Founded in 1591 by Tsar Fyodor Iannovich to house the Donskaya Icon of the Mother of God as a mark of gratitude for victories over Crimean warlords, the Donskoi Monastery has been plundered three times over the Time of Troubles, Napolean and the Revolution- after which it became a museum to atheism. Russian tours by one of the monks are extremely rewarding, the charge being a contribution towards upkeep. Visitors should recognize that it is a working monastery and exercise respectful behaviour and modest dress while there.
More information: The 16th-century Donskoy Monastery, situated in a secluded, wooded area in the southwest section of Moscow, is a fascinating memorial to Russian architecture and art. From 1934 to 1992, a branch of the Shchusev Architecture Museum, keeping architectural details of churches, monasteries, and public buildings destroyed under the Soviets, was located -- more or less secretly -- inside its walls. Today the monastery is once again functioning as a religious institution, and the museum is slowly removing its exhibits from inside the churches. But the bits and pieces of demolished churches and monuments remain, forming a graveyard of destroyed architecture from Russia's past.
The monastery grounds are surrounded by a high defensive wall with 12 towers, the last of the defense fortifications to be built around Moscow. The monastery was built on the site where, in 1591, the Russian army stood waiting for an impending attack from Tatar troops grouped on the opposite side of the river. According to legend, the Russians awoke one morning to find the Tatars gone. Their sudden retreat was considered a miracle, and Boris Godunov ordered a monastery built to commemorate the miraculous victory. Of course, it didn't happen quite like that, but historians confirm that the Tatars did retreat after only minor skirmishes, which is difficult to explain. Never again would they come so close to Moscow. The victory was attributed to the icon of the Virgin of the Don that Prince Dimitry Donskoy had supposedly carried previously, during his campaign in 1380 (in which the Russians won their first decisive victory against the Tatars). The monastery was named in honor of the wonder-working icon.
