Trinity-Stefanovsky monastery, Orthodox monastery in Ulyanovo, Russia

Trinity-Stefanovsky Monastery stands on the Vychegda River in Ulyanovo. Its two-storey Trinity Cathedral, built in 1869–1875 to a design by A. Ivanitsky, had a bronze altar on the upper floor and icons by court painter V. M. Peshekhonov. A 60-metre bell tower rose in 1872–1878, and in 1877–1879 a stone wall with four corner towers and a covered gallery, almost a kilometre long, enclosed the complex.

A wooden church built in 1667 by the Moscow priest Feodor Tyurnin, in monasticism Filaret, began the Spasskaya hermitage here; after his death it ceased to be a monastery, though his descendants served in its churches. A later tradition, undocumented, attributes the first foundation to Stefan of Perm in 1385. The monastery was revived as the Trinity-Stefanovsky in 1860, and grew from 1866 with monks from Solovki led by hieromonk Matfey. Closed under Soviet rule and looted, it was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1994.

The monastery is named after the Trinity and Saint Stephen of Perm, and local Komi tradition links the site to Ulyana, a girl said to have drowned in the Vychegda rather than renounce her faith. Six churches stand in the complex, including gate churches of the Archangels Gabriel and Michael and a church of Saints Zosima, Savvaty and Herman of Solovki.

The grounds are open to visitors daily, allowing access to explore the complex at your own pace. Guided tours conducted in Russian provide helpful context about the religious significance and architectural features throughout the site.

The monastery's name preserves the legend of Ulyana, a Komi girl baptised by St Stephen of Perm who drowned herself in the Vychegda rather than renounce her faith after being abducted by the pagan sorcerer Kysska; the monastery is said to stand on that spot. The story is recorded in Komi folk tales collected by Yuri Rochev.