Cathedral of the Trinity - as seen from outside of Monastery

The Ipatievsky Monastery, located on an important trade rout, was an impregnable fortress. Initially, the monastery had sturdy oaken walls, but nothing has survived of its early structures. Later on the Godunovs constructed stone cathedrals - the summer Cathedral of the Trinity and the winter (heated) Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin - the belfry, the prior's residence, the monks' cells and other domestic buildings as well as the monastery's impregnable walls with towers protecting it. The churches and cathedrals of that period had not survived, many other buildings were rebuilt and the walls and towers around the monastery were made taller. Today, some of the buildings dating from the Godunov period a being restored to their original appearance.