An ancient monastery with a vague and long history. St. Andrew's Church is located in Moscow near the Sparrow Hills. The most beautiful view of the landmark opens from the Moscow River and Sparrow Hills. It is distinguished by the fact that the first educational school in Moscow for the laity was opened here in the middle of the 17th century. The tradition has still been preserved; the theological school at St. Andrew’s Monastery operates and to this day regularly recruits and trains students in the main areas. St. Andrew's Monastery is located in a quiet, cozy place, hidden in greenery and new buildings.
© Oleg N.
Story
The building has seen many events and was repurposed several times: there was a prison, an insane asylum, an orphanage, an almshouse, a metrology laboratory, a club, and communal houses.
Until the end of the 16th century, the area near the Sparrow Hills and the river was empty. In 1591, Moscow was liberated from the invasion of Khan Kyzy-Girey, and this happened on the day of the martyr Andrei Stratilates. In honor of this event, a wooden temple was erected, which in 1675 was replaced by a stone one. It was named in the name of the holy martyr Andrew Stratilates, which is why the monastery is called “Andreevsky”. During the 18th century, the monastery was reoriented and closed three times. The documents found from that time indicated: “Former St. Andrew’s Monastery,” that is, abolished.
In 1900, abbot Nikolai Molchanov opened a parochial school at the monastery; it closed in 1918, after which the Moscow factory commune houses were located in the buildings, and a club was opened in 1925. From 1967 to 1971, work was carried out to restore the object. And only in 1996 the Moscow government decided to transfer St. Andrew's Monastery to the Russian Orthodox Church for indefinite use.
© ComradeSany
Temples and monastery buildings
The monastery ensemble consists of three churches and buildings located along the perimeter of the monastery courtyard.
- Church of the Resurrection of Christ.
- Bell tower with the Church of the Apostle John the Theologian.
- Gate Church of the Holy Martyr Andrew Stratilates.
- Buildings along the perimeter of the monastery, which are the fence of the monastery.
Architecture and territory
In 1648 the Church of the Resurrection was built, in 1675 - the Church of the Martyr Andrew Stratilates. The facade of the second church was created by Belarusian craftsmen. Not far from the Church of the Resurrection, work was carried out on the construction of the Church of the Intercession, but it was soon demolished, and the construction of buildings began in its place. In 1748, a bell tower appeared on the territory by order of Count Sheremetev. Initially, it was tetrahedral with arched openings and a hipped tent, on top of which there was a ball and a cross. In the bell tower itself, in the lower tier, the Church of St. John the Evangelist was opened.
Now the monastery is a rectangular structure consisting of several buildings. Inside there is a bell tower built in the 17th century in the Baroque style (it was rebuilt in the 18th century). It is decorated with capitals, cornices, slotted windows, and stucco moldings. Under the bell tower is the Church of the Archangel Michael. The Church of the Resurrection was restored, after which the decor under the dome changed, but the Naryshkin Baroque style was preserved. The gate temple of the martyr Stratelates underwent restoration in 1961, during which the decorative elements were slightly changed. Three almshouses have survived to this day since 1805.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the elite residential neighborhood “Green Hills” was built near the monastery, but the territory of the landmark remained untouched. Decorative shrubs, flowers, and a lawn are planted here; the area looks well-groomed, but very modest. In a small area there are fragments of an old cemetery, dungeons, and three temples.
Against the backdrop of the fast life of Moscow and the noisy Embankment, the landmark remains a quiet, calm and peaceful place where you can come and take a break from the bustle, visit a temple or just get acquainted with old architecture. Visitors can have a delicious lunch at the local inexpensive eatery.
St. Andrew's Monastery
Basic moments
The architectural ensemble of St. Andrew's Monastery took shape from the middle of the 17th century. Before the revolution, it was formed by 6 temples, but only three of them have survived to this day. The compact complex of buildings also includes a monolith of the same type of buildings of the St. Andrew's almshouse, built in the century before last.
The monastery looks most impressive from the side of the Moscow River, and during river excursions tourists do not miss the opportunity to capture its image in photos and videos from the deck of a pleasure boat. In the most comfortable monastery, peace and quiet reign. Even on the main church holidays it is not crowded here. The exception is summer weekends, when the St. Andrew's Monastery is visited by townspeople and guests of the capital intending to go on a free walking tour of the Sparrow Hills. Groups gather near the monastery walls.
History of St. Andrew's Monastery
Church tradition says that back in the 13th century, hermit monks founded a monastic monastery near the Sparrow Hills. And the wooden temple they built bore the name of Andrei Stratelates - a Christian saint, warrior-martyr. There is no documentary evidence confirming this legend, and the first written mentions of a chopped-down temple in honor of the patron saint Stratilates appeared in Moscow chronicles only in the 20s of the 17th century. They indicate that the church was erected after 1591, when the Khan of Gaza, Giray, hastily withdrew his troops from near Moscow, believing the false information of the spy. The official date of foundation of the St. Andrew's Monastery itself is considered to be 1648. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered it to be arranged.
Initially, the men's monastery was assigned the role of a center of education. In 1649, learned hieromonks, students of Metropolitan Peter Mohyla, arrived here from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The monks who received an education at the Kyiv Theological Academy were charged with teaching the Moscow lay youth Latin, rhetoric, and teaching Greek and Slavic languages. For a substantial remuneration, educators translated the historical and philosophical works of Christian theologians, and then they were published by the Moscow printing house. The monks created the informal “St. Andrew’s Teaching Brotherhood,” which laid the foundation for the creation of academic structures in Moscow.
Until the 20s of the 18th century, St. Andrew's monastery flourished, owning lands, fish ponds, and mills. The construction within the walls of the monastery was financed by the royal treasury. It is known that the basements of the monastery often served as a dungeon. In 1667, the rebellious archpriest Avvakum, the ideologist of the Old Believer movement, languished here for a short time.
In 1724, Peter I ordered the abolition of St. Andrew's Monastery. The churches became parish churches, and other buildings housed an institution where street children and foundlings were kept. There was also a place here for the “block workers” prisoners. Later, Empress Anna Ioannovna ordered the restoration of the monastery, and the closure of the charitable institution and the prison. True, in 1762 the monastery was obliged to house the insane.
Two years later, the considerably impoverished monastery was included in the lists of secularization initiated by Catherine II. This time, a workhouse was organized in its buildings for women who had no means of subsistence. In 1771, during the plague epidemic, noble and wealthy Muscovites were buried on the territory of the monastery. This necropolis was destroyed in the 20-40s of the last century.
In 1806, the St. Andrew's almshouse, which was maintained by the Moscow merchant society, settled in the former monastery. At the expense of benefactors, new buildings were built here, fitting quite harmoniously into the previously created architectural ensemble.
In 1918, the almshouse was liquidated. In subsequent decades, the solid monastery buildings alternately housed commune houses and a vocational school of the Goznak factory, a club, and Gosstandart laboratories. In the 90s, the historical complex was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church, and a patriarchal courtyard was opened here. In 2013, it was transformed into St. Andrew's Monastery.
Monastery today
St. Andrew's Monastery looks quite modest, but very well-groomed and peaceful. The architectural ensemble is a rectangle formed not by walls, but by building bodies. Three monastery churches are lined up in one line. The strict outlines of the complex are wonderfully visible from the bell tower of the Church of St. John the Evangelist and from the observation deck located above the monastery.
The tall buildings surrounding the temples were erected in different periods of the century before last, but their gable roofs were brought to a single level. The buildings facing the embankment have 3 floors, and those facing the slopes have two floors. The facades of the buildings facing the river look impressive, but from the side of the monastery courtyard the buildings look nondescript. The eastern facade of the architectural ensemble stands out, marked by the Church of St. Andrew Stratilates, which rises above the main entrance - the Holy Gate.
The stone gate church of St. Andrew Stratilates, erected in 1675 on the site of an old wooden church, is the oldest building of the monastery. The appearance of the church intertwined the elegant decor of the 17th century and classical features inherited from the construction and restoration work carried out in the monastery in 1805. The fresco painting decorating the arched openings of the Holy Gates dates back to the same time.
St. Andrew's Church is one of the unique monuments of Moscow architecture of the 17th century. It owes its fame to its authentic tiled decoration. Belarusian ceramists worked on it - students of Stepan Polubes, a brilliant tile maker who had his own workshop in Moscow. Spectacular tiled ornaments border the quadrangle of the church and the dome drum. They are intertwined with relief patterns known as "peacock's eye".
Before the revolution, the interiors of the gate church of St. Andrew's Monastery were magnificently decorated, and its iconostasis was of artistic value. But today there is nothing here that reminds us of its former luxury. Modest in size, dimly lit rooms are painted by contemporary artists. The subjects include the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
You can walk along the paved path to the bell tower, which is the heart of the architectural ensemble and its main decoration. The 32-meter belfry was erected in the middle of the 18th century at the expense of Count Sergei Sheremetev. Despite its monumentality, it looks quite elegant. The three-tier tower stands out with its expressive silhouette, representing an excellent example of post-Petrine baroque. Its elegant decor is dominated by yellow-pinkish color, which serves as a background for white stone elements and stucco molding. There are new bells installed here, cast in the Bavarian city of Passau, in the famous workshop of Rudolf Perner. Rumor has it that the monastery bell ringer is one of the best in the capital.
There is a temple on the first tier of the bell tower. It was erected in 1748, and a hundred years later it was rebuilt and consecrated in honor of St. John the Evangelist. It is not known what the decoration of the temple looked like before the revolution, but in some places fragments of stucco molding have been preserved in the interiors. Probably, at one time it completely covered the interior walls, and today restorers are working on restoring the stucco decoration.
In the western part of the monastery is its main temple, built at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries and consecrated in the name of the Resurrection of Christ. Notable for its bright red color, the church faces the bell tower with its altar. The architectural appearance of the temple is distinguished by the contrast between the elegant lower level, made in the Naryshkin Baroque style, and the upper floor with emphatically strict forms.
In the spacious and bright Church of the Resurrection, the main restoration work was completed back in 2012. During their execution, a small fragment of authentic painting was exposed on the vault. But in general, the interiors of the temple were decorated by modern masters. The main monastery relics are kept here, including a life-size crucifix made of wood in the century before last, and the “Kazan” icon of the Mother of God.
Practical information
St. Andrew's Monastery is open to the public daily from 08:00 to 21:00. Divine services are held in all three churches.
On the territory of the monastery there is a refectory and a regular dining room, and there is a store where books, icons, and church utensils are sold.
A visit to the St. Andrew's Monastery is usually included in the program of excursions to the Novodevichy and Donskoy monasteries, located nearby.
How to get there
St. Andrew's Monastery is located at the address: Andreevskaya embankment, 2. The nearest metro stations are Vorobyovy Gory, Ploshchad Gagarin, Leninsky Prospekt. From them to the monastery you will have to walk 15 minutes. You can also go here by river bus, landing at the St. Andrew's Monastery pier. From the pier you also need to walk a bit.
What to see nearby
Those travelers who plan to visit the spiritual places of Moscow can develop their own route, including the Donskoy, Novodevichy, and St. Andrew's Monasteries. They are nearby. Tourists who plan to attend free excursions to the Sparrow Hills meet at the monastery several times a week in the summer and have the opportunity to explore the cozy area that reflects the life of the monks. If you are walking in Neskuchny Garden or Gorky Park, you can reach this attraction on foot. Above the monastery is the Vorobyovy Gory observation deck, which offers picturesque views of the Kremlin, Moscow City, Neskuchny Garden, and Moscow State University.
Monastery today
Nowadays, St. Andrew's Monastery has the status of a functioning monastery. It houses the Synodal Library and Sunday School. Believers and tourists can visit the monastery any day from morning to evening.
Visitors are asked to be respectful of the inhabitants living here and not to take photographs of monks, priests, services or the interiors of churches. In addition, when visiting monastery churches, tourists are asked not to forget to turn off their mobile phones.
Daily services are held at the Church of the Resurrection. On weekdays they start at 7.30 and 17.00, and on Sundays and holidays - at 9.00 and 17.00. The patronal feast day of St. Andrew of Crete is celebrated here on July 17. At the entrance to the monastery there are icon and book shops. Those who want to have lunch can do so in the paid refectory.
How to get to St. Andrew's Monastery
From the metro station "Leninsky Prospekt" (Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya line) it takes 15 minutes on foot.
Bus No. 144, 255, M1, 905, T47, 308, 907, M6 stops directly at Andreevskaya Embankment. Within walking distance is the Khamovnichesky Val 2 stop, which can be reached by buses and minibuses No. 132, 255, 64. By bus No. 64, 216, 255, T79, C12 you should get to Luzhnetskaya Embankment, and across the bridge and the river will be St. Andrew's Monastery.
By taxi you can quickly get to the monastery gates from anywhere in the capital by ordering a car in the Uber, Yandex taxi, Maxim taxi, Gett applications. The following taxi services are available in Moscow: “Two Capitals”, “Cozy Taxi”, “Slavyanskoe”, “Taxi Orange”, Optimal, VeryWell.
Address
This holy monastery is located in one of the most beautiful corners of the capital, at the foot of the country’s famous Vorobyovy Gory natural reserve. St. Andrew's Monastery, intended for the male brethren, was founded, as legends testify, somewhere in the thirteenth century. It is impossible to name the exact date, but according to some data, it was founded three centuries after Christianity was adopted in Rus'. The address of the St. Andrew's Monastery: Andreevskaya embankment, building 2. You can get to it by metro, getting off at Vorobyovy Gory station.
The current status of St. Andrew's Monastery is stauropegial. It is assigned to those buildings or monasteries over which the cross was erected by the highest spiritual ranks. This is quite an honor. Moreover, the assignment of stauropegial status means that St. Andrew's Monastery, among others like it, is subordinate not to the local diocese, but directly to the patriarch himself and the highest synod.
According to ancient descriptions, the Preobrazhenskaya Hermitage Monastery was founded in Moscow Prisoners around the thirteenth century. It existed until the sixteenth century, and was later renamed St. Andrew's. The desert in Rus' was traditionally called the monasteries of monks, remote from human settlements. Such communities were not uncommon in Rus'.
John the Baptist Monastery
John the Baptist Monastery is another of the ancient women’s monasteries of the capital. It was founded in the 15th century and was originally a monastery; after being moved to a new location in the 16th century, the monastery was given the status of a nunnery.
Of the monastery buildings, two churches from the 19th century have survived: the Elizabethan Church and the Cathedral of the Beheading of John the Baptist. The latter houses the miraculous icon of John the Baptist.
Address: Maly Ivanovsky Lane, 2, building 33.
Opening hours: 07:30 – 20:00.
Official website: https://ioannpredtecha.ru
Sretensky Monastery
The Sretenskaya monastery was built at the end of the 14th century by Prince Vasily I in honor of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow from the invasion of Tamerlane's troops . In the 17th century, the monastery was moved to its current location on Bolshaya Lubyanskaya Street.
The architectural ensemble of the monastery was created over the centuries, but now its dominant feature is the Cathedral of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, built several years ago. The older Sretensky Cathedral, built in the mid-17th century, is a striking example of the Moscow architectural school of that time. The interior of the cathedral has preserved authentic paintings and decor.
Interior decoration of the Sretensky Cathedral
Address: Bolshaya Lubyanka street, 19, building 3.
Opening hours: 08:00 – 20:00.
Official website: https://monastery.ru/
Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery
Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in the capital of Russia. It was founded at the beginning of the 14th century and for centuries served as the center of the spiritual life of the capital, and thanks to its powerful walls it took the townspeople under protection during foreign invasions.
The architectural appearance of the monastery, which developed in the 17th-18th centuries, is amazing. There are 7 churches preserved here, the most interesting of which is the Cathedral of Metropolitan Peter (1517) by the Italian architect Aleviz the New . The main shrine of the monastery is the especially revered image of the Kazan Mother of God icon.
The relics of Mitrofan of Voronezh are kept in the monastery
You can get behind the walls of the monastery not only during services, but also on a guided tour. The “One Day in the Monastery” excursion, lasting 5 hours and introducing the inner life of the monastery, will cost 5 thousand rubles.
Shrines kept in the monastery:
- The miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (according to legend, it is capable of healing from epileptic diseases)
- Icon of St. Peter with a particle of relics (a metropolitan who lived in the 14th century, reconciled the Russian princes and went to the Horde to preserve the rights of the clergy)
- Relics of Mitrofan of Voronezh (the first bishop of Voronezh who lived in the 17th century)
- Cross with a piece of the Life-Giving Tree of the Lord (contains part of the cross on which Jesus was crucified)
- Ark with particles of the relics of the Kiev-Pechersk saints (according to legend, they help with serious illnesses)
- Diveyevo Ark (contains the relics of Seraphim of Sarov)
Address: Petrovka street, 28, building 2.
Opening hours: 07:00 – 19:00, free entry
Official website: https://vpmon.ru
Danilov Monastery
Danilov Monastery is one of the main monasteries in Moscow, valuable not only for its history and architectural heritage, but also for its current status. The spiritual and administrative center of the Russian Orthodox Church is located within the walls of the monastery . Now the department of external relations of the church is located here, and meetings of the Synod are also held in the monastery.
The architectural ensemble of the monastery was formed in the 18th-19th centuries; the Moscow Baroque style dominates. Particularly valuable examples are the Gate Church of Simeon the Stylite and the Temple of the Holy Fathers (XVIII century). The main shrine is the relics of St. Prince Daniil of Moscow.
Gate Church
The territory of the monastery can be accessed freely during service hours, and excursions are also available.
Address: Danilovsky Val street, 22.
Opening hours: 07:00 – 20:00.
Official website: https://msdm.ru
Conception Monastery
The Conception Monastery is the oldest women's monastery, opened in the 60s of the 14th century and became the first women's monastery in Moscow. Now only two churches have survived from the once large monastery: the Gate Church (1696) and the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit (1850). The main church of the monastery is now the Nativity Cathedral, erected in 2012 on the site of churches demolished during the Soviet era.
The main shrine of the monastery is the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos the Merciful , found in the 17th century and kept in the main church of the monastery.
The monastery hosts excursions from 10:00 to 18:00, payment is by voluntary donations.
Address: 2nd Zachatievsky Lane, 2, building 13.
Monastery opening hours: 08:00 – 20:00.
Official website: https://zachatevmon.ru/
Marfo-Mariinskaya Convent
Marfo-Mariinskaya Convent is a convent opened at the beginning of the 20th century. During the Soviet years, the monastery was closed; the monastery was revived in 1992. Now the activities of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent are aimed at the rehabilitation of sick children , and there is also a shelter for orphan girls .
The Marfo-Mariinskaya Convent is a rare example of church buildings in the Art Nouveau style. The author of the project of the Intercession Cathedral was the famous architect Alexei Shchusev . Inside the cathedral, frescoes by Mikhail Nesterov have been preserved.
There are excursions to the monastery starting at 11:00 and 15:00. The cost is a donation for the development of the monastery.
Address: Bolshaya Ordynka street, 34, building 1.
Opening hours: 07:30 – 22:00.
Official website: https://www.mmom.ru
First Moscow Academy
St. Andrew's Monastery, located on the Sparrow Hills, in 1648 became the first refuge of the “Teaching Brotherhood”. This was the name of the spiritual and educational center, where the most literate monks of those times gathered and studied the available spiritual literature.
They also translated Christian books from Greek and created religious and educational texts. The ministers themselves said that they gather in the monastery for the sake of “book teaching.” At its core, St. Andrew's Convent was the first Moscow Academy.
Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery
The Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery is a abolished monastery, now having the status of the Patriarchal Metochion. It is located in the southeast of the capital on the banks of the Moscow River. The monastery was founded in the first half of the 17th century , but its architectural dominant is the monumental Cathedral of Our Lady of Iveron, built at the beginning of the 20th century in the neo-Byzantine style. The older Assumption Church retains gilded stucco work, the authorship of which is attributed to Bartolomeo Rastrelli .
Now services are held in St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Iversky Church is under reconstruction.
Address: Shosseynaya street, 82.
Visitor reception hours: 09:00 – 18:00.
Official website: https://pererva.org/
Zaikonospassky Monastery
Zaikonospassky Monastery is a functioning monastery founded by Boris Godunov at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. The monastery went down in Russian history as the progenitor of Russian science and education. It was within its walls that in the second half of the 17th century the country’s first “university” was opened - the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy.
From the architectural ensemble of the past, the cathedral, the fraternal building and part of the outbuildings, as well as the building of the College of the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, have been preserved here. Despite the current status of the monastery, some of the buildings are occupied by third-party organizations, so access to them is limited.
Address: Nikolskaya street, 7-9с3.
Opening hours: 06:30 – 19:00.
Official website: https://zspm.ru/
Mother of God Nativity Monastery
The Mother of God Nativity Monastery is one of the oldest convents for women in the capital, founded at the end of the 14th century.
The oldest surviving building of the monastery is the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (1505) - a classic example of ancient Russian architecture. Other churches of the monastery have also been preserved - the Church of St. John Chrysostom (XVII century) and the Refectory Church (1906).
Shrines kept in the monastery:
- Particle of the relics of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious
- Icon of the Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John (dated around 850)
- A particle of the relics of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara (according to legend, it relieves mental and physical ailments)
Address: Rozhdestvenka street, 20/8с17.
Opening hours: 07:00 – 19:00.
Official website: https://mbrsm.ru/
