Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands

The Solovetsky archipelago comprises six islands in the western part of the White Sea, covering 300 km2 . They have been inhabited since the 5th century B.C. and important traces of a human presence from as far back as the 5th millennium B.C. can be found there. The archipelago has been the site of fervent monastic activity since the 15th century, and there are several churches dating from the 16th to the 19th century.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/632

The Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands is a medieval Russian Orthodox monastic settlement in an inhospitable environment.

The Solovetsky Islands are an archipelago situated north of St. Petersburg. There are about 100 islands, inhabited by only 1400 people. Greater Solovetsky Island is the biggest, on which the famous medieval monastery and Kremlin is built. Its beginnings as a religious center date to the mid 15th century: in 1436 the monastery was founded.

The complex also includes a monastic village and a number of detached monasteries (on other islands too).

In 1920 Solovetsky Camp became the first Soviet concentration camp, on the grounds of a former monastery. People persecuted by the Soviet government were sent here, and it became a model for the gulag system that later spanned the country. Later it was turned into a naval base. Its monastery function was restored in 1990.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/id/632

Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve

Located well above the Arctic Circle, the site includes the mountainous Wrangel Island (7,608 km2), Herald Island (11 km2) and surrounding waters. Wrangel was not glaciated during the Quaternary Ice Age, resulting in exceptionally high levels of biodiversity for this region. The island boasts the world’s largest population of Pacific walrus and the highest density of ancestral polar bear dens. It is a major feeding ground for the grey whale migrating from Mexico and the northernmost nesting ground for 100 migratory bird species, many endangered. Currently, 417 species and subspecies of vascular plants have been identified on the island, double that of any other Arctic tundra territory of comparable size and more than any other Arctic island. Some species are derivative of widespread continental forms, others are the result of recent hybridization, and 23 are endemic.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1023

The Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve comprises a group of two islands north of the Arctic Circle with a remarkable high diversity of plants and animals.

Wrangel Island and Herald Island lie in the High Arctic Tundra ecoregion, with a very dry and cold climate. They have a mountainous landscape, with valleys, lakes and rivers. Vegetation consists of tundra and steppe underlain with permafrost. The surrounding waters are also part of the designated area.

The islands were not glaciated during the last Ice Age, and subsequently served as a refuge for Pleistocene species that have not survived elseweher. Wrangel also is on the intersection of two major continental systems – Asia and North America -and has species from both.

Notable features include:

• northernmost Migratory bird destination

• northernmost marine mammal location (gray whales and dolphins)

• breeding habitat of Asia’s only Snow goose population

• the largest population of Pacific walrus with up to 100,000 animals congregating

• a breeding ground for polar bears (having the highest density of dens in the world),

• woolly mammoths survived on Wrangel Island until 1650 BC, the most recent survival of all known mammoth populations.

• remains of a palaeoeskimo site as well as several small deserted reindeer herder’s settlements

Herald Island is uninhabited, and Wrangel is home to a handful of rangers and scientists.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/id/1023

Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent

The Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent were part of the northern lines of the Sasanian Persian Empire, which extended east and west of the Caspian Sea. The fortification was built in stone. It consisted of two parallel walls that formed a barrier from the seashore up to the mountain. The town of Derbent was built between these two walls, and has retained part of its medieval fabric. The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1070

The Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent are part of a strategic Sasanian defence system from the 5th century.

Derbent is situated on the western shores of the Caspian Sea, in present-day Dagestan. It was in the position to control the traffic between Europe and the Middle East, and shield the prospering agricultural peoples of the Middle East from devastating raids of nomadic tribes from the steppes of South-Eastern Europe.

The defence structures that were built by the Sasanians were in continuous use by the succeeding Persian, Arabic, Mongol, and Timurid governments. Its militairy function lasted til the 19th century. Its name is a Persian word: “Darband”, meaning "closed gates".

The fortifications consist of:

• Two parallel defence walls, 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

• Naryn-Kala Citadel: most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

• the ancient City, between the two walls, holds interesting courtyard houses, mosques, baths, madrasahs, and the remains of a caravanserai.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/id/1070

Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex

This property lies on the shores of the Volga River, south of its confluence with the River Kama, and south of the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan. It contains evidence of the medieval city of Bolgar, an early settlement of the civilization of Volga-Bolgars, which existed between the 7th and 15th centuries AD, and was the first capital of the Golden Horde in the 13th century. Bolgar represents the historical cultural exchanges and transformations of Eurasia over several centuries that played a pivotal role in the formation of civilizations, customs and cultural traditions. The property provides remarkable evidence of historic continuity and cultural diversity. It is a symbolic reminder of the acceptance of Islam by the Volga-Bolgars in AD 922 and remains a sacred pilgrimage destination to the Tatar Muslims.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/981

The Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex is testimony to a medieval civilization and an important pilgrimage destination for Tatar Muslims.

It was the settlement of the Volga Bolgars, which existed between the 7th and the 15th centuries.

Central feature of the site is the (reconstructed) historical mosque. There also are a number of mausoleums.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/id/981

Central Sikhote-Alin

The Sikhote-Alin mountain range contains one the richest and most unusual temperate forests of the world. In this mixed zone between taiga and subtropics, southern species such as the tiger and Himalayan bear cohabit with northern species such as the brown bear and lynx. The site stretches from the peaks of Sikhote-Alin to the Sea of Japan and is important for the survival of many endangered species such as the Amur tiger.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/766

The Sikhote-Alin is a mountain range in Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krais, Russia, extending about 900 km to the northeast of the Russian Pacific seaport of Vladivostok.

The highest summits are Tordoki Yani (2,077 m) and Anik Mountain (1,933 m).

Sikhote-Alin comprises one of the most extraordinary temperate zones in the world. Species typical of northern taiga (such as reindeer and the brown bear) coexist with tropical species like the Siberian tiger and the Himalayan bear.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/id/766

Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin

Built on an ancient site, the Kazan Kremlin dates from the Muslim period of the Golden Horde and the Kazan Khanate. It was conquered by Ivan the Terrible in 1552 and became the Christian See of the Volga Land. The only surviving Tatar fortress in Russia and an important place of pilgrimage, the Kazan Kremlin consists of an outstanding group of historic buildings dating from the 16th to 19th centuries, integrating remains of earlier structures of the 10th to 16th centuries.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/980

The Kazan Kremlin is the chief historic citadel of Tatarstan, situated in the city of Kazan, which was built on behest of Ivan the Terrible on the ruins of the former castle of Kazan khans.

The oldest building in the Kremlin is the Annunciation Cathedral (1554-62), the only 16th-century Russian church to have six piers and five apses. Like many old buildings of Kazan, it is constructed of local pale sandstone rather than of brick.

The Kremlin's most conspicuous landmark is the mysterious leaning Söyembikä Tower, which probably goes back to the reign of Peter the Great.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/site.php?id=980

Putorana Plateau

This site coincides with the area of the Putoransky State Nature Reserve, and is located in the central part of the Putorana Plateau in northern Central Siberia. It is situated about 100 km north of the Arctic Circle. The part of the plateau inscribed on the World Heritage List harbours a complete set of subarctic and arctic ecosystems in an isolated mountain range, including pristine taiga, forest tundra, tundra and arctic desert systems, as well as untouched cold-water lake and river systems. A major reindeer migration route crosses the property, which represents an exceptional, large-scale and increasingly rare natural phenomenon.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1234

The Putorana Plateau is a remote and pristine Arctic landscape.

It is situated in northern Central Siberia about 100 km north of the Arctic Circle, on a basalt and tuff plateau created by volcanism. The area holds a complete set of subarctic and arctic ecosystems like taiga, tundra and arctic desert. It is protected as the Putoransky State Nature Reserve.

This mountainous area is a classical example of the so-called trappean, or stepped relief. It holds many canyons, waterfalls and lakes. Permafrost covers the major part of the plateau, where lichens and forest grow. Wildlife includes brown bear, wolf, Arctic Fox, reindeer and the endemic Putorana snowsheep. A major reindeer migration route crosses the property twice a year. The plateau is also an important stop-over point for migrating arctic birds.

There is no human inhabitance in the core and buffer zones, though Dolgan and Evenk with a reindeer herding tradition live in a nearby village.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/site.php?id=1234

Struve Geodetic Arc

The Struve Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through 10 countries and over 2,820 km. These are points of a survey, carried out between 1816 and 1855 by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve, which represented the first accurate measuring of a long segment of a meridian. This helped to establish the exact size and shape of the planet and marked an important step in the development of earth sciences and topographic mapping. It is an extraordinary example of scientific collaboration among scientists from different countries, and of collaboration between monarchs for a scientific cause. The original arc consisted of 258 main triangles with 265 main station points. The listed site includes 34 of the original station points, with different markings, i.e. a drilled hole in rock, iron cross, cairns, or built obelisks.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1187

The Struve Geodetic Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea. The chain was established and used by the German-born Russian scientist Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve in the years 1816 to 1855 to establish the exact size and shape of the earth. 

The area of the Arc designated as a WHS consists of 34 stations, spanning 10 countries and over 2,820 km. Originally there were 265 stations, in only 2 countries (the Russian Empire and the Union between Sweden & Norway). 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/site.php?id=1187

Lake Baikal

Situated in south-east Siberia, the 3.15-million-ha Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million years) and deepest (1,700 m) lake in the world. It contains 20% of the world's total unfrozen freshwater reserve. Known as the 'Galapagos of Russia', its age and isolation have produced one of the world's richest and most unusual freshwater faunas, which is of exceptional value to evolutionary science.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/754

Lake Baikal is a freshwater ecosystem that is the deepest and oldest lake in the world, and the 2nd largest lake on the earth by volume. It lies in Southern Siberia near the city of Irkutsk. It contains over one fifth of the world's liquid fresh surface water and more than 90% of Russia's liquid fresh surface water.

Besides the lake itself, the designated area also includes its catchment basin, the river-head of the Angarar river and the Irkutsk water reservoir. The lake is completely surrounded by mountains. 

Notable fauna includes the endemic Baikal seal and fish species like the omul and the Baikal oil fish. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/site.php?id=754

White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal

These two artistic centres in central Russia hold an important place in the country's architectural history. There are a number of magnificent 12th- and 13th-century public and religious buildings, above all the masterpieces of the Collegiate Church of St Demetrios and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/633

The White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal embraces eight medieval limestone monuments of Zalesye. 

They are:

- Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir (1158-60, 1185-89); 

- The Golden Gate in Vladimir (1158-64, with later modifications); 

- The Cathedral of Saint Demetrius in Vladimir (1194-97); 

- The castle of Andrew the Pious in Bogolyubovo (1158-65, with later modifications); 

- The Church of the Intercession on the Nerl in Bogolyubovo (1165); 

- The Suzdal Kremlin with the Nativity Cathedral (1222-25, built up in the 16th century); 

- The Monastery of Saint Euthymius in Suzdal (mostly 16th century); 

- The Church of Boris and Gleb in Kideksha (1152, with later mofifications). 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/vladimirandsuzdal.html

Western Caucasus

The Western Caucasus, extending over 275,000 ha of the extreme western end of the Caucasus mountains and located 50 km north-east of the Black Sea, is one of the few large mountain areas of Europe that has not experienced significant human impact. Its subalpine and alpine pastures have only been grazed by wild animals, and its extensive tracts of undisturbed mountain forests, extending from the lowlands to the subalpine zone, are unique in Europe. The site has a great diversity of ecosystems, with important endemic plants and wildlife, and is the place of origin and reintroduction of the mountain subspecies of the European bison.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/900

The Western Caucasus comprises the extreme western edge of the Caucasus Mountains, from the Black Sea to Mount Elbrus. Together with the Virgin Komi Forests, it is one of only two large mountain areas in Europe that has not experienced significant human impact. Its habitats are exceptionally varied for such a small area, ranging from lowlands to glaciers. 

The area includes:

- Caucasian State Nature Biosphere Reserve 

- Sochi National Park 

- Bolshoy Thach nature park

- the nature monuments of Buiny Ridge

- the headwaters of the River Tsitsa

- the Pshecha and Pshechashcha rivers

Fauna includes wolf, bear, lynx, wild boar and the reintroduced European bison which are globally endangered. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/westerncaucasus.html

Volcanoes of Kamchatka

This is one of the most outstanding volcanic regions in the world, with a high density of active volcanoes, a variety of types, and a wide range of related features. The six sites included in the serial designation group together the majority of volcanic features of the Kamchatka peninsula. The interplay of active volcanoes and glaciers forms a dynamic landscape of great beauty. The sites contain great species diversity, including the world's largest known variety of salmonoid fish and exceptional concentrations of sea otter, brown bear and Stellar's sea eagle.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/765

The Volcanoes of Kamchatka are one of the most outstanding examples of the volcanic regions in the world. The Kamchatka River and the surrounding Central Valley are flanked by large volcanic ranges, containing around 160 volcanoes, 29 of them still active. Thus, the peninsula has perhaps the highest density of volcanos and associated volcanic phenomena in the world, with 19 active volcanos being included on the World Heritage List.

The WHS is a serial site including the following six areas:

- Kronotsky State Biosphere Nature Preserve

- Bystrinsky Nature Park

- Nalychevo Nature Park

- Southwestern Tundra Nature Reserve

- Southern Kamchatka Nature Park 

- Nature Park "Kluchevskoy" 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/kamchatka.html

Uvs Nuur Basin

The Uvs Nuur Basin (1,068,853 ha), is the northernmost of the enclosed basins of Central Asia. It takes its name from Uvs Nuur Lake, a large, shallow and very saline lake, important for migrating birds, waterfowl and seabirds. The site is made up of twelve protected areas representing the major biomes of eastern Eurasia. The steppe ecosystem supports a rich diversity of birds and the desert is home to a number of rare gerbil, jerboas and the marbled polecat. The mountains are an important refuge for the globally endangered snow leopard, mountain sheep (argali) and the Asiatic ibex.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/769

The Uvs Nuur Basin covers a range of diverse ecosystems within the closed catchment of the saline Uvs Nuur lake system. Uvs Nuur is an 'inland sea', that is frequented by a range of seabirds even though the nearest ocean is 3,000km away. It is almost circular and 70km in diameter.

The surrounding area consists of steppes, mountains, forests, wetland and deserts. It supports a variety in birds, both resident waterfowl and migrating birds. Mammals include snow leopard, mountain sheep (argali), marbled polecat and the Asiatic ibex.

This serial nomination consists of 12 strictly protected areas. It lies partly in Tuva (Russian Federation) and Mongolia. The site is inhabited by semi-nomadic pastoralists. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/uvsnuur.html

Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow

Inextricably linked to all the most important historical and political events in Russia since the 13th century, the Kremlin (built between the 14th and 17th centuries by outstanding Russian and foreign architects) was the residence of the Great Prince and also a religious centre. At the foot of its ramparts, on Red Square, St Basil's Basilica is one of the most beautiful Russian Orthodox monuments.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/545

The Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow are associated with all major events in Russian history, and its monuments are great examples of Russian architecture. Both the Red Square and the seat of government Kremlin are located at the heart of Moscow.

The city of Moscow was founded in 1156 as a seat for the czars. The current Kremlin dates from the 19th century. It consists of several buildings: churches, palaces and places in political use. A red brick wall surrounds the complex. 

The Red Square is a city square from which the major streets of Moscow radiate in all directions. Buildings surrounding the square include:

- Lenin's Mausoleum

- the brightly-domed Saint Basil's Cathedral

- GUM department store

- Kazan Cathedral

- State Historical Museum

- Iberian Gate and Chapel

The only sculptured monument on the square is a bronze statue of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, who helped to clear Moscow from the Polish invaders in 1612. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/kremlinredsquare.html

Kizhi Pogost

The pogost of Kizhi (i.e. the Kizhi enclosure) is located on one of the many islands in Lake Onega, in Karelia. Two 18th-century wooden churches, and an octagonal clock tower, also in wood and built in 1862, can be seen there. These unusual constructions, in which carpenters created a bold visionary architecture, perpetuate an ancient model of parish space and are in harmony with the surrounding landscape.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/544

The Kizhi Pogost is an enclosure that holds two 18th-century wooden churches and an octagonal bell tower. Kizhi is located on a narrow strip of land on the southern tip of the island of Kizhi on Lake Onega in Karelia. 

The jewel of its architecture is the 22-domed Transfiguration Church (1714), with a large iconostasis—a wooden screen covered with religious portraits, featuring much gold leaf. This massive church (also known as the "summer church") is about 30m tall, making it one of the tallest log structures in the world. 

The smaller, nine-domed Intercession Church (also known as the "winter church") was built in 1764, and its iconostasis is intact and can be seen by visitors. 

The third structure inside the Pogost is the belltower which was built in 1874. The belltower is also constructed with walls of horizontally-fitted logs, though they are covered by exterior wooden planks and cannot be seen. These structures were erected without any nails or other metal, and were made of scribe-fitted horizontal logs, with interlocking corner joinery—either round notch or dovetail—cut by axes. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/kizhipogost.html

Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl

Situated at the confluence of the Volga and Kotorosl Rivers some 250 km north-east of Moscow, the historic city of Yaroslavl developed into a major commercial centre from the 11th century. It is renowned for its numerous 17th-century churches and is an outstanding example of the urban planning reform Empress Catherine the Great ordered for the whole of Russia in 1763. While keeping some of its significant historic structures, the town was renovated in the neoclassical style on a radial urban master plan. It has also kept elements from the 16th century in the Spassky Monastery, one of the oldest in the Upper Volga region, built on the site of a pagan temple in the late 12th century but reconstructed over time.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1170

The Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl is a product of Catherine the Great's town planning reform and is dotted with 17th century churches.

Yaroslavl (250 km northeast of Moscow is said to have been founded in 1010. It lies at the intersection of major highways, railroads and waterways. In the 17th century, Yaroslavl was Russia's second largest city and, for a time (during the Polish occupation of Moscow in 1612), the country's de facto capital. 

Its main churches date back to the same period. They belong to the so called Yaroslavl type: built of red brick, with bright tiled exteriors. Those of St. Nicholas Nadein and Elijah the Prophet have some of the Golden ring's most impressive frescoes.

Yaroslavl was also rewarded world heritage status because it is an outstanding example of the town-planning reform ordered by Empress Catherine The Great in the whole of Russia, implemented between 1763 and 1830. The city also holds a number of

significant neo-classical buildings. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/yaroslavl.html

Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings

Situated on the ancient trade route between Central Asia and northern Europe, Novgorod was Russia's first capital in the 9th century. Surrounded by churches and monasteries, it was a centre for Orthodox spirituality as well as Russian architecture. Its medieval monuments and the 14th-century frescoes of Theophanes the Greek (Andrei Rublev's teacher) illustrate the development of its remarkable architecture and cultural creativity.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/604

The Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings are a veritable 'conservatory' of Russian architecture of the Middle Ages and later periods (11th-19th centuries). 

(Veliky) Novgorod in North-Western Russia was an important center on the trade route between the Baltics and Central Asia. It developed into one of the major centres of Russian culture and spirituality.

A broad range of monuments has been conserved:

- St Sophia Cathedral, built between 1045 and 1050 the first one to represent original features of Russian architecture (austere stone walls, five helmet-like cupolas). 

- The Novgorod Kremlin, traditionally known as the Detinets, also contains the oldest palace in Russia.

- Church of the Transfiguration, decorated with frescoes at the end of the 14th century by Theophanes the Greek

- Church of Neredica 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/novgorod.html

Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments

The 'Venice of the North', with its numerous canals and more than 400 bridges, is the result of a vast urban project begun in 1703 under Peter the Great. Later known as Leningrad (in the former USSR), the city is closely associated with the October Revolution. Its architectural heritage reconciles the very different Baroque and pure neoclassical styles, as can be seen in the Admiralty, the Winter Palace, the Marble Palace and the Hermitage.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/540

The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments has a planned urban design with many baroque and neo-classical monumental buildings. The shape of the city was developed by Peter the Great during the 18th century. In communist times, it was officially renamed in Leningrad. 

Among the "related group of monuments" mentioned above is the Peter and Paul Fortress. This was the first project taken up by Czar Peter, and he moulded it after architecture he had seen in the Netherlands. 

The magnificent Hermitage (Winter Palace) is also in St. Petersburg. It's one of the best museums in the world, and the collection has both volume and quality. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/sintpetersburg.html

Golden Mountains of Altai

The Altai mountains in southern Siberia form the major mountain range in the western Siberia biogeographic region and provide the source of its greatest rivers – the Ob and the Irtysh. Three separate areas are inscribed: Altaisky Zapovednik and a buffer zone around Lake Teletskoye; Katunsky Zapovednik and a buffer zone around Mount Belukha; and the Ukok Quiet Zone on the Ukok plateau. The total area covers 1,611,457 ha. The region represents the most complete sequence of altitudinal vegetation zones in central Siberia, from steppe, forest-steppe, mixed forest, subalpine vegetation to alpine vegetation. The site is also an important habitat for endangered animal species such as the snow leopard.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/768

The Golden Mountains of Altai is a region with high plant diversity in Southern Siberia. The mountains have several undisturbed glaciers and provide the source of main rivers like the Ob. It also holds Teletskoye Lake, the second largest of Siberia after Lake Baikal.

The area consists of:

- Altai Natural Reserve

- Katun Natural Reserve

- Lake Teletskoye

- Belukha Mountain

- Ukok Plateau

The mountains are the habitat of several globally endangered mammals, such as the snow leopard and the Altai argali. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/altai.html

Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent

The Novodevichy Convent, in south-western Moscow, built in the 16th and 17th centuries in the so-called Moscow Baroque style, was part of a chain of monastic ensembles that were integrated into the defence system of the city. The convent was directly associated with the political, cultural and religious history of Russia, and closely linked to the Moscow Kremlin. It was used by women of the Tsar’s family and the aristocracy. Members of the Tsar’s family and entourage were also buried in its cemetery. The convent provides an example of the highest accomplishments of Russian architecture with rich interiors and an important collection of paintings and artefacts.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1097

The Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent is a monastic complex and the best-preserved representative example of "Moscow Baroque". It had a symbolic and physical relationship with the Moscow Kremlin, the "Tsar's road" linking the two complexes.

Novodevichy means "New Nunnery". It was here, in the 16th and 17th centuries, that women from the royal family and top-ranking families took the veil. The complex consists of 15 buildings, surmounted by golden domes. The complex is surrounded by a wall.

The Smolensky Cathedral is the main monument on site.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/novodevichy.html