Spasskoye

Spasskoye lies in the countryside south of the Volga, between the lower Sura and Nizhny Novgorod. Local accounts trace the settlement's name to the late fourteenth century; after a period of disruption, the village was established anew in 1622. It developed into a centre of a large estate belonging to the patriarch and became known for trade and rural crafts. Its autumn fair brought buyers and sellers together from the surrounding district.