1. The monastery was founded by Cyril, a follower of Sergius of Radonezh This was in the second half of the 14th century. Sergius of Radonezh had recently founded his Trinity Monastery near Moscow (now mostly known as the St.
Sergius Trinity Lavra) and, in fact, became the spiritual leader of Russia at that time. So, his followers began to found new monasteries in all corners of the country. Gradually, the Grand Princes began to actively support the Russian Orthodox Church.
Soon after, the Russian army for the first time fought back the Tatar-Mongols in the Battle of Kulikovo and the unification of Russia began. Lifetime icon of St. Cyril, presumably painted by Dionisius Glushitsky, 1424 Cyril (Kirill) was also a disciple of Sergius and was characterized by his asceticism and clairvoyance.
He was a monk in Moscow's Simonov Monastery and once was elected as abbot of the monastery, but he refused the honorable position, preferring solitary prayer in his cell. Sergius himself often came to the monastery on business and he often talked with Cyril. 2.
According to legend, the place for the monastery was chosen by the Mother of God According to the hagiography (life) of Cyril, one night, during his diligent prayer, he claimed to have heard the voice of the Mother of God that told him to go to the north, to Beloozero (‘White Lake’). "There I have prepared for you a place where you can be saved," the Mother of God added. Shroud featuring the “ Appearance of the Mother of God to.