In 2004, the Novodevichy Convent ensemble was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In February 2010, by order of the Government of the Russian Federation, the convent ensemble, within whose walls a branch of the State Historical Museum had been located since 1934, was transferred for use to the Moscow Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 2011, the Church Museum was opened.
The main activities of the museum are: participation in cultural and educational projects in Russia and abroad, excursion support for pilgrims and tourist groups, and the formation of the Novodevichy Convent museum collections. The tour desk staff conducts daily excursions around the Novodevichy Convent, introducing visitors to its history and architecture.
The museum is open daily from 09.30 to 17.30.
Entrance to the territory for all pilgrims, excursion groups and foreign tourists accompanied by a guide is subject to a fee.
Cost of excursion services:
| Adults (excursion ticket for groups with certified guides) | 500 rubles/person. |
| Adults (entrance to the museum exhibition) | 500 rubles/person. |
| Foreign tourists (entrance to the monastery territory with a visit to the museum exhibition) | 1000 rubles/person. |
| Concessionary categories: schoolchildren, students, pensioners of the Russian Federation, large families, disabled people and veterans of military operations (excursion ticket for groups with certified guides) | 300 rubles/person. |
| Preferential categories, including schoolchildren, war veterans, disabled people of groups I and II (entrance to the museum exposition) | FREE |
| Families with many children (entrance to the museum exposition) every Sunday | FREE |
| The right to conduct an excursion for certified guides (for a group of up to 15 people) | 1,000 rubles + the cost of entrance tickets |
| Sightseeing tour of the Novodevichy Convent with a visit to the museum exposition or Smolensk Cathedral (outside of church services) in a group of 5 people or more (a group of less than 5 people pays the full cost of the excursion) |
1,000 rubles. /person. 500 rubles/person discounted; 1,500 rubles/person for foreigners |
| Professional photography and video shooting by prior arrangement with the museum management | |
Tours of the territory can only be conducted by guides from the Church Museum, as well as city guides and guide-interpreters who have a Church Museum certification card.
For information and excursion bookings, call: +7(915)188-90-66 (except Mon. and Tue.) +7(499)245-29-54
The sightseeing tour includes a tour of the monastery grounds, an introduction to its history and architecture, as well as a tour of one of the Museum exhibitions, or the Assumption Church, or (in summer) the Smolensk Cathedral.
