Novospassky Monastery

Novospassky Monastery is one of the oldest Orthodox monasteries of the capital, located in the southeastern part of Moscow on the high left bank of the Moskva River. The majestic white-stone walls of the monastery rise above the river approximately six kilometers from the Kremlin, creating a unique architectural accent within the modern metropolis. For centuries, the monastery fulfilled an important defensive role, protecting the city from enemy raids, and served as a spiritual center for believers.

Address and Location of Novospassky Monastery

Address: 115172, Moscow, Krestyanskaya Square, building 10. The monastery occupies a strategically important position on an elevated area above the Moskva River, offering picturesque views of the surroundings. Powerful fortress walls with towers recall the monastery’s military past, when it served as a stronghold on the approaches to the capital.

How to Get to Novospassky Monastery

By Metro

The most convenient way to reach the monastery is by using the Moscow Metro. From the stations “Krestyanskaya Zastava” on the Lyublinsko-Dmitrovskaya Line and “Proletarskaya” on the Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya Line, it is a 5–10 minute walk. The distance is about 500 meters. Follow 3rd Krutitsky Lane toward Novospasskoye Highway — from the intersection, the monastery’s majestic bell tower is already visible.

By Public Transport

The monastery can be reached by buses No. 156, 184, 901 or trolleybuses No. 26, 63. All routes stop near the “Proletarskaya” metro station, from where it is just a few minutes’ walk to the monastery gates.

By Car

When traveling by private car from the city center, drive along the Garden Ring, then via Bolshaya Polyanka and Valovaya Street. Next, follow Lyusinovskaya and Bolshaya Serpukhovskaya streets to Dubininskaya Street, which leads directly to the monastery walls. Please note possible traffic congestion in central Moscow.

History of Novospassky Monastery: From Its Foundation to the Present Day

Foundation and Early Centuries

Novospassky Monastery, dedicated to the Savior, is considered the first monastic community of Moscow. Its history began in the 13th century, when Prince Daniil of Moscow founded the monastery on a small hill at the confluence of the Khudenets River with the Moskva River. In 1330, the son of Prince Daniil, Ivan Kalita, moved the Savior’s Monastery to the Kremlin, where it existed for a century and a half. During the invasion of the Tatar Khan Tokhtamysh, the monastery was looted and burned, and its abbot, Archimandrite Simeon, suffered martyrdom.

Relocation to a New Site

At the end of the 15th century, during the large-scale reconstruction of the Kremlin, the monastery was transferred to Krutitsky Hill in the Vasilyevsky district on the bank of the Moskva River. According to its new location, the monastery received the name Spas na Novom (“Savior on the New Place”), that is, Novospassky. At the former site in the Kremlin, the Transfiguration Church remained, also known as Spas na Boru.

The Era of Flourishing under the Romanovs

The monastery gained special significance during the reign of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov. From 1640 to 1642, the wooden fence was replaced with a powerful stone wall with embrasures, approximately 782 meters long, 7.5 meters high, and 2 meters thick. Stone residential buildings, churches, and a magnificent tent-roofed bell tower were constructed. In 1647, the miraculous image of Christ the Savior Not Made by Hands was brought to the monastery and venerated by Russian tsars. Unfortunately, this icon disappeared after the Bolsheviks came to power. Peter I treated the monastery with special reverence. Despite the fact that during the war with Sweden many bells were melted down to make cannons, a large thousand-pood bell weighing about 17 tons was cast specifically for Novospassky Monastery.

Trials and Revival

After the Petrine era, the monastery experienced a period of decline, suffered from Moscow fires, and under Catherine II lost its vast estates. During the Patriotic War of 1812, the monastery was severely damaged by French troops, who attempted to blow it up, but it miraculously survived. In the 19th century, under Archimandrite Agapit Vvedensky, a spiritual revival took place — the monastery became a model for other monastic communities. By the beginning of the 20th century, the monastery had become an important center of religious and moral education, with missionary activities and instruction for the illiterate.

The Soviet Period

In 1918, the monastery was closed; a prison was placed on its territory, followed by an NKVD archive and utility warehouses. A significant part of the necropolis was destroyed. Plans for the complete destruction of the buildings were not carried out due to the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War. On December 4, 1990, the monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and large-scale restoration began.

The Architectural Ensemble and Churches of the Monastery

Transfiguration Cathedral

The main dominant feature of the monastery is the majestic Transfiguration Cathedral, built in 1645–1647 at the expense of Tsars Mikhail Fyodorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich over the graves of the Romanov boyars. This grand ceremonial building, crowned with a powerful five-dome composition, was created in the image of the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin and уступed to it only in size. The cathedral has preserved unique 17th-century frescoes. A distinctive feature of the church is the depiction at the bases of the pillars of ancient Greek philosophers and sages — Homer, Orpheus, Plato, and others. In this way, the artists symbolically showed that even the wisdom of the greatest pagan philosophers did not rise above the lower steps of the Christian church.

Bell Tower with the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh

Construction of the monumental bell tower began in 1759 during the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and was completed in 1784 according to the design of architect Ivan Zherebtsov. The height of the structure is about 80 meters — only three meters lower than the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin. The first tier contains the ceremonial entrance gates, and the second houses the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos

The heated Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God was built in 1673–1675 at the expense of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich the Quiet. The church was consecrated three times: upon completion of construction in 1675, after the Patriotic War of 1812, and in 1997 after the monastery was returned to the Church. It housed the miraculous icon of the Savior of Khlynov, brought from Vyatka.

Church of the Sign of the Mother of God

The Church of the Sign of the Mother of God was erected in 1795 according to the design of architect E. Nazarov on the site of an early 17th-century church. The Znamenskaya Church became the burial vault of the Sheremetev counts. Here lies the grave of Praskovya Kovaleva-Zhemchugova-Sheremeteva, the famous serf actress who became the wife of Count N.P. Sheremetev.

Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

In 1650, at the expense of Prince Ya.K. Cherkassky, a hospital Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was built in the northwestern part of the monastery.

Burial Vault of the Romanov Dynasty

From the moment of its foundation, Novospassky Monastery became a burial place for representatives of noble boyar families, primarily the Romanovs. In the lower church of the Transfiguration Cathedral, there were more than 70 burials of Romanov boyars and their close relatives. Here are buried the ancestor of the dynasty Vasily Yuryevich Zakharyin and his sons, the mother of the first tsar of the dynasty, the Grand Sovereign Nun Martha (Ksenia Ivanovna Shestova-Romanova), the father and four brothers of Patriarch Filaret, and the daughter of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich. In 1902, a church dedicated to the heavenly patron of the family — St. Romanos the Melodist — was arranged in the Romanov burial vault. The last person buried here was Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Moscow Governor-General, son of Emperor Alexander II and uncle of Nicholas II, who was killed by a terrorist in 1905. His remains were solemnly transferred from the Kremlin in 1995. A memorial cross designed by V.M. Vasnetsov is installed on the territory. In addition to the Romanovs, representatives of the Sheremetev, Cherkassky, Vasiltsev, Dashkov, Golitsyn, Kurakin families, as well as hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, found their final resting place in the monastery. Special veneration among believers is accorded to the grave of Nun Dosifeya, in which, according to tradition, rests the daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

Shrines and Miraculous Icons

The main shrine of the monastery is the icon of the Mother of God “The All-Queen” (“Vsetsaritsa”), to which pilgrims come from all over Russia. It is believed that the image possesses healing power and helps in recovery from oncological diseases. This is the first copy of the Athonite icon from the Vatopedi Monastery, painted for Russia and brought here. Since the early 1990s, monks have been delivering the icon monthly to the P.A. Herzen Oncology Institute. Over the years of service, many testimonies of healings have been collected. From gold jewelry left by grateful believers, an exquisite gold riza was created in 2012. The icon is displayed in the gallery of the Transfiguration Cathedral and is accessible to everyone.

The Monastery Today: Life of the Community

Divine Services

Three churches are active in the monastery. Statutory services are held daily: Midnight Office — at 7:00 Liturgy — at 8:00 Vespers and Matins — at 17:00 On Sundays and feast days, the Liturgy is served at 9:00, and an all-night vigil is held on the eve.

The Brotherhood and Monastic Life

In the monastery and its two suburban metochions in the villages of Sumarokovo and Milyukovo, 25 monks and novices reside. Most of the brotherhood are Muscovites. The path to monasticism begins with novitiate, which may last several years before tonsure — the duration is determined individually. At the metochions, monks maintain small farms, keep cows, and engage in beekeeping, but prayer and service to God remain the main focus of the brotherhood.

Unique Microclimate and Gardens

The powerful fortress walls create a special microclimate within the monastery grounds, allowing more than 600 rose bushes of various varieties to be grown (one of the largest rose gardens in Moscow), as well as crocuses, tulips, jasmine, magnolia, a rare white-pink lilac variety “Beauty of Moscow,” apple trees, and cherry trees. A true marvel is the peaches and apricots growing in the center of Moscow. The fruit garden is planted on the site of a necropolis destroyed during the Soviet era. The apricot harvest ripens by June, and peaches by the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19).

Workshops and Refectory

Various workshops operate on the territory, including jewelry and carpentry workshops, where wooden items are created — from small religious objects to benches and window frames. Since 1968, a weaving workshop with antique looms has been in operation. It produces textiles that adorn museums and theaters across the country, including a curtain for the Bolshoi Theatre. The “Pilgrim” refectory offers visitors a wide range of products: herbal blends, oils, honey, and dried fruit sweets. Particularly popular is the monastery’s yeast-free bread, baked at night according to a traditional recipe and sold out early in the morning while still warm.

Practical Information for Visitors

Visiting Hours

The monastery grounds are open to visitors during morning and evening services. After the end of the evening service, the monastery closes.

Rules for Visiting

When visiting the monastery, the following rules must be observed: It is forbidden to enter in shorts, short skirts, or clothing with bare shoulders Women must wear head coverings Silence and reverent behavior should be observed

Contact Information

Phone: +7 (495) 676-95-70 Coordinates: 55.732125, 37.656241 The parish of Novospassky Monastery is one of the largest in Moscow. On feast days, more than a thousand people receive Communion here. According to the monastic rule, the sacraments of baptism and marriage are not performed at the monastery — these rites are conducted in other churches.

Historical and Cultural Significance

Novospassky Monastery is a classic example of 17th-century Russian architecture. The majestic architectural ensemble attracts not only pilgrims and believers, but also historians, architects, and filmmakers. Scenes for Nikita Mikhalkov’s film “The Barber of Siberia” and other motion pictures were filmed on the monastery grounds. Thanks to its elevated location, the bell tower offers a unique view — festive fireworks over the Kremlin can be observed from above. A monument titled “The Dynasty” is installed on the territory, depicting the first and last tsars of the Romanov family — Mikhail Fyodorovich and Nicholas II with the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God. The monastery continues the tradition of social service: centers providing assistance to people with alcohol and drug addiction operate here, and educational programs are conducted. Novospassky Monastery is a living link between eras, a place where ancient history harmoniously combines with modern monastic life, and where spiritual traditions are passed down from generation to generation.