Churches, Monasteries and Convents

As the spiritual home of the Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow boasts a fascinating religious history and an impressive legacy of ecclesiastical architecture. The church has always played a vital role in Russian society and still does today. So tag along with me and I'll reveal something of the Russian spirit to you, the soul of our people, and I just know you're going to be fascinated by it all! Follow the links below and enjoy a virtual browse around the city's most famous churches, monasteries and convents, and enjoy their architectural variety, gleaming golden cupolas, ancient frescoes and irreplaceable icons.

St. Basil's Cathedral - built in the 16th century on Red Square by Ivan the Terrible to commemorate his successful military campaign against the Tartar Mongols in the besieged city of Kazan, its mass of brightly painted onion domes and turrets is now one of Moscow's best-known landmarks.

The Cathedral of Christ the Savior - magnificent replica of the 19th century church designed by the architect Konstantin Ton to commemorate Russia's victory over the French in the Napoleonic Wars, which was demolished on Stalin's orders in the 1930s but built anew in the 1990s to mark Moscow's 850th birthday.

Kazan Cathedral - newly constructed replica of the 17th century church built in honor of the Kazanskaya Icon to commemorate Tsar Mikhail Romanov's victory over the Poles and Lithuanians in 1612, and later destroyed by the Bolsheviks.

Novodevichy Convent and Monastery - beautiful 16th century convent founded by Vasily III in 1524 to commemorate the recapture of Smolensk from the Lithuanians ten years earlier and the resting place of some of Moscow's most famous artists, writers, politicians and public figures.

Andronikov Monastery - 14th century monastery built on the steep eastern bank of the Yauza River and once the seminary of the famous Russian monk and icon painter, Andrey Rublyov.

Danilov Monastery - built in the 13th century by Prince Daniil Moskovsky, the youngest Son of Alexander Nevsky, and thought to be the oldest monastery in Moscow.

Danskoi Monastery - founded in the 16th century by Boris Godunov in honor of the Donskaya Icon of the Mother of God, which was thought to have delivered Moscow from the repeated attacks of the Crimean Khanates that century.

Church of the Intercession at Fili - spectacular Baroque church commissioned by Prince Lev Naryshkin in the late 17th century next to the riverside village of Fili, which was given to him by his nephew Emperor Peter the Great.

Ivanovsky Convent - 16th century convent used as a depository for unwanted wives and daughters and a prison for Moscow's noblewomen and featuring dauntingly high walls, crenellated bell towers and brick cupolas.

The Metropolitan's Residence at Krutitsky - originally established at the end of the 13th century as the seat of the Metropolitan of the Christian minority among the Tatar Golden Horde and later a prison for the 17th century Bishop Avvakum, leader of the Old Believers sect which branched away from the main Russian Orthodox Church in a schism precipitated by Patriarch Nikon's desire to reform the church.

Novospassky Monastery - thought to have been founded in the 12th century during the reign of Prince Yury Dolgoruky, the founder of Moscow, and initially established on the site of the present-day Danilov Monastery before being transferred to the Kremlin complex in 1300 by Ivan the Terrible and then relocated back to its present site in 1490 by Ivan III.

Simonov Monastery - founded in 1371 by the monk Fyodor, the nephew of Sergei of Radonezh, the 14th century Russian monastic reformer and later patron saint of the Moscow principality, and one of the city's mightiest defensive outposts during the 15th century.

The Trinity Church in Nikitniki - built between 1631 and 1634 by the merchant Grigory Nikitnikov on his own estate and considered the finest example of 17th century Russian ornamental architecture in the city.

Vagankov Cemetery - dating from 1771, when an outbreak of plague compelled the authorities to dig up all the graveyards in central Moscow and establish new ones beyond the city limits, and the resting place of many of the city's notable public figures, including the maverick actor and poet of the Brezhnev era, Vladimir Vysotsky, and the volatile young poet, Sergei Yesenin.

Zaikonospassky Monastery - the 15th century remains of the Kitai Gorod monastery, which saw the birth of Russia's first higher educational institution, the Slavonic, Greek and Latin Academy. Notable students included the great philosopher Mikhail Lomonosov, who came to Moscow to study at the age of 19 and 25 years later was responsible for the founding of the country's first university.   Related Posts The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood.