Arbat & Khamovniki - Moscow - page 225

der the direction of Sofia Alexeyevna. The elaborate bell tower () against the east wall
towers 72m over the rest of the monastery. When it was built in 1690 it was one of the
tallest towers in Moscow.
Smolensk Cathedral
The centrepiece of the monastery is the white Smolensk Cathedral (1524-25), built to
house the precious Our Lady of Smolensk icon. The sumptuous interior is covered in
16th-century frescoes , considered to be among the finest in the city. The gilded iconostasis
includes icons that date from the time of Boris Godunov. The icons on the fifth tier are at-
tributed to 17th-century artists Simeon Ushakov and Feodor Zubov. The tombs of Sofia
Alexeyevna and Eudoxia Lopukhina are in the south nave.
Chambers of Sofia Alexeyevna
Sofia Alexeyevna used the Novodevichy Convent as a residence when she ruled Russia as
regent in the 1680s. During her rule, she rebuilt the convent to her liking - which was fortu-
nate, as she was later confined here when her half-brother, Peter the Great, came of age.
After being implicated in the Streltsy rebellion, she was imprisoned here for life, primarily
inhabiting the Pond Tower ().
Chambers of Eudoxia Lopukhina
Eudoxia Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter the Great, stayed in the Chambers of Tsarina
Eudoxia Miloslavkaya (). Although she bore him a son, Peter detested her conservative,
demanding personality, and soon rejected her for the beautiful daughter of a Dutch wine
merchant. Eudoxia retired to a monastery in Suzdal, where she further estranged herself by
taking her own lover and founding an opposition movement within the church. The tsar re-
sponded by executing the bishops involved and banishing his former wife to a more remote
location. Upon Peter's death, he was succeeded by Peter II, who recalled his grandmother
Eudoxia back to Moscow. She lived out her final years in high style at Novodevichy.
Other Buildings
Other churches include the red-and-white Assumption Church (), dating from 1685 to
1687, and the 16th-century St Ambrose's Church (). Boris Godunov's sister, Irina, lived in
the building adjoining the latter. Today, Irina's Chambers () hold exhibits of religious art-
work.