Kirzhach
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Kirzhach (Russian: Киржа́ч) is a town in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated in the west of the oblast some 125 km west of Vladimir and 29 km south of Alexandrov. Population: 22,704 (2002 Census).
The town originated in the 14th century as a sloboda assigned to the Annunciation Monastery. The latter was established by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, who lived in the area between 1354 and 1358. For most of its history, the abbey remained heavily dependent upon the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra, which lies 48 km to the west.
The diminutive monastery cathedral, erected during the reign of Ivan the Great, conforms to the early Muscovite type of cathedral church. It is commonly regarded as one of the last and loveliest specimens of this conservative strain (picture). An open gallery connects the cathedral with the nearby Saviour church, built in the shape of a square tower and surmounted by a tent-like belfry. This church, commissioned by the Miloslavsky boyars in 1656, contains their family sepulchre. The 16th-century refectory with St. Sergius Church was demolished during the Soviet years.
After the monastery was disbanded in 1764, the sloboda received municipal rights (1778). Thereafter, Kirzhach, like so many towns in the vicinity, developed primarily as a textile centre.
Yuri Gagarin, the first man to be launched in space, died in a jet crash 21 km from Kirzhach. There is an obelisk marking the spot of the catastrophe.
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