Sportivnaya Metro Station
Heading towards Novodevichy Monastery
Musik Cafe, close to the Novodevichy Monastery
Novodevichy Monastery
The Novodevichy Convent was founded in 1524 by Grand Prince Vasili III in commemoration of the conquest of Smolensk in 1514. It was built as a fortress at a curve of the Moskva River and became an important part of the southern defensive belt of the capital, which had already included a number of other monasteries.
The Novodevichy Convent was known to have sheltered many ladies from the Russian royal families and boyar clans, who had been forced to take the veil, such as Feodor I's wife Irina Godunova, Sophia Alekseyevna (Peter the Great's sister), Eudoxia Lopukhina (Peter the Great's first wife), and others.
In 1812, Napoleon's army made an attempt to blow up the convent, but the nuns managed to save the cloister from destruction.
In Tolstoy's War and Peace, Pierre was to be executed under the convent walls. In another novel of his, Anna Karenina,
Konstantin Lyovin (the main character) meets his future wife Kitty ice-skating near monastery walls.
Indeed, the Maiden's Field (as a meadow in front of the convent came to be known) was the most popular
skating-rink in 19th-century Moscow. Tolstoy himself enjoyed skating here, when he lived nearby, in the district of Khamovniki.
In 1922, the Bolsheviks closed down the Novodevichy Convent and turned it into the Museum of Women's Emancipation.
By 1926, the monastery had been transformed into a history and art museum. In 1934, it became affiliated with the State Historical Museum.
Most of its facilities were turned into apartments, which spared the convent from destruction.
Nuns returned to the convent in 1994. Some of the churches and other monastic buildings are still affiliated with the State Historical Museum.
In 1995, they resumed service in the convent on patron saint's days.
Possibly for commercial reasons if nothing else, in recent years it has become popular for people
to skribble little notes around and to drop paper messages into a small hole at the foot
of the Nadprudnaya Tower (Over the pond Tower). It is said that it would have healing powers
and brings good luck for the future of couples that are getting married.
However, this has nothing to do with any ancient tradition
and the resident nuns are asking not to participate in this fad.
Novodevichy Cemetery - Grave of Raisa Gorbachyova, wife of Mikhail Gorbachev
Yuri Nikulin, famous actor, comedian
Pavel M. Tretyakov, Russian merchant and patron of arts
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composer
'Make way for the ducklings' Sculpture
During this trip I have seen a lot of people - of all ages - feeding ducks, pigeons, sparrows and whatever else was flying around.
It has something nice to it ...
The Usbeki Tea House
The Tea House: Chai Hana Utsch ku duk
Soup: Tschutschwara Schurpa --- Ploff toy osche (Rice with meat, raisins and carrots)
On the side to try: a breads called mechmonnon and a tscheburek .
Green Tea "sencha se pai" and something sweet called Tschak-tschak.
Were really enjoyed eating at this Usbeki Tea House.
The food was fresh and tasty, the tea great and the service friendly and helpful.
