Moscow Kremlin Old Maidens’ Convent necropolis: history and museumification

Abstract

The article considers the historical fate of one of the most famous Russian dynastic necropolis – the necropolis of the Ascension Cathedral of the Old Maidens’ Convent in the Moscow Kremlin. We mark the boundary points in the history of the burial vault temple between the 15th and 20th centuries. Special attention is paid to the tragic events in the conditions of the anti-church policy during the first years of the Soviet regime. The salvation of the monastery necropolis opened the way to its museumification. This process has been going on for almost a century; we are tracing its dynamics and outlining the nearest prospects. Archival materials, sources of personal origins, historical journalism, as well as contemporary museum exhibitions have contributed to the survey.

Keywords

• moscow kremlin museums
• ascension monastery
• monastic archaeology
• dynastic archaeology
• archaeological monuments museumification