Cultural tourism in Russia > Kirov region > The Sacred Place of the Land of Vyatka

The Sacred Place of the Land of Vyatka

The village of Velikoretskoye is a unique place in the land of Vyatka.

The legend tells that the icon of Saint Nicholas appeared to a peasant on a high wooded bank of the Velikaya River in 1383. The icon started to heal and work wonders a short time later.

A few years later, the sacred icon was transferred to the town of Khlynov (the center of the Vyatka Territory was known under the name of Khlynov before 1780). The townsmen took a vow to bring the icon to the place of its appearance every year. Their vow gave birth to one of the oldest traditions in the land of Vyatka – a Velikoretsky religious procession which history numbers 6 centuries.

The Velikoretsky religious procession is held from June 3 to June 8 every year. Thousands of pilgrims from various cities and settlements of Russia walk 180 kilometers. About 20 thousand persons, including foreign guests, are present at divine services in the village of Velikoretskoye.

The architectural and temple estate of the village of Velikoretskoye established in the 18th-19th centuries is being restored.

The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Nicholas Monastery was established in the village of Velikoretskoye in 2005.