Novospassky Monastery (''New Monastery of the Savior'', russian: Новоспасский монастырь) is one of the fortified

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

surrounding

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

from the south-east. Like all medieval Russian monasteries, it was built by the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

. The abbey traces its history back to Moscow's first monastery established in the early 14th century at the location where the

Danilov Monastery Danilov Monastery (also ''Svyato-Danilov Monastery'' or ''Holy Danilov Monastery''; Данилов монастырь, Свято-Данилов монастырь in Russian) is a walled monastery on the right bank of the Moskva River in Moscow. ...

now stands. The Church of the Savior in the Wood (Собор Спаса на Бору) of the

Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of the kremlins (Ru ...

, the oldest church of Moscow, was its original

katholikon A ''katholikon'' or catholicon ( gr, καθολικόν) or ''sobor'' ( Slavonic: съборъ) refers to one of three things in the Eastern Orthodox Church: * The cathedral of a diocese. * The major church building (temple) of a monastery corre ...

. Upon its removal to the left bank of the

Moskva River The Moskva (russian: река Москва, Москва-река, ''Moskva-reka'') is a river running through western Russia. It rises about west of Moscow and flows roughly east through the Smolensk and Moscow Oblasts, passing through cen ...

in 1491, the abbey was renamed ''Abbey of the New Savior'', to distinguish it from the older one in the Kremlin. The monastery was patronized by

Andrei Kobyla Andréi Ivánovich Kobýla (russian: Андре́й Ива́нович Кобы́ла) was the earliest-known agnatic ancestor of the Romanov dynasty of Russian tsars and many Russian noble families. Biography This boyar was documented in con ...

's descendants, including the

Sheremetev The House of Sheremetev (russian: Шереме́тевы) was one of the wealthiest and most influential noble families in Russia descending from Feodor Koshka who was of Old Prussian origin. History The family held many high commanding ran ...

and

Romanov The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to ...

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgaria, Russia, Wallachia and Moldavia, and later Romania, Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. Boyars were ...

s, and served as their burial vault. Among the last Romanovs buried in the monastery were

Xenia Shestova Boyarinya Kseniya Ioannovna (Ivanovna) Shestova (russian: Ксения Ивановна Шестова (or Романова); 1560–1631) was a spouse of Fyodor Romanov and the mother of Mikhail Romanov. Life The origins of Xeniya Ivanovna have b ...

(the mother of the first Romanov Tsar),

Princess Tarakanova Princess Tarakanova (c. 1745 – ) was a pretender to the Russian throne. She styled herself, among other names, ''Knyazhna Yelizaveta Vladimirskaya'' (Princess of Vladimir), ''Fräulein Frank'', and ''Madame Trémouille''. Tarakanova ('' ...

(a pretender who claimed to have been the only daughter of Empress Elisabeth) and

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia (''Сергей Александрович''; 11 May 1857 – 17 February 1905) was the fifth son and seventh child of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. He was an influential figure during the reigns of hi ...

. In 1571 and 1591, the wooden citadel withstood repeated attacks by

Crimean Tatars , flag = Flag of the Crimean Tatar people.svg , flag_caption = Flag of Crimean Tatars , image = Love, Peace, Traditions.jpg , caption = Crimean Tatars in traditional clothing in front of the Khan's Palace ...

850 Let Moskve on the Moskva River 2021-05-22 8384

Upon the Romanovs' ascension to the

Moscovy The Grand Duchy of Moscow, Muscovite Russia, Muscovite Rus' or Grand Principality of Moscow (russian: Великое княжество Московское, Velikoye knyazhestvo Moskovskoye; also known in English simply as Muscovy from the Lati ...

throne,

Michael of Russia Michael I ( Russian: Михаил Фёдорович Романов, ''Mikhaíl Fyódorovich Románov'') () became the first Russian tsar of the House of Romanov after the Zemskiy Sobor of 1613 elected him to rule the Tsardom of Russia. H ...

completely rebuilt their family shrine in the 1640s. Apart from the large 18th-century bell-tower (one of the tallest in Moscow) and the Sheremetev sepulcher in the Church of the Sign, all other buildings date from that period. They include: *The Cathedral of the Transfiguration (russian: Преображенский собор) (1645–49), a large five-domed

with

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plast ...

es by the finest Muscovite painters of the 17th century *The Intercession Church (russian: Покровская церковь) or Church of the Veil of the Virgin (1673–1675) with a

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the Lat ...

*The Church of the Sign or Church of the Znamenie Icon of the Virgin (1791–1795) *The bell tower (1759–1785) *The infirmary Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker and monks' living quarters *The house of Patriarch Filaret *The ''House of Loaf-Giving''. During the Soviet years, the monastery was converted into a

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

, then into a

police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

drunk tank. In the 1970s, it was assigned to an

art restoration The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on protection and care of cultural property (tangible cultural heritage), including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and museum collections. Conservation activities include prev ...

institute, and finally returned to the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

in 1991.

References

External links

*
Official Page of the Monastery, in Russian
{{Authority control Monasteries in Moscow Russian Orthodox monasteries in Russia Christian monasteries established in the 14th century House of Romanov 14th-century establishments in Russia Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Moscow