In Starorusskiy District, two monastic histories highlight different aspects of the past. The story of the Nikolo-Kosinsky Monastery focuses on its founders and its establishment; at the Buregsky-Preobrazhensky Monastery, the surviving walls of St. Nicholas Church provide a tangible architectural point of reference. For those choosing a culturally themed destination, the district thus offers two different perspectives on monastic history.
Founders and surviving monastery walls
The Nikolo-Kosinsky Monastery was founded in 1220 by Konstantin and Kosma, two monks from the Khutyn Monastery. Their names and origins are part of the monastery’s founding story. Today, it is a convent. The relics of its founders, Konstantin and Kosma, are kept there. If the monastery’s current status or the relics are important to your visit plans, check the latest information in advance.
The Buregsky-Preobrazhensky Monastery is located in Buregi and is included in the list of historical and cultural monuments of national significance. The monastery’s St. Nicholas Church was built in 1736; only its walls remain. The two historical highlights are therefore distinct: the Nikolo-Kosinsky Monastery is defined by its founding, founders and relics, while the Buregsky-Preobrazhensky Monastery is distinguished by the date of its church and its surviving walls.
Culture and landscapes in Novgorod Oblast
The wider destination of Novgorod Oblast also offers other cultural attractions, including in Valday. At the Bell Museum, staff demonstrate bell-ringing techniques and give visitors the chance to try them for themselves. The Museum Bell Centre in Valday has a different focus: it displays bells from around the world, bell shapes dating from the 3rd century BC through the Middle Ages, and modern souvenir bells. The difference lies in how visitors can engage with the subject: one focuses on demonstrations and hands-on experiences, the other on the variety of bells and their shapes.
The County Town Museum in Valday offers another glimpse into local life. Its exhibition, which opened in 1998, explores the everyday lives of the town’s residents, the development of local trades, and the lives of individual Valday families and well-known summer visitors to Valday. The museum also preserves the memory of local craftspeople: stonemasons, carpenters, blacksmiths, bublyki bakers, soap makers and bell founders. Another reference to the history of craftsmanship is the monument to Valday’s blacksmiths and bell masters, erected in Valday in 2017.
From Valday’s waterfront promenade, you can see Iversky Monastery. The Valdai National Park in Novgorod Oblast offers a different scale: it covers 159,100 hectares and extends across Valdaysky, Demyansky and Okulovsky districts. While the monastic histories are tied to individual founders and buildings, the national park’s vast area offers a broader landscape perspective.
To help you choose your initial destination, it is useful to keep these highlights distinct: the two monasteries take centre stage in Starorusskiy District; Valday offers other cultural attractions in Novgorod Oblast, while Valdai National Park adds a landscape-scale perspective. Choose your holiday rental search based on which setting matters most for your trip.
Discover more destinations: Lisyi Gorki, Nagatkino, Demyansky District, Malovishersky District, Valdaysky District, Valdaysky District, Lyubytinsky District, Soletsky District.
See the broader travel guide: Novgorod Oblast.
