Â鶹APP

Novospassky Monastery Cultural Heritage of Object in Russia. Photo By –

Top 10 Facts about Novospassky Monastery

Novospassky Monastery is a Russian name meaning the New Monastery of the Savior. It is located in Moscow and was constructed in 1490. The monastery was originally positioned at the site where the Danilov monastery presently stands.

Novospassky has a main cathedral, 5 churches, a publishing house, a bell tower, and a chapel. It is the largest active monastic cloister in Moscow with a high number of tourists and religious believers making daily visits. It is believed the pieces of Jesus’ robes are kept within the monastery.

The monastery, though damaged during the Time of Trouble, was rebuilt in the 1600s. It was shut down in 1918 to serve other non-religious purposes. It was finally reopened in 1991.

1. Novospassky Monastery Is Part Of The Moscow Patriarchate

Novospassky Monastery is part of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), the largest autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Christian Church. ROC has over 150 dioceses in Russia. ROC began in 988 after the baptism of Prince Vladimir and the people of Kiev Rus by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

2. It Is One Of The Fortified Monasteries Surrounding Moscow

The many churches in Moscow are what made it known as the golden-domed city. It is home to over 20 monasteries. The monasteries in Moscow were once used as fortresses to guide access routes.

Novospassky was one of the monasteries founded by the Rurikid ruling dynasty in the 1400s. It was part of the Kremlin in Moscow before it was moved to the Moskva River.  The kremlins included five palaces, four cathedrals, towers, and an enclosed fortified wall.

3. The Oldest Church In Moscow Served As The Temple To The Novospassky Monastery

The Church of the Savior in the Wood is the oldest church in Moscow. It served as the original temple for Novospassky monastery in the 14^th century. The monastery was part of the Kremlin which then became the source of its name.

It was later moved to Krutitsky Hill on the banks of Moskva River in 1491 on orders of Ivan The Great. It was renamed the Abbey of the New Savior

4. The Current Novospassky Monastery Structure Was Constructed 4 Centuries Ago

Michael I of Russia, the first tsar of the Romanov-Dynasty (1613 – 1645). Photo By Johann Heinrich Wedekind –

Novospassky was the only monastery that had survived through the 15^th century. When the Poles occupied Moscow in 1600, they were adamant about converting Orthodox Russia to the Western culture in form of Roman Catholicism.

In 1612, the people of Russia led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitri Pozharsky, were able to reclaim their country, and Mikhail Romanov was elected the Tsar. During Mikhail’s reign, the monastery fortifications were reconstructed with 7 solid bastions. The current monastery’s thick stone wall structure dates from that era.

 5. It Was Used As A Prison Camp During The Bolshevik Government

After the monastery was rebuilt in the 17^th century, the French troops invaded Russia, took over, and used the churches as stables.

When Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional government of Alexander Kerensky in 1917, Novospassky stopped being a religious centre and became a prison camp. It was used as a drunk tank until 1967 when it was restored to a museum dedicated to its own history.

6. Novospassky Monastery’s Main Cathedral Host The Burial Vault Of Romanov Boyars

Recreated cross-monument on the grave of the great prince Sergey Aleksandrovich Romanov on the Novospasskiy monastery territory. Photo By Sergius, –

The Transfiguration of the Saviour Cathedral is the main cathedral of the Novospassky monastery. It was built in the mid- 1600s. Two churches, Our Lady of The Sign Church and the Intercession Church, were later on built onto the back of the cathedral.

Some members of the Romanov dynasty (Yurievich Zakharin, nun Marfa, and Grand Duke Sergey Aleksandrovich) are buried in the cellar of the cathedral which acts as a burial vault. The memorial cross monument to Grand Duke Sergey was restored in the monastery after its destruction in 1918.

7. It Has One of The Tallest Bell Towers in Moscow

The Bell tower at the Novospassky marks the entrance of the monastery and stands at 78 metres high. It was constructed in 1622 and designed by Ivan Zherebtsov on orders of Feodor Nikitich Romanov.

The tower was later replaced between 1759 and 1785. The church of St. Sergius of Radonezh is located within the tower.

8. The Monastery Has Notable Architectural Designs

Novospassky Monastery has one of the most notable architectural designs in Moscow. The structures were constructed in the Baroque style. The Cathedral of the Transfiguration has vast arched gables and helmet-shaped domes.

The tiers on the bell tower demonstrate 3 types of Greek columns namely Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.  The interior has original fine frescoes and paintings of the Romanov royals.

9. The Novospassky Monastery Chapel Hosts The Remains Of The Illegitimate Daughter of Empress Elizaveta

The tombstone of the nun Dosithea (Augusta Tarakanova) in the Novospassky Monastery – the tomb of the Romanov boyars. Photo By Testus –

North of the Bell Tower, lies a small white chapel. The chapel is over the grave of the nun of the Ivanovskiy Convent, Sister Dosifea. Dosifea went by the name Princess of Vladimir and Princess Tarakanova.

It was rumoured that Dosifea was actually the secret daughter of Empress Elizabeth of Russia. Her name Princess Tarakanova, the Russian term for cockroach, showed how she lived her last months before death.

Dosifea was arrested in now what is known as the Republic of Florence after Empress Catherine II sent for her retrieval. After being shipped to Russia in 1775, she was imprisoned and buried in Peter and Paul Fortress after her death.

Rumour had it that she faked her death and was coerced to take the veil under the name Dosifea. Nun Dosifea died in 1810 at Ivanovskiy Convent.

10. The Chapel at The Novospassky Monastery id Dedicated To The 300th Anniversary Rule of Romanov 

300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty in Rostov. Photo By Karl Bulla –

The monastery has 2 chapels one that lies above the grave of nun Dosifea and the other that was built as a form of celebration of Romanov rule. It was put up in 1913, the year in which the House of Romanov was celebrating its 300^th anniversary in the Russian Empire.

The Romanov dynasty reigned from 1613 to 1917 and was the second imperial rule in Russia. It was also the last dynasty to rule over Russia. Peter The Great, the first Romanov tsar, and Nicholas, the last Romanov tsars are honoured in the chapel in form of monuments.