Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery
A tour of the most beautiful nunnery in Moscow
Novodevichy Convent is one of the most interesting places on the outskirts of the city and it is also one of the best-preserved and most beautiful Moscow women's monasteries. It was founded in 1524 by Grand Duke Vasily III. as a thank you for the liberation of Smolensk from the Lithuanians and is dedicated to the Smolensk icon of the Mother of God Odigitrije. For two centuries it served to intern the noble women. The complex has not undergone significant changes since the 17th century, so as an excellent example of the Moscow Baroque, it has been included on the UNESCO list since 2004.
Novodevichy Convent
The whole complex is surrounded by walls. The main entrance to the complex is through the gate under the Church of the Transfiguration, standing between the Tsaritsyno and Lopuchin Towers. Throughout its existence, the monastery was actually a kind of prison for disobedient noblewomen. For example, Irina Godunova, Tsar Fyodor's widow and Boris Godunov's sister, or Sofia, the intriguing older sister of Peter the Great, were imprisoned here. Thanks to this, the monastery was very well funded.
Novodevichy Convent
A museum was established in the monastery in 1922, and after 1944 the monastery was partially returned to the church. The monastery stands in close proximity to the river and a small lake, surrounded by brick walls reminiscent of the Kremlin ones. The walls include a guardhouse and 12 towers.
Novodevichy Convent
The largest and oldest sanctuary here is the Church of the Smolensk Mother of God (Smolensk Temple) from 1525 with a magnificent five-row iconostasis from 1683 – 85. Its interior is richly decorated with frescoes.
Novodevichy Convent
In the area of the monastery there are tombs of nuns, warlords and rich families. One of the most beautiful is the modernist family crypt of the textile magnate Prokorov from 1911, which is located directly in front of the Smolensk Cathedral.
Novodevichy Convent
Opposite the Smolensk Cathedral is a hexagonal bell tower in the Naryškin Baroque style. At 72 meters, it was the second tallest bell tower in Moscow (after the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin). Based on the analysis of proportions, it is clear that the bell tower was originally supposed to have 7 floors, but it was not completed due to the overthrow of Empress Zofia in 1689.
Novodevichy Convent
Another monastery church is the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.
Novodevichy Convent
On the other side of the monastery, directly opposite the entrance gate, stands the Pokrov Cathedral. The gate below it is permanently closed. Next to it stands the white Mariinsky Palace. This brick palace with white stone details was named after Alexei Mikhailovich's daughter, Empress Maria Alexeyevna, who lived here in the 1990s. Not far from here, in the museum in the rooms of Lopuchina and in the rooms of Irina Godunová, various exhibits of mass robes, vessels, icons, frescoes are exhibited…
Novodevichy Cemetery
Next to the monastery lies the Novoděvičí cemetery. It was founded in the 16th century and became the last resting place of the Moscow nobility and clergy.
Novodevichy Cemetery
Even the Soviet regime respected its tradition and buried its celebrities there, making the cemetery a kind of encyclopedia of Russian personalities. Buried here are Chekhov, Gogol, Mayakovsky, Shostakovich, Raisa Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, Mstislav Rostropovich
Novodevichy Cemetery
Tombs of celebrities …
Novodevichy Cemetery
Probably the most remarkable is the tomb of Nikita Khrushchev, whose author is the sculptor Ernst Něizvěstbyj. The bust of the Soviet leader is placed between black and white stone blocks, which symbolize its positive and negative qualities.
Novodevichy Cemetery
Some tombstones are really pompous.
Novodevichy Cemetery
Tomb of Tupolev, …
Novodevichy Cemetery
… Yeltsin, …
Novodevichy Cemetery
… Raisy Gorbachev, …
Novodevichy Cemetery
… Chekhov, …
Novodevichy Cemetery
… and Mayakovsky.
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