September 25, 2006
Our first stop in Moscow – the Novodevichy (New Nunnery) Convent. I was excited to see this because it was here that Peter the Great’s power hungary, manipulative half-sister, Sofia was exiled here.
Peter was not first in line for the Tsar. His father had two wives and Peter’s half brothers, Fyordor and Ivan V, were in line to succeed to the throne before Peter. Fyordor died six years after he was succeeded to power leaving the throne to Ivan V.
Ivan V, however was an invalid and unfit to rule so the Russian Council named the 10-year-old Peter the next Tsar. Sofia, Ivan’s sister and Peter’s half-sister, led a rebellion against Peter, killing most of Peter’s family and insisted that Peter and Ivan be made joint Tsars while she acted as regent. A fascinating story of greed and power.
Later on, Peter took back the power back from his half-sister and exiled to her to this convent. Later Peter’s first wife, Evdokiya Lopukhina, was also confined there. (It must have been great to have been a Tsar!) Both are buried there today.
Originally founded in 1524 by Tsar Vasilly III to commemorate the capture of Smolensk from Lithuania. The convent not only served as a religious institution but also as a mini-kremlin (fortress) and prison. Most of the current building dates from the 17th century, when the convent was significantly rebuilt and enhanced.
The Novodevichy Convent is a World Heritage site as an outstanding example of the so-called ‘Moscow Baroque’ style of architecture.
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