HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE MUSEUM-RESERVE IPATYEVSKY MONASTERY

History and Architecture Museum-Reserve Ipatyevsky Monastery official site

Kostroma museum was founded in 1958 for up keeping of the Ipatyevsky monastery that was built in the 13th century by the Godunoffs’ family ancestor Zakhariy. The Godunoffs sponsored the monastery from the 16th through the 17th centuries. Boyar family of Romanoffs sponsored the monastery since 1613, because first Romanoff dynasty tsar Michael Fedorovitch was in the monastery at that time. Representatives of the Boyar Council came to the monastery in March 1613 to tell Michael that he was elected as the tsar. Thus the monastery keeps memory of the 2 famous Russian dynasties the Romanoffs and Godunoffs. The monastery also played an important role in renaissance of the Russian state after the trouble times in the beginning of the 17th century.

The museum had icons and church utensils in the Trinity Cathedral, rooms where the boyars Romanoffs lived, natural science history department that has a unique collection of butterflies and the naval exhibition.

There is also a museum of wood architecture in banks of Igumenka river, which presents wooden architecture and life of Kostroma region.