.
The ecological hiking trail leads from Reshma through forest and a cedar grove to Cape Lyubvi, where views of the Volga landscape open up. A hike along this trail is recommended. While the monastery and wooden houses highlight architectural and local history, the hike focuses on the landscape and its views. Check the current condition of the trail before setting off.
Art Themes in Ivanovo Oblast
Other distinct art themes in the wider destination of Ivanovo Oblast add to the region’s appeal. In Palekh, an icon collection includes works from different parts of the country, dating from the 14th to the 19th century. The Icon Museum is part of the State Museum of Palekh Art, whose complex also includes the Museum of Lacquer Miniatures. Workshops are held there where you can paint a small papier-mâché object featuring the Firebird, a symbol of Palekh. Check the current availability of workshops before your visit.
Discover more destinations: Mukhortovo, Kochma, Furmanov, Ivashevo, Shuya, Lezhnevo, Lukh, Berezhok.
Back to the main travel overview: Ivanovo Oblast.
