RUSSIA ~ Novodevichy Convent - Moskou - UNESCO ~

... Great postcard with lots of interesting facts on... this monastery is one of the most beautiful architectural monuments in the country... probably the best-known of Moskou... a true masterpiece... still working as a nunnery to this day, this convent is about as deeply immersed in Orthodox history as one can get... a magnificent and peaceful place with an impressive icon collection... with picturesque and tranquil ponds and garden... and a fascinating nearby cemetery too...Thanks a lot Elena!【ツ】

The Novodevichy Convent was founded in 1524 by Grand Prince Vasili III in commemoration of the conquest of Smolensk in 1514.

It was built as a fortress at a curve of the Moskva River and became an important part of the southern defensive belt of the capital, which had already included a number of other monasteries.

During the Soviet epoch, it was turned into the most high-profile cemetery in the Soviet Union, with the likes of Peter Kropotkin, Nikita Khrushchev, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, Konstantin Stanislavski, Boris Yeltsin, and Mstislav Rostropovich being interred there.

Unlike other Moscow cloisters, it has remained virtually intact since the 17thC. In 2004, it was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamps:

2X Definitive Issue Kremlins
(Issued 01-10-2009)

Gifts of Nature
(Issued 27-09-2003)

Folk Dances - Joint Issue with India
(Issued 26-10-2017)