Spaso-Preobrazhenskiy Mirozhskiy Male Monastery

Pskov, Russia, Russia

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The Spaso-Preobrazhenskiy Mirozhskiy Male Monastery in Pskov, Russia, is one of the oldest monasteries in the region, founded in the mid-12th century likely by Novgorod Bishop Nifont near the confluence of the Velikaya and Mirozha Rivers. Its centerpiece, the Christ's Transfiguration Cathedral built before 1156, is a rare pre-Mongol survivor exemplifying Byzantine cross-in-square architecture with 12th-century frescoes painted by Greek artists from Constantinople, preserved remarkably well after 17th-century whitewashing and partial 20th-century restoration. The active men's monastery complex includes 17th-century St. Stephen's Church with bell tower, 16th-19th century prior's house and cells, late 18th-century dorter, and 1799-1805 outer walls, forming a UNESCO World Heritage component as part of Pskov's architectural school.