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SPIRES
| Description | : | Founded in 1524 by Tsar Vasily III (father of Ivan the Terrible) to mark the capture of Smolensk from the Lithuanians. At that time, only the Cathedral of the Virgin of Smolensk was built, with most of the other buildings being added in the late 17th century. Marvellous architecture abounds in this historic site, which was abolished as a convent after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. In 1922 it was turned into a museum, but in 1994 the convent was reopened. Next to the convent is Novodevichy Cemetery, burial place of many noted Russians, including writers Nikolai Gogol and Anton Chekhov, composers Alexander Skriabin, Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitriy Shostakovich and actors such as Yuri Nikulin. Former premier Nikita Khrushchev is buried here, as well as Mikhail Gorbachev’s beloved wife, Raisa.
Original size 17x11@300@dpi |
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