District of Kirillov

The coat of arms of Kirillov was approved on August 16, 1781. The upper part of it depicts the blazon of Novgorod. The lower part pictures an iron "klepalo" (kind of bell in Old Russia) suspended to a wooden tripod and two iron hammers under it. The white background on the blazon implies that there is a monastery in the town.

Kirillov is quite young, it has turned 200 years old. However, the history of Kirillov began in summer of 1397 when Saint Kirill founded a monastery on the bank of White Lake. The monk spent the beginning of his monastic life in the monastery of St.Simon of Moscow. He came to the North of Russia together with Ferapont. The monks chose a hill on the bank of Siverskoye Lake, dug an earth-house and lived for a year in it. In 1398 Ferapont left Kirill and picked another place where he founded a monastery. It was not unusual at that time. In the 14th century about a dozen cloisters sprouted up near Vologda.

Asceticism was rewarded at all times. Both Kiril and Ferapont went down in history of the country. The Kirillo - Belozersky Monastery and the Ferapont Monastery won an international renown owing to the effect of stateliness and an artistic work of exceptional value. Laid out and built in the traditions of early Russian design, they are preserved as monuments of church architecture.