THE VLADIMIR TOUR | 2025

A WALKING TOUR FROM VLADIMIR TO SERGEI POSAD

CATHEDRAL, KREMLINS & CHURCHES

TOURING THE CITIES OF WHITE STONED & GILT DOMES CHURCHES & KREMLINS

WALKING THE HOLY LAND OF RUSSIA

A 1000KM WALKING TOUR THAT SPANS TWELVE UNIQUE CITIES OF RUSSIA

LIVE THE ORTHODOX HISTORY OF RUSSIA

VISITING MANY OTHER UNIQUE RUSSIAN HISTORIAL PLACES

Introduction to the tour

In the Vladimir Walking Tour, lasting some five months (see logistics below), I will visit a dozen cities North East of Moscow. They are of great importance in the history of Russia. Birth place for the Russian Eastern Orthodoxy the region also witnessed most of the historical events that shaped its history since its foundation in Novgorod over 1200 years ago, by the Varangian prince, Rurik. From this area, two dynasties, the Rus and the Romanovs, have ruled a region spanning almost half the globe, from Europe to the Pacific, shaping its tough character, and protecting its people all this time from constant invasions coming from South, West and East. Great names, such as Alexander Nevsky, Prince Vladimir or Sophia Paleologue will become well known names in this combined historical & religious project.


The tour is to be a meditative reflection on the status of world affairs and how, looking in the past through the prism of art and history, it might help us bring about new solutions for world peace and possibly even share some of it on Internet's social networks. Russian Eastern Orthodoxy was handed down to Russia from as far back as the 9th century and it has showed a path of resilience and hope to countless generations to this day. Several sister Eastern Orthodox Churches span the world today!


Since the “walking” in its long consecutive hours, will be a highly meditative process, it seems to me the ideal vehicle to look into our common past, study it honestly and reflect on the impact it has left behind, for us and future generations; the lessons from which we might use to continue on and march towards a better understanding of our common future.

Thus I offer you: The Vladimir Walking Tour IN 2025!


ABOUT THE TOUR

Why Vladimir to Sergeyev Posad?

Holy Vladimir brought Orthodoxy to the Rus in the 9th century. I believe it is thus very important to start and end the tour in two of the most revered cities of Russia, to better impact popular imagination and spark a trend that would, for years to come, perpetuate the tour, somewhat similar to Saint Jacques of Compostela and what his actions did to the common memory of the Catholic Christians of Europe.


Vladimir

Vladimir is certainly one of the most holy of all Russian cities. First, because of Vladimir The Great, father of Russian Orthodoxy, who ultimately imported from the Byzantine Empire in the 10th century and imposed Eastern Orthodox Christianity on the Rus duchies. It is also where Saint Alexander Nevsky, is buried; for he is the one who united the Muscovy duchies and made peace with the Golden Horde, allowing extraordinary economical and religious autonomy of his people during the 13th & 14th centuries.


Sergeyev Posad

The city’s main point of interest is The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, a unique historical kremlin (fortress). Within its walls is the tomb of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, one of Russian Orthodoxy’s most famous saint, buried in his own cathedral, dedicated to The Holy Trinity. The extraordinary kremlin also holds countless historical monuments, a working Orthodox ecclesiastical academy, the refectory of St. Sergius, the Godunov burial memorial…and of course, the magnificent six-pillared Dormition Cathedral, which was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in 1559, a larger replica of its namesake is also found in the Moscow Kremlin.


ABOUT THE TOUR WALKER

Our Clients
Andre Beriault

Born in Gatineau, Quebec, Andre Beriault finished his college years in classical (Latin & Greek) studies at Saint-Alexandre College, a Holy Ghost fathers Institution in Gatineau in the Ottawa region. His early studies in art, portraiture and B&W photography, where strongly influenced by his Dutch teacher, painter and photographer, Hans Van Der Aa. He then expanded his art with three years studies at the Montreal School of Fine Arts of Montreal, in photography.

Our Clients
Andre Beriault

Mr. Beriault expanded his photographic art vision with his work on man and history, in so building his Collections works and his reportage series about Orthodox Russia; all available in book form and presented on his Web site. His works have been shown to a wide public in Quebec City, Montreal, Chicago, New York and Moscow in the context of public exhibitions, art shows and workshops. Art shows such as the Canadian Cameras at Work in Peking and the Russian Paysage of Moscow, have exhibited his work. The underlying theme in all of his works is the absolute necessity of morality, love and beauty in all human relations and endeavours; the absence of which being greatly responsible for the barbaric age of greed and destruction humanity is presently living.

Our Clients
Andre Beriault

Beyond photography, Mr. Beriault works on drama short films and art documentaries. His short drama film, Resurrection, based on a Kenneth Fairing’s poem, was presented at the New York Indie Film Festival and the London Showcase of shorts. The documentary feature film, Art Changing Life, for which he did production & camera work, directed by his spouse Natalya Bronzova, was presented at the Moscow Film Festival at the Khudojestvennie Theatre. Returning from 3 years in the Philippines, and now living in Montreal, Mr. Beriault has just released, in self editing print, his most recent documentary photo album, title LUZON, Every day life on the Philippine’s main northern Island!

LOGISTICS

Summary of the walking tour logistics

Looking at the map below, The Vladimir Walking Tour begins in South East corner in Vladimir, one of the medieval capitals of Russia, with significant buildings surviving from the 12th century. The tour then runs counter clockwise, going North to Suzdal, capital of the Rostov-Suzdal principality, a very important historical and religious stopping point. Going through Ivanono, a Soviet era industrial textile center, the Vladimir Walking Tour continues to Kostroma, the northernmost towns of the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the 13th Century.


Moving West, the first key point will be Iaroslavl, oldest of the towns on the Volga, founded by Iaroslavl the Wise, a prince of Kievan Rus, and further North to Rybinsk, the oldest Slavic settlements on the Volga, first recorded by chroniclers in 1071; originally called Sloboda it allowed merchant shipping to flow from the Baltic Sea down the Volga all the way to Byzantium (Constantinople).


Heading South, the next key point along The Vladimir Walking Tour, will be the most holy Uglitch, border town of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, burned several times by Lithuanians, Tatars, and the grand prince of Tver and very much part of Ivan IV The Terrible history. It was considered a “must” pilgrimage place by the Romanovs. Continuing on, we reach Rostov, first mentioned in the year 862 as an important settlement, and by the 10th century Rostov became the capital city of one of the most prominent Russian principalities.


The Vladimir Walking Tour ends going South West towards Moscow, with the cities of Pereslavl, devastated numerous times by the Mongols, where Peter the Great built his first naval flotilla; and finally Sergeyev Posad, birth place of the 14th century Russian icon artist Andrei Rublev, and home for the famous monastery, The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, founded in 1337 by one of the most venerated Russian saints, Sergius of Radonezh!


MAP OF THE TOUR

Click on the blue magnifying glass to view a larger version of the walking tour map area and cities

  • Map of tour

THE GILT DOMED CITIES

Here are previews of the twelve main cities in the tour. Many other cities and villages will be visited along the way. Links in the thumbs redirect to the city's Wikipedia page

  • Initially named Vladimir-on-Klyazma and many historical monuments adorn the city, such as the Golden Door and the Saint Demetrius Cathedral. In the 1990s, an opinion developed that the city was visited by Vladimir the Great, the father of Russian Orthodoxy, in 990, and the city foundation date was moved to that year. The remains of Russia’s great pacifier Alexander Nevsky are also located there.

    Vladimir

    Starting point of the tour in the Vladimir oblast

  • Russian Orthodox Christians believe that Bogolyubovo was founded on the spot where Bogolyubsky saw a miraculous vision of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary), who commanded him to build a church and a monastery on this spot.

    Bogoliubovo

    An absolute jewel of orthodox architecture

  • Suzdal is one of the oldest Russian towns. In the 12th century it became the capital of the principality of Moscow. Set in a fertile wheat-growing area, Suzdal remained a trade centre even after Mongol-led invasions. Eventually, it united with Nizhny Novgorod until both were annexed by Moscow in 1392. There are many notable monuments in Suzdal such as the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour & the Alexandrovsky Convent.

    Suzdal

    Suzdal is one of the oldest Russian towns dating back to the 12th century

  • The city is first mentioned in 1561, when it was given to the Cherkassky princely family by Ivan IV, after the latter's marriage to Maria Cherkasskaya. In 1942 the legendary air squadron Normandie - Niemen began its operations. Ivanovo has traditionally been called the textile capital of Russia. Since most textile workers are women, it has also been known as the city of brides

    Ivanovo

    There are several objects of cultural heritage in Ivanovo

  • As one of the northernmost towns of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Kostroma served for grand dukes as a place of retreat when enemies besieged Moscow in 1382, 1408, and 1433. The spectacular growth of the city in the 16th century may be attributed to the establishment of trade connections with English and Dutch merchants (Muscovy Company) through the northern port of Archangel.

    Kostroma

    The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma Rivers

  • Capital of an independent Principality of Yaroslavl from 1218, it was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1463. In the 17th century, it was Russia's second largest city, and for a time (during the Polish occupation of Moscow in 1612), the country's de facto capital. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, when all the Russian principalities gave up their traditional rights and submitted to the Tsardom of Russia, the two large monasteries of Yaroslavl profited very much from rich gifts from the court of the Tsar, largely because Ivan IV made a number of pilgrimages to Yaroslavl over the course of his life.

    Yaroslavl

    The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site

  • Rybinsk is one of the oldest Slavic settlements on the Volga River. Originally called Rybnaya Sloboda. In the 18th century, the sloboda continued to thrive on the Volga trade. Catherine the Great granted Rybnaya Sloboda municipal rights and renamed it Rybinsk. It was a place where the cargo was reloaded from large Volga vessels to smaller boats capable of navigating in the shallow Mariinsk Canal system, which connects the Russian hinterland with the Baltic Sea. One famous monastery of Rybinsk was finally completely flooded by the Rybinsk Water Reservoir

    Rybinsk

    Rybinsk, dating back to 1071, is one of the oldest Slavic settlements on the Volga River

  • Grand Duke Ivan III of Moscow gave the town to his younger brother Andrey Bolshoy in 1462. During Andrey's reign, the town was expanded and first stone buildings were constructed. Particularly notable were the cathedral (rebuilt in 1713), the Intercession Monastery (destroyed by the Bolsheviks) and the red-brick palace of the prince (completed in 1481 and still standing).

    Uglich

    Uglich had been the seat of a small princedom from 1218 until 1328

  • First mentioned in the year 862 as an already important settlement, by the 10th century Rostov became the capital city of one of the most prominent Russian principalities. It was incorporated into Muscovy in 1474. Even after it lost its independence, Rostov was still an ecclesiastic center of utmost importance (from 988 it was the see of one of the first Russian bishoprics. In the 14th century, the bishops of Rostov became archbishops, and late in the 16th century, metropolitans.

    Rostov

    One of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring

  • Known as Pereyaslavl until the 15th century, it was founded in 1152 by Prince Yury Dolgoruky as a projected capital of Zalesye. In 1175–1302, the town was the seat of the Principality of Northern Pereyaslavl. In 1302, it became a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Pereslavl Zaleski was devastated numerous times by the Mongols between the mid-13th century and the early 15th century. In 1611–1612, it suffered from the Polish invasion.

    Pereslavl Zaleski

    Tsar Peter the Great's residence when he worked on his fleet on the nearby lake

  • The city grew in the 15th century around one of the greatest of Russian monasteries, the Trinity Lavra established by St. Sergius of Radonezh, still (as of 2015) one of the largest monasteries in Russia. The town's name, alluding to St. Sergius, has strong religious connotations. Soviet authorities changed it first to just Sergiyev in 1919, and then to Zagorsk in 1930, in memory of the revolutionary Vladimir Mikhailovich Zagorsky. The original name was restored in 1991

    Sergiyev Posad

    Home of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius monastery founded in 1337

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

The Vladimir Walking Tour 2025 is not a commercial venture, it is planned to be a charitable one

Of course it should cover all its costs which I hope will be compensated by sponsorships and public participation. However any amounts accumulated once the project is over, that is when the tour is terminated, I hope to donate to any charitable event in Russia deemed important by the local churches. I will also try to turn the one time event into a recurring one, helping others in the future who would like to accomplish the same tour. But again, all proceeds after costs are accounted for will be directed to charitable events.

For the moment, sponsors and patrons can forward to me their monetary contributions in one of the following method. Also, a detailed running costs & revenus spreadsheet will be kept and available to anyone caring to look at it!

PayPal

Send money directly through the PayPal system to the Vladimir Walking Tour

YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THIS UNIQUE PROJECT

Leave a Message of interest stating your intended objectives
Contribute financially through PayPal link above
Participate in the project or host the Walker along the way

GET THE PROJECT DETAILS IN PDF FORMAT

Proton Drive
Downlaod PDF files here

CONTACT ME

Andre Beriault
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

aberiault@protonmail.com