Novospassky Monastery
Encyclopedia
Novospassky Monastery (New monastery of the Saviour) is one of the fortified monasteries surrounding Moscow
from south-east.
It was the first monastery to be founded in Moscow in the early 14th century. The Saviour Church was its original katholikon
. Upon its removal to the left bank of the Moskva River
in 1491, the abbey was renamed the New Saviour, to distinguish it from the older one in the Kremlin.
The monastery was patronized by Andrei Kobyla
's descendants, including the Sheremetyev and Romanov
boyar
s, and served as their burial vault. Among the last Romanovs buried in the monastery were Xenia Shestova (the mother of the first Romanov Tsar), Princess Tarakanoff (a pretender who claimed to have been the only daughter of Empress Elisabeth) and Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia
. In 1571 and 1591, the wooden citadel withstood repeated attacks of Crimean Tatars.
Upon the Romanovs' ascension to the Moscovy throne, Michael of Russia
completely rebuilt their family shrine in the 1640s. Apart from the huge 18th-century bell-tower (one of the tallest in Moscow) and the Sheremetev sepulchre in the church of the Sign, all other buildings date from that period. They include:
During the Soviet years, the monastery was converted into a prison
, then into a police
drunk tank. In the 1970s it was assigned to an art restoration
institute, and finally returned to the Russian Orthodox
church in 1991.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
from south-east.
It was the first monastery to be founded in Moscow in the early 14th century. The Saviour Church was its original katholikon
Katholikon
A Katholikon or Catholicon is the major temple of a monastery, or diocese in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The name derives from the fact that it is the largest temple where all gather together to celebrate the major feast days of the liturgical year. At other times, the smaller temples or...
. Upon its removal to the left bank of the Moskva River
Moskva River
The Moskva River is a river that flows through the Moscow and Smolensk Oblasts in Russia, and is a tributary of the Oka River.-Etymology:...
in 1491, the abbey was renamed the New Saviour, to distinguish it from the older one in the Kremlin.
The monastery was patronized by Andrei Kobyla
Andrei Kobyla
Andrei Ivanovich Kobyla was a progenitor of the Romanov dynasty of Russian tsars and many Russian noble families.This boyar was documented in contemporary chronicles only once, in 1347, when he was sent by Grand Duke Simeon the Proud to Tver with the purpose of meeting Simeon's bride, who was a...
's descendants, including the Sheremetyev and Romanov
Romanov
The House of Romanov was the second and last imperial dynasty to rule over Russia, reigning from 1613 until the February Revolution abolished the crown in 1917...
boyar
Boyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
s, and served as their burial vault. Among the last Romanovs buried in the monastery were Xenia Shestova (the mother of the first Romanov Tsar), Princess Tarakanoff (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
Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia was a son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia...
. In 1571 and 1591, the wooden citadel withstood repeated attacks of Crimean Tatars.
Upon the Romanovs' ascension to the Moscovy throne, Michael of Russia
Michael of Russia
Mikhail I Fyodorovich Romanov Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was the first Russian Tsar of the house of Romanov. He was the son of Feodor Nikitich Romanov and Xenia...
completely rebuilt their family shrine in the 1640s. Apart from the huge 18th-century bell-tower (one of the tallest in Moscow) and the Sheremetev sepulchre in the church of the Sign, all other buildings date from that period. They include:
- The large five-domed katholikonKatholikonA Katholikon or Catholicon is the major temple of a monastery, or diocese in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The name derives from the fact that it is the largest temple where all gather together to celebrate the major feast days of the liturgical year. At other times, the smaller temples or...
(1645-49) with frescoFrescoFresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es by the finest Muscovite painters of the 17th century - The Pokrovsky (Intercession) church at the refectoryRefectoryA refectory 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 House of Loaf-Giving, a hospitalHospitalA hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, monks' living quarters, and the palace of Patriarch FilaretPatriarch FilaretPatriarch Filaret may refer to:*Patriarch Filaret of Moscow and all Rus*Patriarch Filaret of Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchy, former Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine of the Russian Orthodox Church...
.
During the Soviet years, the monastery was converted into a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, then into a police
Militsiya
Militsiya or militia is used as an official name of the civilian police in several former communist states, despite its original military connotation...
drunk tank. In the 1970s it was assigned to an art restoration
Art restoration
Art restoration is related to art conservation. Restoration is a process that attempts to return the work of art to some previous state that the restorer imagines was the "original". This was commonly done in the past...
institute, and finally returned to the Russian Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
church in 1991.