Cathedral of the Epiphany

The 17th-century Cathedral of the Epiphany is all that remains of the Bogoyavlensky Monastery (Богоявленский монастырь; Epiphany Monastery), one of the oldest monasteries in Moscow.

Legend has it that the Epiphany Monastery was founded by Prince Daniil Aleksandrovich around 1296. The first stone church on the site was built in 1342. Stefan, Sergii Radonezhski's older brother, was the first hegumen of the monastery.

In 1382, the monastery was ransacked by the Tokhtamysh army, and in 1427, it suffered an outbreak of pestilence. Over the centuries the monastery also suffered from numerous fires (1547, 1551, 1687, 1737).

Bogoyavlensky Monastery has always been under the patronage of grand princes and tsars, many of whom donated some of their sizeable estates to the monastery. By the order of Ivan the Terrible, the monastery became a collection facility for crops. In 1584, the tsar donated a substantial amount of money for the remembrance of the disgraced.

In 1632, Epiphany Monastery was granted an exclusive right for tax-free floating of a certain amount of building materials and firewood. The monastery had its own stables and forge and rented out its facilities.

In 1624-96, the Cathedral of the Epiphany was constructed. Cells for monks and an abbot's chamber were added in the 1690s, the latter of which was rebuilt in the 1880s.

In 1680-87, Bogoyavlensky Monastery was home to the school of the Likhud brothers, which would later be transferred to the Zaikonospassky monastery and transformed into the famous Slavic Greek Latin Academy. In 1739, a belltower was erected.

After the October Revolution, Bogoyavlensky was closed down. Services in Epiphany Cathedral ceased in 1929. The monastic buildings were transformed into a campus for students of the Mining Academy and subway construction workers, and later into metalworks.

In 1950s, an administrative building was constructed on the site of the monastery. The cathedral, bell tower, monk cells and abbot's chamber were the only buildings to survive. Finally, in the 1980s, Bogoyavlensky Monastery was restored. In 1991, it was officially returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Today, all that remains of the monastery is the Cathedral of the Epiphany, a Baroque edifice dating from the late 17th century. It has been undergoing slow renovations for years, but is open for services. There is a small gift shop selling Russian Orthodox icon cards, religious objects, and books.