New data on the necropolis of Novodevichy monastery: the funerary vault of Smolensk cathedral and the restoration of the 1880s

A recent study has uncovered previously unpublished materials from the restoration of the 1880s, providing new insights into the funerary vault of Smolensk Cathedral within the Novodevichy Convent's necropolis. This significant burial site for Russian aristocracy in the 16th-17th centuries was examined during a comprehensive restoration (2017-2019) by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which re-evaluated burial objects and prepared historical materials for publication. The study reveals that while inscriptions on monuments were known since the late 18th century, stone sarcophagi and their inscriptions were only discovered during the 1880s restoration—details of which had remained unpublished until now.

Belyaev, L., & Davidenko, D. (2024). New data on the necropolis of Novodevichy monastery: the funerary vault of Smolensk cathedral and the restoration of the 1880s. St. Tikhons’ University Review. Series V. Christian Art, 54, 157–173. https://doi.org/10.15382/sturv202454.157-173