Photo tour with RIA Novosti: Kursk

Kursk, an ancient city in southwest Russia, was first mentioned in 1032 in an epic poem, The Tale of Igor's Campaign. Kursk was destroyed by Batu Khan around 1237 and rebuilt around 1283. Kursk joined the centralized Russian state in 1508, becoming its southern border province. In the photo: the building of the Central Bank

The cathedral of the Sign located on the city's central square was built in 1816-1826. The cathedral's cupola is 20 meters in diameter and rises 48 meters high. In the Soviet times the cathedral was desecrated and served as a movie theater.

The Arch of Triumph was built in Kursk in 2000 in honor of the Kursk Battle of 1943, a key turning point of the Great Patriotic War. The arch stands at the northern entrance to the city.

The Church of Resurrection built in 1768 reflects in the glass walls of a modern bank.

The Pushkin Drama Theater built in 1983 has a permanent company and hosts visiting shows.

A monument to the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin in Kursk.

The building of the Kursk Region administration on the city's Red Square.

The war and history museum was built in 1877 and before the 1917 was a place of local nobility gatherings.

The city cathedral was built between 1752 and 1778 in the splendid Baroque style and many art historians attributed it to Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The cathedral has two stories, with the lower church consecrated to St. Sergius of Radonezh and the upper one — to the Theotokos of Kazan.

The cathedral boasts an intricate icon screen which took 16 years to complete.

The residence of the Bishop of Kursk and Rylsk on Lenin street

Lenin street, Kursk's central street

Kursk is one of the major railroad hubs in southwest Russia. In the photo: the railway station in Kursk

The Maryino palace located 100 km away from Kursk was built in 1811-1820 and belonged to the Baryatinsky Princes. Today Maryino is a popular resort.

The Kursk Root Hermitage was built at the site where the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God has been brought. The icon, one of the most ancient icons of the Russian Orthodox Church, was found by a hunter lying on root in 1259.