Novodevichy Convent

Monastery in Moscow, Russia

Novodevichy Convent (Russian pronunciation: [nəvɐˈdʲevʲɪt͡ɕɪj]), also known as Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery (Russian: Новоде́вичий монасты́рь, Богоро́дице-Смоле́нский монасты́рь), is probably the best-known cloister of Moscow. Its name, sometimes translated as the New Maidens' Monastery, was devised to differ from the Old Maidens' Monastery within the Moscow Kremlin. The convent was founded by Grand Duke Vasily III on May 13, 1524 in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God "Hodegetria" - the main shrine of Smolensk, in gratitude for the capture of Smolensk in 1514.

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