There is wonderful display on historical artifacts associated with the Monastery, and of icon writing through the ages, in (I think) the old armoury. We heard the tail-end of a magnificent choral performance, by six men, unaccompanied, for a group of tourists. It was totally informal, with the men standing in the main hall of the icon exhibition, without amplification, stage setting or even a stage. Though I presume the tour group must have paid something to arrange it, the whole thing was completely безплатно for anyone else who happened to wander in while it was in progress--rather like the Russian Church, actually. During the latter part of the nineteenth century, the Church became fashionable as an expression of Russian national feeling. Pressure built up from well-connected people to be buried in famous places like Novodevichi. Soon it could not longer accomodate them. So in 1898 a cemetery was opened outside the walls. Many famous Russians who died in the twneieth cnetury are buried there--see the section below.Sunday 20 May 2007
Novodevichi Monastery
There is wonderful display on historical artifacts associated with the Monastery, and of icon writing through the ages, in (I think) the old armoury. We heard the tail-end of a magnificent choral performance, by six men, unaccompanied, for a group of tourists. It was totally informal, with the men standing in the main hall of the icon exhibition, without amplification, stage setting or even a stage. Though I presume the tour group must have paid something to arrange it, the whole thing was completely безплатно for anyone else who happened to wander in while it was in progress--rather like the Russian Church, actually. During the latter part of the nineteenth century, the Church became fashionable as an expression of Russian national feeling. Pressure built up from well-connected people to be buried in famous places like Novodevichi. Soon it could not longer accomodate them. So in 1898 a cemetery was opened outside the walls. Many famous Russians who died in the twneieth cnetury are buried there--see the section below.
