Saints and Persecutors

April 14 is Russian Easter, the most important religious holiday on the Orthodox calendar. Russian Life's Robert Greenall traveled to the provinces to see how religion is faring in an average Russian town. The ancient city of Murom, with its famous saints and nameless persecutors, provides the focus.

On a bright day in early Spring, novice monk Sergy shovels wet snow off the path leading to his cell in the peaceful monastery courtyard. A lover of Orthodox chanting, he, along with the handful of other novices and monks, is also a devotee of selfless labor and discipline. They are inhabitants of Murom’s Annunciation Monastery, site of an ancient burial ground and the oldest holy place in one of Russia’s oldest cities.