For almost three hundred years the monastery was an important outpost of the Russian nation, defending its western border against attack from the west. The area was involved in almost constant warfare during these centuries. It was attacked by Livonians for years following its founding in the late fifteenth century. In 1581-1582, the monastery was under siege by the Polish king Stefan Batory. During the Time of Troubles, between 1611 and 1616, the monastery was attacked by Polish and Swedish forces. But, after the Tsar Peter I’s wars of 1700 to 1721, the monastery lost its importance and lapsed into relative obscurity.