The monastery dedicated to Saints Boris and Gleb, the first saints canonised in the Russian lands, stands in open country near Rostov Veliky. What strikes first is its military character: high walls, massive round and tented towers, monumental gate churches that could hold an assault, a defensive shell wrapped around a contemplative core. Inside are the cathedral, refectory, belfry and the cell linked to Irinarch the Recluse, an ascetic whose memory continues to draw pilgrims and processions. Restoration is ongoing, and part of the appeal of the site lies in this unfinished state, where bare brick and repaired plaster sit side by side. Filmed in 4K from the ground and from the air, the programme surveys the enclosure, enters the churches, and follows a monastic life resumed after long interruption.
