His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia performed the rite of the great consecration of the restored Smolensk Cathedral of the Novodevichy Stavropol (subordinate directly to the Patriarch) convent, which is celebrating its 500th anniversary. After the consecration, the patriarch led the Divine Liturgy in the cathedral, the live broadcast of the service was conducted by the TV channels "Spas", "Soyuz" and the website of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Numerous bishops and clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church, representatives of state authorities, as well as Orthodox volunteers and parishioners took part in the church celebrations.
The Moscow Novodevichy Monastery was founded in 1524-1525 by the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III on the occasion of the victory over the Lithuanians and the annexation of ancient Smolensk and its lands to the Grand Duchy of Moscow (1514). The Smolensk Cathedral, built at that time, became another (after the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, erected under Ivan III) symbol of the rise of Moscow.
In 1922, the Novodevichy Monastery was completely abolished, the monastery buildings were transferred to the housing stock and partially to the State Museum Fund (1926), and since the mid-1930s - the State Historical Museum. In 1994, monastic life resumed in the monastery, in January 2010 it was transferred to the indefinite and gratuitous use of the Russian Orthodox Church, and in 2014, on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, large-scale scientific repair and restoration work began in the monastery ensemble. The Smolensk Cathedral with its frescoes and iconostasis at the end of the XVI century became the primary and main object of the efforts of historians, architects, archaeologists and restorers.
"Five centuries of the history of the Novodevichy Monastery, rich in dramatic events, have left us many priceless monuments of architecture, icon painting, and applied art. The monastery celebrates its 500th anniversary renewed after large-scale restoration work, which became possible thanks to more than 16 instructions and more than 40 instructions and orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin," the patriarchal press service told reporters.
According to TASS materials