Borovsk

Borovsk Monastery of St Paphnutius

Borovsk () is a town in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located just south from its border with the Moscow Oblast. It is situated on the Protva River, 180 km southwest of Moscow, at . Population: 11,917 (2002 Census); 12,000 (1969).

Borovsk is known to have existed since the 13th century as part of the Ryazan Principality. In the 14th century, it was owned by Vladimir of Serpukhov, but passed to Muscovy when his granddaughter Maria of Borovsk married Vasily II.

In 1444, the celebrated Pafnutiev Monastery was founded near Borovsk. Its strong walls, towers and a massive cathedral survive from the reign of Boris Godunov. Two famous Old Believers, archpriest Avvakum Petrovich and boyarynya Feodosiya Morozova, were incarcerated at this monastery in the second half of the 17th century.

Among the monuments of Borovsk are the oldest wooden church in the region (the 17th century) and a museum of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who lived and worked there as a teacher in 1880–1891. Borovsk has recently been known for painted facades of its downtown buildings, resulting from a work of one amateur local painter.

External links

*Borovsk Abbey of St. Paphnutius
*Borovsk and the world of art