The Spaso-Vifansky monastery is just on the outskirts of Sergiev Posad
and is relatively young compared to many other Orthodox churches. Construction began in 1783 on archbishop Platon’s order and lasted five
years. The name comes from Bethany, a town in the New Testament, where Jesus miraculously resurrected Lazarus four days after his burial. Life at the monastery was calm until it met the same fate as many churches after the October Revolution of 1917 and in 1925 it was shut down and used for other purposes, many of its features being destroyed in the process. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the restoration process began and it now functions as a monastery for men. Although still not fully restored, parts of the monastery are open to the public.