Part of the Bank of Russia's early architectural commemorative series launched in 1993, this piece belongs to a run of copper-nickel five-rouble issues that appeared just as the Soviet monetary system had formally collapsed and the Russian Federation was establishing its own numismatic identity. The Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra — founded by Sergius of Radonezh in the 14th century — withstood closure and near-destruction under Soviet anti-religious campaigns; its monastery complex was seized in 1920 and not returned to the Russian Orthodox Church until 1946.
Part of the Bank of Russia's early architectural commemorative series launched in 1993, this piece belongs to a run of copper-nickel five-rouble issues that appeared just as the Soviet monetary system had formally collapsed and the Russian Federation was establishing its own numismatic identity. The Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra — founded by Sergius of Radonezh in the 14th century — withstood closure and near-destruction under Soviet anti-religious campaigns; its monastery complex was seized in 1920 and not returned to the Russian Orthodox Church until 1946.