The most ancient Orthodox shrines. Novodevichy Convent

Russia has a rich history and vast territory, on which interesting places are scattered. Turquoise lakes, rocks and rock blocks, surrounded by legends, picturesque forests and deep rivers are complemented by miracles man-made. Architectural masterpieces of antiquity and modernity make us admire the human mind and its diligence. Among the main buildings of Russia there are amazing cathedrals, temple complexes and monasteries.

Metropolitan Novodevichy Convent is a building that brings to the face of the city the lines of humility and repentance, calls for piety and compassion for its neighbors. It is located in the bend of the Moskva River, on the territory of Khamovniki, called the Maiden Field. The women's Orthodox monastery, Novodevichy Convent in Moscow, was founded in 1524. To create it, Grand Duke Vasily III, the father of Ivan the Terrible, laid the wooden church after the capture of Smolensk. There they placed a copy of the miraculous icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, who is considered to be the intercessor of the Russian army.

The Novodevichy Convent was often the home of the noble people of the country, who wanted to distance themselves from the worldly vanity. It also happened that the aristocrats or members of the princely family, disliked by the tsar, were forcibly put up for the strong walls of the monastery. Tsarina Irina, Boris Godunov, Tsarevna Sofya, sisters Miloslavskie, Evdokia Lopukhina and many other representatives of the "secular beau monde" lived here in peace and tranquility.

The architectural ensemble "Novodevichy Monastery" is included in the UNESCO List. It consists of fourteen buildings, among which are economic and residential buildings, as well as eight different temples. All the sacral buildings of the monastery are built at different times. The most ancient is the cathedral of the Smolensk icon of the Mother of God, erected in 1524-1525. Outwardly it resembles the Uspensky Cathedral in the Kremlin, so it is often called the miniature of the main Moscow sights.

Novodevichy monastery is famous for its luxurious interior decoration. The interiors of the churches amaze with the ancient carved iconostasis, remarkable paintings, paintings in several tiers. Everything sparkles with gilding. The complex is surrounded by a brick wall with twelve towers that performed a protective role during the hostilities.

There is also the Novodevichy Convent in St. Petersburg. Until the middle of the eighteenth century, there was no female monastery in the Northern Capital of Russia . In 1746, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna ordered to build a monastery, where she intended to settle in the declining years. Today on Moskovsky Prospekt there is an impressive stone cathedral, on which the architect Kosyakov worked. A beautiful building in the Byzantine style is decorated with paintings, cast reliefs and majolica.

Like many shrines, after the revolution, these two ancient monasteries were closed and re-equipped for other needs. They arranged warehouses, production workshops, museums. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, society once again began to seek a path to truth and light, and therefore worship services resumed in the temples. Every person today can bow to the famous icons and turn to the saints for help.