South-east of Moscow, at Dzerzhinsky, the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery traces its foundation to Dmitry Donskoy and to the memory of the victory at Kulikovo, an event that stands at the origin of Russian national narrative. The monastery grew over the centuries into a large walled ensemble, its skyline shaped by the immense Transfiguration Cathedral, by belfries and by an extraordinary stretch of wall, decorated with towers, gables and painted panels, known as the Palestine Wall, an architectural fantasy without real equivalent elsewhere. Ponds, gardens and courtyards complete the composition. Filmed in 4K from the ground and from the air, the programme takes in the ensemble as a whole, enters the cathedral, and follows the daily life of a community restored to activity after the Soviet decades.
