Browse Exhibits (8 total)

This exhibit features Russian Orthodox Churches in and around Saratov, Russia. English and Russian Translations were done by Jeren Khakyeva of Ashgabat, Turkmenistan and Stephen Boss of Laramie, Wyoming.

Moscow (Москва́´), is Russia's capital and largest city, with a rapidly growing population of more than 11 million people. Moscow is the country's primary transportation hub and home to its most renowned cultural, political and religious institutions. Founded in the 12th century as the capital of a minor principality, Moscow eventually emerged as the center of a unified Russian state in the 15th century. The capital was moved to the new city of St. Petersburg in 1703 under Peter the Great, but Lenin moved the capital back to Moscow in 1917. Moscow has been a site of great spiritual importance for most of its history. It has long claimed the title of "Third Rome," regarding itself as a spiritual successor to the imperial Christian capitals of Rome and Constantinople. The city is still the center of Russian Orthdodox Christianity. The Patriarch of Moscow, whose residence is the Danilov Monastery, serves as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Text Credit: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/russia/moscow.htm

The Novodevihcy Convent was founded in 1524 by Tsar Vasily III (1479-1533) to commemorate the capture of Smolensk from Lithuania. That it was intended to serve not only as a religious institution but also as a fortress is evident from its strategic location and strong wall with 12 battle towers. Until the 20th century, the convent marked Moscow's southern edge. Having been founded by the Tsar, it enjoyed an elevated position among the many monasteries and convents of Moscow and became a convent primarily for ladies of noble birth. It was also used as a prison for rebellious royals, including Peter the Great's half-sister and his first wife. Little remains of the original structure. Most of the current building dates from the 1680s, when the convent was significantly rebuilt and enhanced after the Time of Troubles by the Regent Sofia. Sofia was later confined here by Peter the Great along with his unwanted first wife. After the Revolution, Novodevichy's churches were closed and in 1922 it was turned into a museum. This spared it from a worse fate until the cathedral was return to the Russian Orthodox Church as a reward for backing the war effort in 1945. Restoration of the convent began in the 1960s and in 1988 an episcopal see was once again established here. It is still officially a museum, but is used as a convent by nuns who keep a low profile. Within the convent complex are several churches. The most important is the huge five-domed Cathedral of the Virgin of Smolensk (sobor Smolenskoy Bogomateri), dedicated in 1525 and built by Alexei Fryazin. It was closely modeled after the Kremlin's Cathedral of the Assumption and contains a spectacular iconostasis with 84 wooden columns and icons dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. According to legend, during the War of 1812 Napoléon had ordered the cathedral dynamited, but a brave nun managed to extinguish the fuse just in time. To the right of the cathedral is the red-and-white Church of the Assumption (Uspensky tserkov) and an adjacent refectory, constructed at the behest of Sofia in the 1680s. Its interior is almost as impressive as the cathedral, with rows of vaulted windows interspersed with icons and a gilded iconstasis. Around back is the Church of St. Ambrose, an all-white church that contains an exhibition of cassocks and 18th-century icons. At the entrance to the convent is the Gate-Church of the Transfiguration (Preobrazhensky tserkov), widely considered one of the best examples of Moscow Baroque architecture. At the southern gate is the Gate-Church of the Intercession (Pokrovskaya tserkov), with a red-and-white facade and three domes. The church surmounts a gateway wide enough to drive a hearse into the adjacent cemetery. Exhibits throughout the convent display such treasures as: rare and ancient Russian paintings, both ecclesiastical and secular; woodwork and ceramics; fabrics and embroidery; and a large collection of illuminated and illustrated books decorated with gold, silver, and jewels. The ornate belfry towering above the convent's eastern wall rises 236 feet and consists of six ornately decorated tiers. The structure is topped by a gilded dome that can be seen from miles away. Novodevichy Cemetery (Новодевичье кла́дбище) is the Moscow's third most popular tourist site. It has a park-like ambience, dotted with small chapels and large sculpted monuments. The cemetery was built next to the Novodevichy Convent immediately upon the convent's completion. The cemetery was first used primarily as a burial place for Moscow's feudal rulers and church officials. Later it came to be used for Russia's intellectuals and merchants, while in the 20th century, it was the burial place for many of the Soviet Union's most well-known citizens. Today, the cemetery holds the tombs of Russian authors, playwrights, and poets, as well as famous actors, political leaders, and scientists. More than 27,000 are buried at Novodevichy. The nearby Novodevichy Pond is also lovely. In the winter this is a favorite place for skating and sledging. Brass ducks by the pond were given by Barbara Bush "to the children of Russia" but later stolen by thieves. They have since been replaced. Text Credit: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/russia/moscow-novodevichy-convent.htm

The Digital Audio Collection of the University of Wyoming Libraries Digital Repository contains digital and digitized oral histories, digitized music audio, and interviews. It currently contains three sections: digital music, oral histories about early education in Wyoming and surrounding areas, and audio interviews about the Mountain Pine Beetle infestations.