Novodevichy Convent, Orthodox monastery in Khamovniki District, Moscow, Russia
Description
Novodevichy Convent is an Orthodox women's monastery in the Khamovniki District of Moscow, standing on a hill above the Moskva River. The compound features fortified walls with towers, several church buildings, residential wings, and a freestanding bell tower that form a cohesive ensemble.
History
Grand Prince Vasili III founded the monastery in 1524 after reclaiming Smolensk from Lithuanian rule. Over the centuries, it became a refuge for women from royal and noble families, including several tsarinas.
Culture
The name derives from the recapture of Smolensk, a city dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk. Visitors today see Orthodox worshippers attending services and pilgrims who pause before the icon screens to light candles.
Practical
The complex is accessible daily, with opening times varying by season. The adjacent cemetery can be visited after exploring the churches and monastic buildings.
Did you know?
Nuns secretly extinguished the fuses of French explosives in 1812, saving the monastery from destruction. The tower at the southwest corner served for centuries as a lookout point for monitoring the surrounding area.
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Novodevichy Cemetery
206 m
Graves in Novodevichy Convent
47 m
Make Way for Ducklings
270 m
Novodevichy Belltower
56 m
Novodevichyi Ponds
206 m
Thought
176 m
Naprudnaya Tower
137 m
Children's polyclinic no. 38
314 m
Smolensky Cathedral (Novodevichy Convent)
7 m
Savvinskaya Tower (Novodevichy Convent)
146 m
Погодинская улица 22 c1
505 m
Predtechenskaya Tower (Novodevichy Convent)
155 m
Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior (Novodevichy Convent)
116 mGuard Tower at the north gate
111 m
Prokhorovs' chapel
110 m
Pokrovskaya Tower (Novodevichy Convent)
95 m
Streltsy guardrooms at Nikolskaya Tower (Novodevichy Convent)
127 m
Погребные палаты в Новодевичьем монастыре
120 m
Малая Пироговская улица 29/7 c1
384 m
Улица Усачёва 35
453 m
Maria's Chambers (Novodevichy Convent)
90 m
Yevdokiya Chambers (Novodevichy Convent)
79 m
Nikolskaya Tower (Novodevichy Convent)
142 m
Lopukhinskaya Tower (Novodevichy Convent)
110 m
South Gate with the Church of the Protection of the Theotokos (Novodevichy Convent)
101 m
Treasury Chambers (Novodevichy Convent)
71 m
Tsaritsynskaya Tower (Novodevichy Convent)
128 m
Chebotarnaya Tower (Novodevichy Convent)
116 m
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