Russia has a rich history and a vast territory, where interesting places are scattered. Turquoise lakes, rocks and boulders surrounded by legends, picturesque forests and full-flowing rivers are complemented by man-made wonders. Architectural masterpieces of antiquity and modernity make one admire the human mind and its industriousness. Among the main buildings of Russia are amazing cathedrals, temple complexes and monasteries.
The Novodevichy Convent in the capital is a building that brings features of humility and repentance into the face of the city, calls for piety and compassion for one's neighbors. It is located in the bend of the Moskva River, on the territory of Khamovniki, called the Maiden's Field. The female Orthodox convent, the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow, was founded in 1524. Grand Duke Vasily III, father of Ivan the Terrible, who laid the foundation stone for the wooden church after the capture of Smolensk, had a hand in its creation. A copy of the miraculous icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, considered the intercessor of the Russian army, was placed there.
Novodevichy Convent was often home to noble people of the country who wanted to get away from the bustle of the world. It happened like thatthat the aristocrats or members of the princely relatives who were objectionable to the tsar were forcibly settled behind the strong walls of the monastery. Tsarina Irina, Boris Godunov, Princess Sophia, the Miloslavsky sisters, Evdokia Lopukhina and many other representatives of the "secular beau monde" lived here in peace and tranquility.
The architectural ensemble "Novodevichy Convent" is included in the UNESCO List. It consists of fourteen buildings, among which are household and residential buildings, as well as eight various temples. All sacred buildings of the monastery were built at different times. The oldest is the Cathedral of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, built in 1524-1525. Outwardly, it resembles the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin, which is why it is often called a miniature of the main Moscow attraction.
Novodevichy Convent is famous for its luxurious interior decoration. The interiors of churches amaze with an old carved iconostasis, wonderful murals, paintings in several tiers. Everything sparkles with gold. The complex is surrounded by a brick wall with twelve towers, which served as a guard during the hostilities.
There is also the Novodevichy Convent in St. Petersburg. Until the middle of the eighteenth century, there was no convent in the Northern Capital of Russia. In 1746, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna ordered the construction of a monastery, where she intended to settle in her declining years. Today, an impressive stone cathedral rises on Moskovsky Prospekt, on which the architect Kosyakov worked. Beautiful building in the Byzantine styledecorated with murals, cast reliefs and majolica.
Like many shrines, after the revolution, these two ancient monasteries were closed and converted to other needs. Warehouses, production shops, museums were arranged in them. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, society again began to look for a path to truth and light, so services resumed in churches. Every person today can bow to famous icons and turn to the saints for help.
