One of the loveliest monasteries in Moscow is the Novodevichiy Convent founded in 1524. The convent is picturesquely situated at the exact point where the Moskva River begins its loop around the marshy area of Luzhniki.
The Convent consists of a cluster of shining domes in the protective custody of a fortified rampart, with the added attraction of a museum of icons and manuscripts in the grounds, the entire complex has a historical value and religious heritage hard to surpass. Right in the middle of the convent, at its very heart stands the white Cathedral of the Virgin of Smolensk . Beyond the convent’s south wall lies the Novodevichiy Cemetery , Moscow’s most venerable cemetery where many famous writers, artists and politicians are buried. Illustrious Russians who lie at final rest here are writers, painters and artists the likes of Nikolai Gogol, Anton Chekhov, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Mikhail Bulgakov, Dmitry Shostakovich and the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky.
