The Simonov Monastery was founded in 1370 by St Feodor of Simonov, a disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh. In 1379 the monastery was moved slightly east to its present day location. It was developed as a fortress-monastery and towers and strong walls were erected in the 16th and 17th centuries. The monastery is connected with several names from Russian history: the monks Vassian Kossoy and Maxim the Greek lived and worked here and Simeon Bekbulatovich, who Tsar Ivan the Terrible made Grand Prince of Rus, was buried here. In 1771 Catherine the Great dissolved the monastery but it was once again re-established in 1795. In 1920 the Bolsheviks closed the monastery for good. In the 1930s much of the monastery - including the 15th century Dormition Cathedral and bell tower - was demolished to make way for a palace of culture for the new car factory being developed nearby. Today all that remains is the Our Lady of Tikhvin Church, one section of wall with two towers, and several auxiliary buildings including the 17th-century refectory.

Our Lady of Tikhvin Church

The Our Lady of Tikhvin Church dates from 1685 and was built in the baroque style according to the plan by architect Osip Startsev. In 1923 the church was turned into a museum and then a cinema in 1931. It was later restored and in 1991 a religious community for the deaf and hard of hearing was registered at the former church.  In 1995 the church was returned to the Orthodox Church. On weekends services are held here with a translation into sign language.