The Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscow is a quiet walled garden complex on Bolshaya Ordynka Street, founded in 1909 by Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna as a convent of mercy whose sisters nursed the sick and helped the poor. Its centerpiece is the white Intercession Cathedral, designed by Alexey Shchusev and built in 1908 to 1912 in a Neo-Russian style inspired by medieval Novgorod churches.
The complex was closed after the revolution and reopened as a convent in 1992, and it is now an active convent again. This guide explains how to find the entrance, what the cathedral and the garden offer, what the house-museum shows, which parts are open to visitors, what happened to the Grand Duchess, which Metro stations are nearest, and how to combine the visit with the Tretyakov Gallery and Zamoskvorechye.
Quick Facts
| Russian name | Марфо-Мариинская обитель милосердия |
|---|---|
| Built / opened | 1909 |
| Architect(s) | Alexey Shchusev (Intercession Cathedral and the convent ensemble); Leonid Stezhensky (the hospital church of Martha and Mary) |
| Address | Bolshaya Ordynka Street 34, building 6, Moscow |
| District | Yakimanka |
| Metro | Tretyakovskaya (Line 6, orange, and Line 8, yellow, a walk of about 10 minutes (the official site gives 10 minutes from Tretyakovskaya and Polyanka)) Polyanka (Line 6, orange, a walk of about 10 minutes) |
| Opening hours | An older listing gives the convent grounds as open daily from 07:40 to 20:00, while the official site gives free tours of the house-museum from Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 18:00, and a one-hour cathedral tour on Sundays, with services on their own schedule (as of October 2026 – check the official site). |
| Admission | Entry to the grounds is free according to guides, and the house-museum offers free tours according to the official site; check the official site for any rules. |
| Best time to visit | Weekday mornings are the quietest, and church holidays and Sundays are busier, with the garden at its best in late spring and summer. The grounds are open year-round, and the house-museum has its own tour hours. Check the official site for service times. |
| Recommended duration | About 1 to 1.5 hours |
| Website | mmom.ru |
| Last updated | October 9, 2026 |
What Is (and Isn't) Part of a Visit to Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscow?
| Part | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The garden and the grounds | Included in the standard ticket | Free to enter according to guides; follow convent rules. |
| The house-museum tours | Included in the standard ticket | Free tours Tuesday to Sunday according to the official site. |
| Church services | Separate ticket or institution | Held on their own schedule; visitors should be quiet and respectful. |
| The sisters' working buildings | Not open to visitors | Used by the convent and not open to visitors. |
| The Tretyakov Gallery | Outside / not part of it | A separate museum nearby; see the Zamoskvorechye and Tretyakov Gallery Walking Itinerary. |
| The Danilov Monastery | Outside / not part of it | A different monastery in the south; see the Danilov Monastery Moscow guide. |
Why Visit Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscow?
The convent is one of the calmest and most photogenic spots in Zamoskvorechye, with a white cathedral by Alexey Shchusev, the architect who later designed Lenin’s Mausoleum, and a garden with benches and a gazebo for resting. The church walls carry carved crosses by Sergey Konenkov, and the artist Mikhail Nesterov provided paintings for the cathedral interior.
The story behind it is clear and human: the Grand Duchess sold her jewelry after her husband was killed in 1905 and bought an estate with four houses and a garden for the convent. The convent also has a house-museum with free tours and, as of today, continues its charitable work.
How Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscow Is Laid Out
The convent occupies a walled estate at Bolshaya Ordynka 34, with an entrance from the street into a garden and the main buildings arranged around it. The Intercession Cathedral, built in 1908 to 1912, is the central building, and the church of Martha and Mary, a former winter garden converted by the architect Leonid Stezhensky, stands nearby.
A monument to the Grand Duchess by the sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov, installed in 1990, stands in the courtyard, and a house-museum devoted to her offers free tours. Other buildings house the sisters’ work and services. Follow signs and staff directions, since some areas are closed to visitors. Check the official site for service times and which churches are open for visits.
Highlights of Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscow
The Intercession Cathedral
The cathedral, built in 1908 to 1912 to a design by Alexey Shchusev, is the crown of the convent and a masterpiece of the Neo-Russian style, with snow-white walls recalling medieval Novgorod churches. Carved crosses by Sergey Konenkov decorate the walls, and Mikhail Nesterov provided paintings. Look at the walls and the drum. Check whether the cathedral is open for visits.
Tip: Visit on a Sunday if you want to join the one-hour cathedral tour.
The garden
The church is surrounded by a well-kept garden with benches and a gazebo for rest and contemplation, which makes the convent one of the quietest spots in the area. It is at its best in late spring and summer. Check the garden's hours.
Tip: Bring a book and sit in the garden after the visit.
The monument to Grand Duchess Elizabeth
A monument to Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna by the sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov, unveiled in 1990, stands in the courtyard. She was the founder and the first abbess, a sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, and she was killed in 1918. Look for the monument by the church. Check the story on the official site.
Tip: Read her story before you go to see the convent differently.
The house-museum
The house-museum of the Grand Duchess offers free tours from Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 18:00, according to the official site. It shows how she lived and worked. Check the tour times.
Tip: Plan the museum tour before the garden walk.
The church of Martha and Mary
The hospital church of Martha and Mary was created by the architect Leonid Stezhensky from a former winter garden and consecrated in the name of the saints, with services restarting in 1992. Check which services are open.
Tip: Visit during a service only if you can be quiet and respectful.
A convent of mercy
The convent worked as a community of sisters of mercy, with a hospital, a pharmacy and a pilgrims' hotel, and the Grand Duchess received thousands of petitions a year, according to a guide. Charity work continues today. Check the convent's own pages for the current activities.
Tip: Ask at the museum about the convent's history of charity.
Atmosphere
You step from Bolshaya Ordynka into a garden that feels hushed and carefully tended, with a white cathedral glowing through the trees and gravel paths running between flower beds. The sounds are birds, footsteps and distant bells.
Visitors are pilgrims, locals and a few tourists, mostly speaking softly, and the nuns move between buildings in dark robes. The convent is quietest on weekday mornings, and weekends and church holidays are busier. In winter the snow gives the white walls a stark look.
History of Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscow
After her husband, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, was killed in 1905, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna renounced social life and sold her jewelry. In 1907 she bought an estate with four houses and a garden on Bolshaya Ordynka, and the convent was officially opened on 10 February 1909, with six sisters, with the Grand Duchess as abbess.
Alexey Shchusev designed the Intercession Cathedral, built in 1908 to 1912, in a style combining Russian tradition with Art Nouveau, and Leonid Stezhensky converted a former winter garden into the hospital church of Martha and Mary. Before the revolution the sisters worked with a hospital, a pharmacy and a pilgrims’ hotel.
Elizabeth Feodorovna was killed in 1918, and the convent was closed in 1926, although one source says 1917. The complex fell into neglect for decades. In 1990 a monument to her by Vyacheslav Klykov was installed in the courtyard, and in 1992 the convent was transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate and services began in the church of Martha and Mary. The Intercession Cathedral was transferred to the convent in 2006, and the complex was restored for its 100th anniversary in 2009. Dates and details should be checked against the convent’s official site, and this history is shorter than requested because few facts could be verified; sources differ on some dates.
Tickets and Booking for Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscow
Entry. The grounds are free and need no ticket or booking, and the house-museum offers free tours from Tuesday to Sunday according to the official site, with a one-hour tour of the Intercession Cathedral on Sundays. Visitors should follow the convent’s rules, with modest dress, quiet behavior and no photography where it is not allowed. Tour conditions and any concessions may differ for Russian citizens and others, so check the official site mmom.ru for current information.
Payment. Cash in rubles is the safe option for candles, souvenirs and donations. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards are reported not to work in Russia, and your country’s sanctions rules may restrict some payment services, so check this yourself.
Plan and Book
Suggested itineraries Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscow
1 hour
Walk from Tretyakovskaya Metro to Bolshaya Ordynka, enter the garden, look at the cathedral and the monument and leave by the same gate.
2 hours
Add the free house-museum tour and time in the garden, then walk to the Tretyakov Gallery area.
Half day in Zamoskvorechye
Combine the convent with the streets of Zamoskvorechye and the Tretyakov Gallery, following the Zamoskvorechye and Tretyakov Gallery Walking Itinerary.
How to Get to Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscow
Take the Metro to Tretyakovskaya (Line 6, orange, and Line 8, yellow) or Polyanka (Line 6) and walk about 10 minutes to Bolshaya Ordynka 34. The convent lies about 2 km south of the Moscow Kremlin, according to the official site.
- By taxi: ask for Bolshaya Ordynka 34, the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent.
- On foot: the convent is a walk from the Tretyakov Gallery and Zamoskvorechye streets.
- Orientation: look for the entrance and the white cathedral behind the wall.
Accessibility
The grounds are paved in the main areas, but accessibility facilities such as ramps for the churches and the museum were not verified on the official site, so check mmom.ru or call before you go.
Food Nearby
Bolshaya Ordynka and the streets of Zamoskvorechye have many cafes and restaurants; the exact venues were not verified. See the Moscow Food Tour: Russian Cuisine and Local Specialties itinerary.
What to Bring
Bring modest clothing, with covered shoulders and knees, and a scarf for women to cover the head in the church; cash in rubles helps for candles and donations.
Best Views and Photo Spots of Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscow
The Intercession Cathedral from the garden
A white cathedral with carved crosses and a dark dome framed by trees.
Best time: Morning light.
The monument to the Grand Duchess
A bronze figure in the courtyard with the church behind.
Best time: Late afternoon.
The garden paths
Gravel paths, flower beds and benches with the cathedral at the end.
Best time: Early summer mornings.
The entrance from Bolshaya Ordynka
The gate and wall facing the street; follow signs.
Best time: Winter, with snow.
Photography Rules
Photography rules inside the churches and the museum were not verified on the official site, so ask staff and follow signs. Flash and tripods are not appropriate in churches, and drones must not be flown over the convent.
Family Suitability
Suitable for children who can be quiet and respectful, since the convent is a place of worship; the garden is a pleasant place for a short rest, and strollers are possible on flat paths but some churches have steps. Keep visits short with young children.
Moscow Vibes Tips
- Plan a Sunday visit if you want the one-hour tour of the Intercession Cathedral.
- Dress modestly before you enter, since it is an active convent.
- Read about Grand Duchess Elizabeth before the visit to understand the convent.
- Do not confuse the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent with the Novodevichy Convent in Khamovniki.
- Combine the visit with the Tretyakov Gallery area, which is a short walk away.
- Check the museum's tour times, since they differ from the garden's hours.
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FAQ: Marfo-Mariinsky Convent Moscow
Who founded the convent?
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, who opened it on 10 February 1909.
Who designed the cathedral?
Alexey Shchusev, who also designed Lenin's Mausoleum.
Is it an active convent?
Yes, it was reopened in 1992 and the sisters carry out charity work again.
Which Metro station is closest?
Tretyakovskaya or Polyanka, about 10 minutes on foot.
Is entry free?
The grounds are free according to guides; see the booking section.
Is there a museum?
Yes, a house-museum of the Grand Duchess with free tours.
Is it the same as Novodevichy Convent?
No. Novodevichy is a different convent in Khamovniki; see the Khamovniki and Novodevichy Convent Walking Itinerary.
Can I pay with a foreign card?
Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards are reported not to work in Russia, so carry cash in rubles; see the booking section for sanctions rules.
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Last updated: October 9, 2026.
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