Novodevichy Convent
Novodevichy Convent is a picturesque ancient temple complex located in the historical part of Moscow, near Luzhniki. It is one of the oldest religious ensembles on the territory of the country, which has been honored for many centuries. During its history, the monastery has survived wars and devastation, the Time of Troubles, fires, transformation into a museum and much more. Despite this, today the shrine is transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate for perpetual and gratuitous use, fully restored, open to pilgrims and tourists.
Video: Novodevichy Convent
” title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” allowfullscreen> Contents- Highlights
- History of the Novodevichy Convent
- Architecture of the shrine
- How to get there
- Opening hours, visiting procedures
Highlights
There are several versions of the origin of the name of the monastery. The first says that the shrine got its name because of the place where it was built – Maiden Field. According to legend, it was here that the most beautiful girls were chosen, which were sent as tribute to the Khan of the Golden Horde. The second version claims that the name comes from the surname of the first abbess – Elena Devochkina. The third one is the most realistic and is most often used by historians. According to her, the monastery from the very beginning was created for women, that is, was a maiden. The prefix began to be used in order to distinguish the shrine from a similar one opened earlier in the Kremlin.
.History of the Novodevichy Convent
Originally, the majestic complex of buildings, as well as the walls of its territory were made of wood. Soon after the construction was completed, the first prisoner of royal blood, of which there would later be many, appeared here. Vasily III was able to obtain a divorce from Princess Saburova, who during the long years of marriage failed to give birth to an heir. The first wife of the prince of Moscow was exiled to Novodevichy and lived within its walls until the end of her life.
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After Boris Godunov came to power, most of the buildings were replaced with stone ones modeled after the Kremlin monastery. But even massive crenellated walls could not prevent the terrible devastation that befell the shrine during the Time of Troubles. Then the monastery was turned into a fortress, several times it changed hands, and then was set on fire.
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A new stage begins for the Novodevichy Monastery with the coming to power of the Romanovs. During this period, the shrine is donated land, jewelry. The monastery itself is greatly honored in the royal family. A huge contribution to the development of the shrine was made by Sophia Alexeevna, who came to power. Thanks to her, almost all the buildings were remodeled in the style of capital baroque, and several new residential and religious buildings appeared.
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In 1689, the royal patroness of the arts became a prisoner within the walls of her favorite monastery, here she was imprisoned by Peter the Great. By the way, his first wife was also forced to end her life in this monastery. However, she was here by the grace of Peter II. However, this place was not only a prison, women from the noble Russian dynasties often went here, voluntarily devoting themselves to the service of God, sacrificing their jewelry and other riches at the tonsure.
With difficulty it was possible to save Novodevichy after the withdrawal of Napoleon’s troops, who were going to undermine the shrine. After the October Revolution, the “Museum of Women’s Emancipation” was opened here. During the Soviet years, the monastery was not used for services and only at the end of the XX century was returned to the church.
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How to get there
Address: Novodevichy Proyezd, 1. You can get to the monastery by subway. It is necessary to get off at Sportivnaya station, from where it is easy to walk: along Savelyeva Street, then through the square and along Study Lane. You can also get there by buses 64 or 132, trolleybuses number 5 and 15.
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Opening hours, order of attendance
Every day, except Tuesday, from 10.00 to 17.00 you can visit the Novodevichy Convent. The excursion office is open until 16.45. Entrance for excursion and pilgrimage groups, as well as foreign visitors is paid: 300 rubles for adults, 100 and 50 for children and privileged categories respectively. In addition, the group service fee is 1000 rubles. Entrance for self-examination is free of charge. A separate program visitors are offered a tour of the Novodevichy necropolis. You can order tickets and get reference information by phone 8 (499) 246-85-26.
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