The great Battle of Lipitsa was fought near the town in 1216. In 1238, Yuryev was sacked by the Mongols. A century later, it was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Moscow. The chief monument of the Muscovite period is the walled Monastery of Archangel Michael, founded in the 13th century and containing . Several miles from Yuryev, on the bank of the Yakhroma River, stands the Kosmin Cloister, whose structures are typical for the mid-17th century.