Intercession Monastery (Suzdal)

The Holy Intercession Convent (Pokrovsky Monastery) stands on the edge of Suzdal in Vladimir Oblast, on the right bank of the Kamenka River, opposite the Saviour Monastery of St Euthymius, at 76 Pokrovskaya Street. The Pokrovsky Monastery in Suzdal was founded in 1364, and its main buildings date from the 16th century. The ensemble is part of the White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today it is an active convent of the Vladimir diocese.

History

The monastery was founded by Prince Andrey Konstantinovich of Suzdal. It flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries, when it became one of the largest convents in the country. Grand Prince Vasily III invested heavily in it: the Intercession Cathedral and the gate church were built under him in 1510–1518.

The convent was a place of confinement for noblewomen forced to take the veil. Wives and daughters of grand princes and tsars lived here. The best known of them is Solomonia Saburova, the first wife of Vasily III, who was tonsured as the nun Sophia after their divorce. Eudoxia Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter the Great, also spent years here.

The monastery was closed in 1923. In the 1930s its buildings housed a military biochemical laboratory. The cathedral was restored in 1962, and in Soviet times the grounds held a hotel complex with wooden cell-style cabins and a restaurant. Monastic life resumed in 1992.

What to see

• The Intercession Cathedral (1518), a three-domed white-stone church at the heart of the ensemble. It keeps icons and pieces of church embroidery; noble nuns were buried in its undercroft.
• The tented bell tower next to the cathedral, with rich decoration.
• The Annunciation Gate Church of the early 16th century above the Holy Gates.
• The Conception refectory church, built in 1551.

Legends of the Intercession Monastery

The main legend concerns Solomonia Saburova. According to it, she gave birth to a son, George, while already in the convent, declared him dead and secretly had him raised elsewhere. Some link him with the legendary robber chieftain Kudeyar. There is no documentary evidence of the birth. In 1934 a nameless white-stone slab was found in the cathedral undercroft next to Solomonia's tomb, and beneath it lay a wooden doll in a silk shirt embroidered with pearls. The find is seen as supporting the story of a mock burial.

Other traditions say that Abbess Vasilisa foretold Ivan the Terrible's victory in the Kazan campaign of 1552, and that in 1609 Saint Sophia appeared to a Polish detachment plundering Suzdal.

Getting there and practical notes

Buses run to Suzdal from Moscow's Shchyolkovsky bus station and from Vladimir. In town, bus No. 3 stops at Pokrovskaya, and the convent is also within walking distance of the centre. Entry to the grounds is free. Women are expected to wear a skirt and a headscarf.