Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl was founded in 1010 and has been a prosperous mercantile city for most of its history. It's a must to visit the Church of St Elijah the Prophet (which we initially heard as "Elijah the Perfect," causing no end of giggles). Built 1647-50, it has an assymetrical exterior and beautiful frescoes painted in 1680 by renowned Kostroma artists. Catherine the Great liked the Church so well that she ordered all the surrounding buildings cleared away to maximize its visibility