Это святое место.

In Russian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.

So:

• Это святое место. = This is a holy place.

There is no present-tense есть here in normal speech. Russian simply puts the subject-like element and the description next to each other.

Compare:

• Это дом. = This is a house.
• Она врач. = She is a doctor.

Russian does use forms of to be in the past and future:

• Это было святое место. = This was a holy place.
• Это будет святое место. = This will be a holy place.

Here, это means this or this is.

In sentences like this, это is very commonly used to identify or label something:

• Это школа. = This is a school.
• Это моя книга. = This is my book.

A useful thing to know: это does not change for gender or number in this kind of use.

So you can say:

• Это святое место. = This is a holy place.
• Это святая книга. = This is a holy book.
• Это святые места. = These are holy places.

Because святое has to agree with место.

Russian adjectives change their endings to match the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

The noun место is:

• neuter
• singular
• nominative case here

So the adjective must also be neuter singular nominative:

• masculine: святой
• feminine: святая
• neuter: святое
• plural: святые

Examples:

• святой человек = a holy man/person
• святая земля = holy land
• святое место = holy place
• святые книги = holy books

A very common clue is the ending.

Many Russian nouns ending in:

• -о
• -е

are neuter.

So место ends in -о, which strongly suggests it is neuter.

That is why the adjective takes the neuter ending too:

• место → святое место

Be careful, though: endings are a strong clue, not an absolute rule for every noun in Russian. But for место, neuter is correct.

It is in the nominative case.

In this sentence, святое место is the thing being identified: a holy place. In basic identification sentences with это, Russian typically uses the nominative.

So:

• Это святое место.

Both words in the phrase are nominative singular neuter:

• святое — nominative singular neuter
• место — nominative singular neuter

The normal order is:

• adjective + noun

So святое место is the standard way to say holy place.

Russian word order is more flexible than English, but changing it usually changes the focus or style, not the basic meaning.

Neutral order:

• Это святое место.

Less neutral, more emphasis on place or more literary/stylistic:

• Это место святое.

That version can sound more like This place is holy rather than simply This is a holy place.

So for learners, Это святое место. is the safest and most natural basic form.

It can look tricky because of the combination -ятое.

A learner-friendly pronunciation is roughly:

• svya-TO-ye

And the whole sentence is approximately:

• EH-ta svya-TO-ye MYES-ta

A few points:

• св at the start of святое is like sv
• я after в gives a vya sound
• тое is not pronounced exactly like English spelling might suggest; it comes out roughly to-ye
• место is roughly MYES-ta

Stress matters:

• свято́е
• ме́сто

Russian has no articles like a, an, or the.

So Это святое место could be understood in English as:

• This is a holy place
• This is the holy place

The exact English translation depends on the context.

Russian usually shows definiteness through:

• context
• word order
• intonation
• additional words if needed

In many beginner examples, the most natural translation is This is a holy place.

Usually, святой / святая / святое has a strong sense of holy or sacred, often religious, spiritual, or deeply revered.

So святое место often means:

• a holy place
• a sacred place

Depending on context, it can refer to:

• a religious site
• a place considered spiritually important
• a place regarded with special reverence

Russian also uses related words in broader or figurative ways, but in this sentence the most direct sense is holy/sacred.

Yes, you can say Это место святое, but it is slightly different in emphasis.

• Это святое место. = This is a holy place.
• Это место святое. = This place is holy.

The first version presents holy place as a single noun phrase.

The second version puts more focus on место first, then comments on it: the place is holy.

Both are grammatical, but for a textbook-style basic sentence, Это святое место is the more straightforward version.

The plural would be:

• Это святые места. = These are holy places.

Notice the changes:

• святое → святые
• место → места

Even though English changes this to these, Russian still often uses это in this type of sentence:

• Это святые места.

That is completely normal.

Yes. Место can mean:

• a physical place
• a spot
• a seat
• a position
• a place in a more abstract sense

But in святое место, the most likely meaning is a physical place or sacred site.

Context always decides the exact meaning. For example, in other situations место might mean:

• Где моё место? = Where is my seat/place?
• Это его место в истории. = This is his place in history.

Here, though, learners should understand место as place in the ordinary location sense.