The Ayutthaya Historical Park (a UNESCO World Heritage site) has no general entrance fee for the park itself, but individual major temples charge admission for foreigners. The key temples now charge 80 Baht each. For visitors planning to see multiple sites, a combined/all-inclusive ticket priced at 300 Baht covers 7 key temples managed by the Fine Arts Department. This pass offers good value compared to paying individually (80 Baht × 7 = 560 Baht, saving 260 Baht).
The 7 temples included in this 300 Baht ticket are:
1. Wat Phra Mahathat
One of the most iconic and visited temples, famous for the Buddha head entwined in the roots of a sacred fig tree—a surreal, photogenic symbol of nature reclaiming the ruins. The site includes ancient stupas, viharns, and many Buddha images.
2. Wat Ratchaburana
Built in the 15th century, known for its striking central prang (Khmer-style tower) with restored stucco work and murals. It features a large chedi and underground crypt discoveries.
3. Wat Phra Si Sanphet
The most ...
The Holy Trinity of St. Sergius refers to the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, also known as the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra. This is the most important monastery in the Russian Orthodox Church and serves as one of the greatest spiritual centers of Russian Orthodoxy.
Located in Sergiev Posad, about seventy kilometers northeast of Moscow, the lavra was founded around 1337 by St. Sergius of Radonezh, one of Russia’s most beloved saints, together with his brother Stephen.
St. Sergius settled in the remote forest wilderness on Makovets Hill, where the brothers built a small wooden cell and a simple chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity. As news of Sergius’s ascetic life and spiritual wisdom spread, disciples began to gather around him. The community gradually grew into a full monastery that adopted a communal monastic rule. Sergius became its first abbot, and the dedication to the Life-Giving Trinity reflected his profound emphasis on unity, love, and harmony, both in monastic life and in the broader ...
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier stands as one of Moscow’s most solemn and revered war memorials. Located in the picturesque Alexander Garden right beside the western Kremlin wall, near Manege Square and Red Square, it honors the millions of Soviet soldiers who perished during the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945).
The memorial was created after the remains of an unidentified Soviet soldier, killed in December 1941 during the Battle of Moscow, were exhumed from a mass grave near Zelenograd, the closest point German forces advanced toward the capital. These remains were reburied with full military honors on December 3, 1966.
The monument was officially unveiled on May 8, 1967, on the eve of Victory Day celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Battle of Moscow.
The Eternal Flame at the site was lit with a torch brought from the Field of Mars in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and has burned almost continuously ever since.
Designed by a team of architects and sculptor ...
The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral (Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord, also known as the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour) served as the majestic focal point and destination for Vladivostok’s main Orthodox Easter celebrations. This grand cathedral, the largest in Primorsky Krai, stands prominently on the central square overlooking Golden Horn Bay, its pale “crème brûlée” walls and golden onion domes rising 67 meters into the sky in a striking Russian-Byzantine style inspired by the works of architect Konstantin Ton.
The cathedral’s location holds deep historical significance: it marks the very spot where, in 1860, the first Russian military post that would become Vladivostok was established, soon followed by a small wooden chapel. Construction of the modern cathedral began around 2011 after the site was consecrated in 2000, and it was fully completed and consecrated only in September 2023, making it a relatively new yet already beloved spiritual heart of the...
