NOVODEVICHY CONVENT

Description

Essentials about Novodevichy Convent in brief

The Novodevichy Convent (New Maiden’s Convent) is probably the best-known Russian monastery, along with Trinity Convent of Sergiyev Possad, not far from Moscow. It is located about four kilometers southwest of the city center in a bend of the Moskva River. In 2004, the convent was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as an outstanding example of the architectural style known as Moscow Baroque.

The history of Novodevichy Convent

The New Maiden’s Convent was founded in 1524 by the Moscow Grand Duke Vasily III in memory of the reconquest of the Old Russian city of Smolensk in 1514 and its incorporation into the Moscow Empire. Thanks to generous donations from distinguished families who sent their daughters and widows to the convent, Novodevichy Convent developed into the richest and strongest defensive monastery in the southern Moscow fortification ring, which included a number of other monasteries.

In the course of its history the convent was burned and plundered several times, in 1571 by the Crimean Tatars and in 1611 by Polish invaders. Under Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich it was rebuilt and even reinforced by soldiers for defense. The heyday of the convent began with the reigns of his son and grandson, Tsars Alexei Mikhailovich and Fyodor Alexeyevich. In the middle of the 17th century, the New Maiden’s Convent became one of the richest convents in Russia, owning large estates and even 36 villages with about 15,000 peasants.

With the transfer of the capital from Moscow to Saint Petersburg in 1712, Novodevichy Convent lost its importance. Subsequently, it housed various social institutions, including a military hospital and an orphanage for foundlings. The convent’s lands were secularized in 1764. In 1812 the convent was occupied and plundered by Napoleon’s troops. During their retreat, the French tried to blow up the convent, but this was thwarted by the intervention of some nuns. In 1871, an orphanage for girls was finally established in the convent.

In 1922 the convent was closed, and the last church had to stop its operation in 1929. The building subsequently housed various organizations. Since 1934, the New Maiden’s Convent has been a branch of the State Historical Museum. In 1945, the Cathedral of the Dormition of Virgin Mary was reopened to worshippers on the convent grounds. Since 1964, the Metropolitan of Krutizy and Kolomna, who is responsible for the external relations of the Russian Orthodox Church and to whom the convent, re-established in 1994, is subordinate, resides in the New Maiden’s Convent.

The complex of Novodevichy Convent

The architectural development of the New Maiden’s Convent took place between the 16th and 17th centuries, which is why the predominant style of the monastery buildings is the so-called Moscow Baroque. The almost square complex is surrounded by a meter-thick wall, which is interrupted on each side by a gate. The need for protection is taken into account by four corner towers and another eight towers in the course of the wall.

The buildings of Novodevichy Convent

The earliest building of the convent complex is Smolensk Cathedral, allegedly built by the Italian architect Aloisio da Milano in 1524-1525. It is a traditional cross-domed church with six columns, five domes and three apses. The cathedral is best known for its 16th-century frescoes.

Other highlights within the monastery walls include the 73-meter-high bell tower, the late 17th-century Cathedral of the Dormition with its adjacent refectory containing a huge dining hall with pillarless vaulting, the magnificent gate church above the main northern portal, and the Lopushin Palace, where Peter I’s first wife lived in the 18th century.

After visiting Novodevichy Convent, it is also a good idea to walk through the neighboring Novodevichy Cemetery, where some of the most famous personalities of the Soviet Union and Russia are buried.