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KIRILLO-
BELOZERSKY
MONASTERY
BRIEF
HISTORICAL
ESSAY
K
irillo-Belozersky and Ferapontov monasteries were founded almost
simultaneously in the end o f the XIV century. By tha t tim e the
Beloserskoye p rincipality , which had separated itse lf from Rostov
lands in the X III cen tury , had already lost its independence falling i
time o f Ivan Kalita under Moscow rule, and handed down later to Dm itri
Donskoy’s son Andrei.
Being deeply wedged into Novgorod lands the lake Beloye area served as
a no rth e rn ou tpost for the Moscow principality. It was here tha t the water
rou tes linking middle Russia lands with the Trans-Onega area, Severnaya
Dvina and the White sea coast went through the forests of no rthe rn T rans-
Volga area. From the end o f the XIV century outcomers from large, mostly
Moscow monasteries influenced by widely spread ideals o f an ascetic monk's
life made th e ir way to the little inhab ited Trans-Volga lands in search for
solitude. They founded dozens of new settlements, some of which soon tu rned
in to large populous monasteries with a so-called «community charter» . The
G rand Princes motivated not only by pious inducem en ts, but by the need to
streng then th e ir power in their new domains as well, assisted th is process in
every way. The monasteries, supported with land and monetary c o n trib u
tions o f the princes and their boyar surrounding, soon became actual owners
o f the co u n try , having accum u la ted the m ain land resou rces. K irillo -
Belozersky monastery was the largest among them.
St. Kirill called Belozersky, its founder, descended from the Veliam inov
family, one o f the most distinguished Moscow boyar fam ilies, and was e a r
lie r a monk at the Moscow Simonov monastery. He had lead the Kirillov
fra tern ity for th irty years, un til his death. A prom inent member o f the Rus
sian chu rch and no t a stranger to earthly affairs he used his au tho rity to
in fluence the forming o f the state. The extant letters to Dm itri Donskoy's
sons, G rand Prince Vasili, princes Andrei and Yuri bear witness to th is.
Through them Kirill gives advice to the princes, ou tlines his idea o f p rince ly
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