Sarov

Sarov stands amid forests at the meeting of the Satis and Sarovka rivers. An ancient fortified site occupied the high ground here before monks established a hermitage among the woods. The Sarov monastery became a prominent centre of Orthodox devotion and pilgrimage, known for its secluded setting and its underground cells and church.

The first church of the monastery was consecrated in 1706. Three years later the brethren made caves containing cells and an underground church dedicated to Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. Imperial patronage helped the young monastery, and in 1730 Empress Anna confirmed its lands, meadows and fisheries. The monk Seraphim of Sarov entered the monastery in the late eighteenth century and spent years in prayer and seclusion in the surrounding forest. His reputation drew visitors seeking spiritual counsel and helped make Sarov famous far beyond its wooded district.