Novodevichy Convent

One of the nicest cloisters in Moscow , the Novodevichy Convent, was founded in 1524 in keeping with the vow made by Grand Prince (Duke) Vassily III to commemorate the capture of Smolensk , an old Russian city west of Moscow , from enemy. The nunnery is located in a picturesque spot on the left bank of the Moskva, a river crisscrossing the inner city. After its foundation the Novodevichy Convent was granted a country estate with two villages, Akhabinevo and Troparevo, situated in Moscow 's southwestern edge. In the 18 th century the convent owned as many as 15 000 male serts in 36 villages of 27 uezds (districts).
The present-day Novodevichy is a great architectural monument of the 16 th century. Masters of the Kremlin's Armory chamber lent a hand to its interior decor. Closer to our days, in 1922, the nunnery was closed down and, years later, opened to the public as an affiliate of the State History Museum.

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