The foundation of Bogolubovo , the suburban residence of Prince Andrey, was bound up with the cult of the icon of Vladimir. According to the legend, the horses drawing the cart carrying the icon unexpectedly stopped at this spot, ten versts from Vladimir.

The princely castle constructed here, at the point where the river Nerl joins with the Kliazma, could monitor the most important waterways in the region and so restricted the independence of the local boyars.

Time has erased the fortifications and nearly all the Prince's white-stone palace. Only one of the towers with a spiral staircase survives along with a passegeway raised on arches that link it to the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. We only have an idea of that cathedral today from archeological excavations. It has been established that it was a single-domed church with a very rich interior. Especially for this cathedral the Prince commissioned the large icon of the Virgin of Bogolubovo, which still exists today.

Another building dedicated to the Virgin is the most famous architectural monument in the Vladimir region - the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (1165). This church was erected to commemorate a victorious, yet sad campaign against Volga Bulgaria during which Andrey Bogoliubsky lost his young son Iziaslav It stands on a small hill among extensive water meadows a mile from Bogolubovo. The church can only be reached on foot, along a path. The walk is particularly pleasant in summer when the protected meadow is covered with thousands of flowers and the air filled with a heady mixture of scents.