The monastery of the Holy great-Martyr, victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, traditionally referred to as the Yuriev monastery, is one of the oldest monasteries not only the Novgorod Diocese, but all over Russia. It was founded in 1030 by the Russian Prince Yaroslav the Wise.

Majestic St. George's Cathedral, in size second only to St. Sophia of Novgorod, was founded in 1119 by order of Prince Mstislav the Great. The modern image of St. George Cathedral close enough to the original. The interior of the Church to reflect his character and purpose of the main Church of the monastery and at the same time the princes of the Church. For the stay of the Prince and his family were arranged in a spacious choirs, where two chapels - the Annunciation of the blessed and Holy martyrs Boris and Gleb. Since the end of the XII century, the Cathedral of St. George monastery served as the final resting place of not only the abbots of the monastery, but the Russian princes and Novgorod mayors.

Shortly before the consecration of the Cathedral, its walls were painted; but, unfortunately, the ancient fresco paintings almost completely lost, preserved only in small fragments of ornaments window slopes in the main area of the Cathedral and the painting of a small temple, located in the North-West tower.

The complex of buildings of the St. George monastery and today it seems grandiose, although it is not yet fully restored. It includes a 52-foot bell tower, and five buildings: the Eastern one, from a gloomy prison cell; the South with the Church of the Burning Bush; Arhimandrit — the Spassky Cathedral, under a bushel which were buried Bishop Photios and A. A. Orlov-Chesmensky; over the North rises the bell tower; and from the East it is adjoined by the Church and Holy cross Cathedral.

Cross Cathedral with blue domes located in the North-Western corner of the monastery grounds. It was built in 1759-1763, when the Archimandrite Ioannikii I. the Church was supposed to sanctify in the name of Gabriel of Pskov, but since there were not enough funds for the construction of the iconostasis, the Church was never consecrated. In 1810 the Church was seriously damaged by fire several years was in ruins. In 1823-1826, Novgorod province architect N. Efimov was drafted to rebuild unhallowed Church and met the relevant work. The Church was consecrated Archimandrite Photius in the name of the exaltation of the cross.

In the years after the revolution Yuriev monastery shared the fate of all Russian monasteries. In 1922, the confiscation of Church valuables were shameless plundering of the monastery, were melted taken from the icons of the robe, the silver Shrine of St. Theoktistos, liturgical vessels. Only a small part of the values became property of the Russian Museum collections. Several years later, in 1929, the monastery was finally closed, the surviving brethren dispersed. Yuriev monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church on 25 December 1991. Since 1995 in Yuryev was resumed monastic cloister.