4 modern walking pilgrimage routes

1. ‘Road to the Lavra’

Between the Iverskaya Chapel in Moscow, where this route begins, and the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius lie 120 km. In ancient times, a road led to the monastery, which was allegedly paved by St. Sergius of Radonezh himself. Ordinary people, tsars and princes went to the monastery he founded in the hope of a miracle and spiritual support. Before the ‘Battle of Kulikovo’, Dmitry Donskoy went there for a blessing. Much later, Catherine the Great figured out how to overcome the route in parts. She walked a certain section of the route, after which the carriage took her back to Moscow. And, in the morning, the empress arrived at the place where she had interrupted her journey and continued her walk.

Today, many people overcome the ‘Road to Lavra’ in exactly this way: they walk 20-25 km a day and return home at night. You can even walk certain sections on weekends. And the most seasoned ones don’t even stay in hotels, preferring to spend the night in the forest. Pilgrims navigate by special signs and put stamps on the road map in churches and museums, as well as in places of overnight stays located along the route.

2. The Tsar’s Religious Procession

Every year, in July, the Tsar’s Religious Procession takes place in Yekaterinburg. Its route is associated with the last days of life and the tragic death of the family of Nicholas II. It starts from the Memorial Church on Blood, built on the site of the Romanovs' execution, and ends at the Monastery of the Royal Martyrs on Ganina Yama. It was erected on the site of the mine where their remains were dumped. The route is 20 km long.

3. The ‘In the Footsteps of the Righteous Paul of Taganrog’ path

According to his life, at the age of 25, Paul gave away his share of the estate, gave the peasants their freedom and went on a journey to holy places. Ten years later, he settled in Taganrog: He lived in a dugout, worked in the port and spent time in prayer. Every day, with the first strike of the church bell, he went to the service in the church. People revered him as a healer and a seer. In 2024, a new pilgrimage route appeared in Taganrog to places associated with the saint. Nikolsky Church, where his relics are kept, the Church of All Saints (where the elder was buried and where his first icon is kept), a chapel over the saint's grave and the place where he lived.

4. The Dalmat of Iset path

Dalmat of Iset is considered the patron saint of Siberia. He lived in the 17th century, serving as a mayor in Tobolsk and, after the death of his wife, he decided to become a monk and took his monastic vows in the Nevyansk Monastery. From the monastery, he moved to a bank of the Iset River, where he lived in a cave. Dalmat founded the Assumption Monastery, helped fugitive peasants and sheltered Old Believers. The pilgrimage route along the Path of Dalmat of Iset runs from the village of Monastyrskoye, where the Nevyansk Monastery used to be, to the Assumption Dalmatovsky Monastery. The total length of the route is 400 km, but you can also choose a shorter route – from the Monastery of the Royal Martyrs. The religious processions to the Assumption Monastery also take place along this same route.