White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal

White limestone gave the churches of Vladimir and Suzdal their name and their glow. These two towns northeast of Moscow led Russian architecture in the 12th and 13th centuries, and their masterpieces — the Cathedral of the Assumption and the intricately carved Church of St Demetrios among them — set patterns the country followed for centuries. The White Monuments joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992.