How many votive monasteries have appeared on our ancestral land in different periods of difficult Russian history! And how precisely and succinctly the essence of this significant phenomenon was defined: the tradition of the pious vow itself is not just faithfulness to the word, but also a great spiritual movement forward! Such a spiritual movement forward was for the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III, the founding of the Novodevichy Monastery in 1524-1525 to commemorate the victory over the Lithuanians and the annexation of ancient Smolensk, which united all Russian lands around Moscow. The first abbess of the monastery, located on Devichye Pole, in a picturesque bend of the Moskva River, was a schemer called by the Grand Duke from the Pokrovsky Monastery of the city of Suzdal, Venerable Elena (Devochkina) Moscow. Her memory is celebrated on December 1 in the new style and in the Cathedral of the Moscow Saints. We bring to your attention a conversation with Abbess Margarita (Feoktistova), the abbess of the monastery, which occupies a special place among Russian shrines. 

Unprecedented restoration

Mother, the Novodevichy Monastery, which has its roots in antiquity, as one of the architectural masterpieces of Russia, is included in the UNESCO Cultural and Natural Heritage list.The five-century anniversary of the monastery's foundation will be celebrated next year, but preparations for this great event began quite a long time ago. Tell me, what is the main focus in it?

On May 6, 2012, on the eve of taking office, Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin visited the Novodevichy Monastery together with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill

In 2024, our monastery will celebrate the 500th anniversary of its foundation and at the same time the 30th anniversary of the resumption of monastic life within its walls. By decision of the President of the Russian Federation, a large-scale unprecedented restoration of the ancient monastery began in 2014. By decree of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, an Organizing Committee was formed to prepare and hold the celebration, an action plan and a set of measures were approved to recreate the historical appearance of a particularly valuable cultural heritage site, the Novodevichy Monastery Ensemble. The walls and towers of the monastery, the refectory chambers with the Assumption Church, the bell tower, the Streletsky guardhouses, chambers, cells - all monastic buildings, without exception, are included in the scientific restoration program. The tasks assigned to the restorers include, among other things, creating conditions for monastic activities and Liturgical life in the monastery. Therefore, a program has been developed to recreate the interiors of all monastic temples, including adjacent churches. Restoration work began almost simultaneously, and in some cases reconstruction work began.; iconostasis, restoration of icons, as well as making copies of authentic images kept in state museums.

From the very first days, preparations for the anniversary have been under special control of the country's leadership. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has signed more than 16 Orders concerning the ensemble of the Novodevichy Monastery. Most of them have already been executed. 

The restoration of the Smolensk Cathedral is particularly worth noting: the unveiling of the frescoes, covering an area of more than 4,000 square meters, became an event in the history of Russian restoration. A team of professionals, associates and students of the outstanding restorer V.D. Sarabyanov has been working with the murals of the cathedral for eight years, making scientific discoveries that change the perception of this unique monument. 

Understanding the value of the architectural ensemble's unique appearance has also determined the execution of all works overseen by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and at the same time a government customer. The working Group is headed by Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, Deputy Director General of the Moscow Kremlin Museums for Scientific Work, Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, Head of the Architecture Section of the Federal Scientific and Methodological Council under the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Art History, Professor A. L. Batalov.

A.L. Batalov provides basic explanations during the inspection of restored objects

The issues of restoration and restoration of the memory of the monastery necropolis, which was lost in the 1920s and 1930s, are in the constant circle of attention of scientists and specialists in various fields. These are the staff of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, whose expedition, led by corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Historical Sciences L.A. Belyaev, is investigating the monastery's necropolis, as well as the staff of the Interregional Scientific and Restoration Art Department, its best restorers and art historians.

Status of the Stavropol monastery

When the names of our contemporaries, the creators of the ever-memorable Dmitry Vladimirovich Sarobyanov (how many students he raised!), the living Andrei Leonidovich Batalov, Leonid Andreevich Belyaev, are mentioned in the context of stories about the revival of monasteries, there is no doubt that all work is being carried out at a high level, even, more precisely, the highest level. But let's move on to another important aspect. The monastery has recently received a special status; The status of the Stavropol monastery is now under the direct control of His Holiness the Patriarch.

Yes, some time ago our monastery was one of the diocesan nunneries of the former Moscow Regional Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. In May 2021, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill returned the Moscow Novodevichy Monastery to Patriarchal administration. This became a great spiritual joy for all the sisters, because historically, the monastery on Devichye Pole had the status of a Royal Pilgrimage from the day it was founded until it was abolished by the Soviet government in 1922 and was run exclusively by the Moscow Primates.

Last fall, after a meeting of the Bishops' Council of the Moscow Metropolitanate held at the Novodevichy Monastery, you invited His Holiness for a short tour. What was Patriarch Kirill particularly interested in?

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill visited an exhibition of modern church art featuring liturgical items from the monastery's sacristy: sets of veils and voids, embroidered veils and icons, mitres, and stole with crosses made by the sisters of our monastery. These are unique items, each of which has its own story. Some are recreations of ancient patterns of facial sewing. I would like to note that our gold sewing workshop is not a commercial project. The monastery sacristy is replenished with her products. The sisters work manually, and the process is long and laborious. The biggest reward for them is to see the products that came out from under their hands on the Holy See in the altar during the divine service.

The autumn of this year was also significant for you: You and two sisters of the monastery took part in the regular Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

It was the 45th Extended Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which was held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. It discussed a number of important issues related to the preservation of cultural and natural heritage sites of mankind. During the meeting, Russia's Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Rinat Alyautdinov, who headed the delegation of the Russian Federation, briefly presented the World Heritage Site, the Novodevichy Monastery Ensemble, as an example of one of the world's best practices for managing a World Heritage site, and invited Committee members to pay closer attention to UNESCO sites with a religious component.

It should be noted that this is the third session of the World Heritage Committee, in which, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, representatives of the Novodevichy Monastery are taking part.

Based on the materialsthe website of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monastic Communitiesat