Novodevichy Convent, Moscow (must see)

Novodevichy Convent, also known as the New Maiden Convent, is a fortified Russian Orthodox monastery founded in 1524 by Grand Prince Vasily III to commemorate the return of Smolensk to the Muscovite state in 1514. The convent and its principal cathedral were dedicated to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, or Hodegetria. From the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries, it maintained close connections with the ruling dynasty and women from royal and noble families.

The architectural ensemble developed mainly during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and is enclosed by high masonry walls with twelve towers. Its oldest surviving building is the Smolensk Cathedral, constructed in 1524-1525. Its interior preserves late sixteenth-century wall paintings and a five-tier iconostasis created in 1683-1685. Other structures include the Church of the Assumption with its refectory, the Transfiguration and Intercession gate churches, residential chambers, and the 72-meter bell tower, completed in 1689-1690. Much of the convent’s present appearance reflects the decorative Moscow Baroque style of the late seventeenth century. The convent is associated with prominent historical figures. Sophia Alekseyevna, former regent and half-sister of Peter the Great, was confined here after losing power in 1689 and later became a nun. Eudoxia Lopukhina, Peter’s first wife, moved here in 1727 and remained until her death in 1731. The ensemble was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004.

The Novodevichy Cemetery, outside the southern wall, is historically connected with the monastery but remains separate. Established from 1898, it became a burial place for prominent writers, artists, scientists, political figures, and military leaders, adding another historical layer to the convent surroundings.