Moscow Cathedrals

St. Basil's cathedral

With its ground-plan in the form of an eight-pointed star, its nine churches and its bizarre domes, its vivid colors and its heterogeneous assortment of architectural elements, the church was originally built by Ivan the Terrible in 1555-61. It was called the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin (Pokrovsky Sobor) to commemorate the capture of Kazan, capital of the khanate of Kazan, on the festival of the Intercession of the Virgin in 1552. According to the chronicler, the architects of the cathedral, Postnik and Barma, were sent by God to Ivan the Terrible. There is a story that Ivan had them blinded after the building was completed; however, this is no more than a legend, for in 1588 - four years after Ivan's death - Postnik and Barma added the chapel at the northeast corner of the cathedral housing the tomb of the holy fool Basil (Vasily) by whose name the cathedral is now known.

You are invited daily except Tuesday 10:00 a.m. – 05:30 p.m. The tour lasts about 1.5 hours.

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

No matter which direction you take when walking around the centre of Moscow, now and again against the sky between buildings you can see the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour with its golden domes. The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is the largest cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church, it accommodates up to10 thousand believers. Revived within an unheard of short period of time, it has become an adornment of the capital, and today it is to be inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. Amazing in its magnificence and grandeur, the Cathedral has become a sacred site for both Muscovites and visitors, for representatives of the Orthodox and other religions.

You are invited daily 10:00 a.m. – 06:00 p.m. The tour lasts about 1,5 hours.

Novodevichiy Convent

The Novodevichy Convent has been beautifying Moscow for more than 400 years. It was founded in 1524 by Prince Vassily III, father of Ivan The Terrible, in commemoration of the recovering of the old Russian city, Smolensk, after the Lithuanian invasion.Over all these years, the nunnery was often the venue of many dramatic historic events. Its walls remember Boris Godounov's acceptance of the Russian crown. From here started the expulsion of Polish invaders in 1612. Also here, Peter the Great's half-sister, Sofia, was forced to take the veil. During the Big Fire of 1812, the main cathedral of nunnery, Smolensky, miraculously survived.The architectural ensemble of the nunnery was completed at the end of the 17th century and to this day remains among the finest in Russia. Since 1994, in the summer, there are religious services in the cathedral. On the nunnery's grounds there are graves of the tsars' relatives, members of boyar families, participants of the Napoleonic War of 1812 and of writers and historians. Women should cover their heads when they enter the cathedral.

You are invited daily except Tuesday 10:00 a.m. – 05:30 p.m. The tour lasts about 2 hours.

	1 pers.	2 pers.	3 pers.	4 pers.	5 pers.	6 – 9 pers.
The Novodevichy Convent	5800	3100	2200	1750	1450	1100