Today there are 22 active Orthodox monasteries in Moscow. Among them there are both male and female cloisters. Many of them are well known throughout the country, while others are known only to Muscovites. Therefore, today we will take a short tour and try to tell you about some of the active monasteries.
Pokrovsky Monastery
Without exaggeration, we can say that this ancient monastery is known far beyond the capital. He received wide popularity due to the fact that the relics of the old woman Matrona are buried here. The Orthodox believe that they have miraculous powers.
In 1635, Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich founded the Intercession Monastery in Moscow. In those days, the territory occupied by the monastery was the outskirts, where there were "wretched houses" - a cemetery where the homeless and the poor were buried not only from all over Moscow, but also from its environs.
There is little information about the monastery. It is known that during the Russian-French war (1812) the monastery was devastated. For herrestoration took seven years. In Soviet times, the Intercession Monastery in Moscow was closed. On the site of the cemetery, a park of culture and recreation was laid out, which still exists today. For 70 years, offices, a gym, a bank, a billiard room were located in the sacred premises of the monastery.
In 1994, the Matrona Monastery in Moscow (so often called the Pokrovsky Monastery) received the status of a convent. All limits re-consecrated.
The Conception Monastery in Moscow
The monastery in its current form was founded in 1584, during the reign of Tsar Fyodor Ioanovich. On the territory of the temple is the Church of the Savior, which for many years was the home church of the Rimsky-Korsakovs.
Until 1924, the church was not a monastery, but a parish. In 1922, the Conception Monastery in Moscow was looted and destroyed. The monastery was restored only in 1991. The Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos was erected and services are being held in it again.
Donskoy Monastery
In the noisy and crowded capital, it is difficult to find quiet places where you can relax your soul. The active monasteries of Moscow are islands of peace and quiet.
For the powerful walls of the Donskoy Monastery, the bustle of the city does not penetrate. Peace and tranquility reign here.
From the history of the monastery
There is a legend that in 1591 the troops of the cruel Khan Kazy Giray came close to Moscow. By decree of Tsar Fedor Ioanovich, the miraculous icon of the Don Mother of God was surrounded along the entire defensive line. When the sun rose, Russian soldiersfroze in amazement - the horde left their positions and fled from the walls of the city. In honor of the miraculous icon, after 2 years, a stone church was built. So a monastery was founded here.
Usually the monasteries of Moscow, photos of which you can see in our article, were built by several generations. In this sense, the Donskaya Convent was no exception. In the 17th century, the construction of the Great Cathedral was started by Princess Sophia, her work was continued by Peter I. Charitable financial assistance was provided by the boyar Artamon Matveev, Bogdan Khitrovo and the family of Stepan Razin. In the same 17th century, a wall was erected around the monastery. After the October Revolution, the monastery was abolished, but all its buildings were preserved. This is due to the fact that the Museum of Architecture was located here in Soviet times.
The main event in the history of the monastery is considered by many to be the unexpected discovery of the relics of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of All Russia. Two years after his death (1925), the monastery was closed by the Bolsheviks. Rumors spread that Tikhon's body was burned in the crematorium, according to another version, it was reburied at the German cemetery. The mystery was solved in February 1992, a year after the start of restoration work at the Donskoy Monastery. Participants of the excavations discovered the crypt of the patriarch.
Famous people who played a big role in the history of the country are buried in the necropolis of the monastery - white generals Denikin and Kappel, writers Shmelev and Solzhenitsyn, as well as Odoevsky, Chaadaev, philosopher Ilyin. Today the monastery is part of the Active Monasteries of Moscow group.
Thousands of tourists and pilgrims visit this holy place every year. Upon prior request, you can visit the bell tower and towers, the museum-cell of Patriarch Tikhon, and the observation deck.
Women's monasteries in Moscow
Today there are eight active convents in the capital. Divine services are held in all of them, and some of them gladly receive pilgrims and tourists.
Our Lady of the Nativity Monastery
This is one of the oldest Moscow monasteries. It was founded by the mother of Vladimir the Brave, the Grand Duke, and the wife of Prince A. Serpukhovsky in 1386. Initially, the monastery was located on the territory of the Kremlin. Now the convent is located at: Rozhdestvenka, 20.
Novodevichy Convent
There are cloisters in the capital, widely known throughout Russia. These are very ancient monasteries of Moscow. The active (it is clearly visible on the map) monasteries are located not only in the center, but throughout the city.
Novodevichy Convent is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful in Moscow. It was founded in 1524 in honor of the return of the Russian city of Smolensk to the Moscow principality by Prince Vasily III. There is no consensus about the name of the monastery. According to one version, the abbess of the monastery had the surname Devochkina. According to another, on the site of the present monastery there was a field where beautiful girls were chosen and sent to the Golden Horde. The most likely version is that the monastery was intended for girls, the prefix “new” appeared only so that a new andpre-existing convents in Moscow to distinguish from each other.
For a long time it was the richest and most privileged monastery in Russia. Women from noble families went to this monastery. During the tonsure, they donated their jewels - gold, pearls, silver, sapphires and diamonds. By the middle of the 17th century, a magnificent ensemble in the Moscow Baroque style was fully formed here. The towers began to be decorated with openwork crowns. The second highest bell tower and the Assumption Church were built. During its long history, I have seen the Novodevichy Convent within its walls and guests who, against their will, crossed the threshold of the monastery. Here, the noblewoman Morozova, Tsarevna Sophia, was imprisoned in the monastery by Peter I, and Yevgenia Lopukhina (shortly before her death), the first wife of Peter I, was transferred here.
It can be considered a miracle that the monastery was not damaged in 1812. However, he could not avoid the fate that befell all the monasteries of Russia in Soviet times. In 1922, it was closed, and a historical museum began to operate on its territory.
All male and female monasteries in Moscow are historical and architectural monuments. The Novodevichy Convent has been added to the UNESCO heritage list.
St. Daniel's Convent
This is the very first monastery in Moscow. It was erected in 1282 by Prince Daniel, the son of the legendary Alexander Nevsky. After 11 years, it was plundered and destroyed by the Tatar-Mongols. For two centuries, only a tiny temple and a cemetery reminded of him. The monastery gained greatness only intimes of Ivan the Terrible. In 1611 the monastery was set on fire by decree of False Dmitry. It was restored, but in 1812 it was again desecrated and looted. The magnificent ensemble we see today was formed in the 17th and 19th centuries.
In Soviet times, the monastery was one of the last to be closed in Moscow. This happened in 1930. The cemetery was destroyed, the graves of famous Russian figures were transferred to the Novodevichy and Donskoy monasteries. A common occurrence for that time, alas…
The current monasteries of Moscow returned to the Orthodox Church gradually. St. Danilov's monastery was the very first. This historic event took place in 1983. Five years later, the main celebrations were held in the monastery on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. Today, the residence of the Patriarch of All Russia is located here.
Sretensky Monastery
This is perhaps the oldest Orthodox male monastery, located in the very center of Moscow.
It must be said that all the functioning monasteries of Moscow to one degree or another reflect the history of the Russian state. Sretensky Monastery is no exception.
It was founded in 1397 to commemorate a miraculous event. Khan Tamerlane, who was preparing to attack Moscow, saw in a dream the Mother of God, who strictly demanded that the invader leave Russia. After listening to the opinions of his advisers, the invincible Khan fled in horror from Russian soil the next morning.
In memory of the miraculous deliverance from the enemy at the place of appearanceafter some time, the Sretensky Monastery was founded.
At the end of 1925 the monastery was closed. In the period from 1928 to 1930, most of its buildings were destroyed. Later, a hostel for NKVD officers was organized here.
Today the monastery lives its measured life. Services are held in the temple. The male choir of the Sretensky Monastery is known all over the world.
