Five monasteries of Moscow

The trip began at 9:00 at the Leningradskaya Hotel (Sakharov Avenue at the very beginning at Kalanchevka) and ended at about 15:00 at the Donskoy Monastery. The weather was wonderful, sunny.

The guide Irina Leonidovna was a knowledgeable guide and a pleasant person. However, there were shortcomings in the organization of the tour: - Some churches in the monasteries were closed. This is due to the fact that a bad day for the trip was chosen - Tuesday, May 4. For us it was a day off, and the church has a normal weekday.

As a rule, this tour takes place on Sunday and, as our guide admitted, then such overlays do not occur.

Apparently, for the same reason, we had to visit the Spaso-Andronnikov monastery twice and lose 20-30 minutes. In each monastery, the guide gave 20-30 minutes free after the tour was completed (we got a disciplined group and never were late). This is in principle enough for an initial acquaintance with the temples, but not enough for a more detailed inspection. Probably, the organizers did not set another goal: 6 hours for 5 monasteries, taking into account the transfers between them (although it must be said that the first three monasteries are close to each other, and the two remaining are located next door). And in traffic jams we did not get due to the weekend. In the Donskoy monastery there was no excursion on the territory - only in the bus itself. According to the guide, these are the rules in this monastery. First a few general words. 4 out of 5 monasteries operating (except Spaso-Andronnikov). This imposes on tourists certain rules of visiting them, in particular women must be in headscarves and skirts. This was warned on the company’s website, but as usual, not everyone took it into account. In one of the monasteries, skirts and headscarves were given, and there were no refusals to visit the temples.

Most monasteries prohibit video and photography. But only in the Pokrovsky Monastery, the guards closely monitor this (although I managed to take a couple of photos underground there). In some monasteries there are icon and book shops. I managed to buy some interesting reference books on monasteries in Russia, which are either not available in ordinary bookstores, or they are much more expensive.

But oddly enough, in different monasteries prices are different and there are no cash registers anywhere.

The richest selection of books is in the Novospassky Monastery. Now about the trip itself in chronological order. The 1st Spaso-Andronnikov (the only one inactive) is Pl. Ilyich. We arrived there before 10:00, and it turned out that the entrance to it from 11:00. The guide tried to negotiate with the guard, but she did not. I had to leave there and return a few hours after visiting the other two monasteries.

Here is the oldest temple, which was painted by Andrei Rublev himself (the frescoes unfortunately have not survived) and he is also buried there according to legend (but it is not known exactly where).

There is a collection of icons on the territory, but the entrance is paid and there was no time for inspection. 2nd St. Pokrovsky (female) - M. Pl. Ilyich. In the monastery saw two huge queues – to the icon of Matrona of Moscow and separately to the temple to her relics. One temple managed to enter, squeezed through the queue, and the second temple was closed. On the territory of the monastery there are 5 or 6 huge tanks from which you can collect holy water (don’t forget to take empty containers with you, we forgot and had to go to the city and buy it there). 3rd Novospassky (male) - M. Proletarskaya.

Perhaps the most beautiful of the 5 examined, with a majestic bell tower. The main temple was able to enter only the side corridor, and the door to the main hall was closed and it was possible only through glass to see the colorful interior of the temple.

The second temple on a smaller territory, its restoration has not yet begun. Outside the temple near the Moscow River and the final stop of the river tram. At the end of the tour, we returned here, bought tickets for 200 rubles (on weekdays for 100) and made a wonderful walk along the river to the Kiev station (an hour and a half). 4th St. Danilov (male) – M. Tula. On the territory there are several churches and the official residence of the Patriarch of Russia (access to it is fenced). One of the two main temples was closed. At the entrance there is an icon, a book and a grocery store. And we made the last of them a great meal. 5th Donskoy (male) - M. Shabolovskaya. Inside the main temple is a rich iconostasis. The territory itself and the temple in beauty can argue with Novospassky, but unfortunately excursions are prohibited on the territory and most places were closed, including the necropolis. Therefore, there was not much to inspect and we decided to get to the metro ourselves - the way to Shabolovskaya took about 15 minutes slowly (although I would note that it was possible to return to Kalanchevka on our bus).

After that, we returned by metro to the Novospassky Monastery, near which is the terminal station of the river tram. There they bought tickets and drove along the full route - to the Kiev railway station. We sailed along the Moskva River for the first time, the weather was beautiful and we really enjoyed it. The tour was organized and conducted by the Moscow company “Around the World”, which specializes in tourism in Russia. By the way, other companies offer a similar tour, but it is shorter in time and monasteries are visited less.

The proposed program was interesting, but for the organization you can put 4. At the same time, there are no special claims to the bus driver and the guide (except for the fact that it was a surprise for our guide that the entrance to the Spaso-Andronnikov monastery from 11:00, and according to her preliminary information, you could take photos everywhere, and this is not the case). The same company conducts other “religious” excursions – “the holy monasteries of Moscow” (three other monasteries and one farmstead) and “world religions”.

I am going to visit them, only they are rarely held (in summer they do not happen, and for September they are not planned). The company plans to organize another tour of other monasteries in Moscow - the benefit of them in the capital a lot. I would like to have the Novodevichy Monastery included in one of the excursions, although according to representatives of the company there are problems with this. I apologize to the believers for possible inaccuracies in the description of monasteries (I am an atheist myself). I don’t remember the names of the temples.