BRIEF – Novodevichy Convent, a large Moscow monastery situated around 5 km from the Kremlin, was the site of a large fire Sunday night. The building has been under repair, according to Bulletin Echo, and the fire may have begun with one of the scaffolding towers.
The fire began at after 10:30 p.m. Moscow time. Fire fighters arrived shortly thereafter.
The area has been cordoned off. The cause of the blaze is not yet known, and authorities have not yet made any statements.
Initially, rumors spread on social media that the fire had taken place at the Kremlin.
Novodevichy Convent is a perhaps the best known cloister of the Russian capital. It was founded in 1524 by Vasili III, the Grand Prince of Moscow, and has remained intact since the 17th century. The name can be translated as New Maiden’s Monastery.
In addition to being a famous tourist attraction in its own right, the cemetery attached is the location of the graves of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, former President Boris Yeltsin, writer Anton Chekhov, and other famous Russian deceased.
More follows.
By James Haleavy