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Where the Moskva River begins its loop around the marshy tongue of Luzhniki, southwest of the Zemlyanoy Gorod, a cluster of shining domes above a fortified rampart proclaims the presence of the Novodevichiy Convent (Novodevichiy monastyr; daily 8am-7pm for worship), one of the loveliest monasteries in Moscow. Founded in 1524, Novodevichiy is undeniably rich in historical associations and a coherent architectural ensemble, with the added attraction of Moscow's most venerable cemetery attached to it. A museum (Mon & Wed-Sun 10am-5pm; $4) of icons and manuscripts is found in the grounds, while at the heart of the convent stands the white Cathedral of the Virgin of Smolensk (sobor Smolenskoy Bogomateri), with a superb interior. To get there take the metro out to Sportivnaya, taking the ulitsa 10-ti Letiya Oktyabrya exit; a ten-minute walk to the end of the road brings you within sight of the convent's towers and ramparts. Beyond the convent's south wall lies the fascinating Novodevichiy Cemetery (Novodevicheskoe kladbishche; daily 10am-6pm), where many famous writers, artists and politicians are buried. During Soviet times, only burial in the Kremlin Wall was more prestigious. The highest concentration of famous dead is in the oldest part of the cemetery, starting with Nikolai Gogol, Anton Chekhov, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Mikhail Bulgakov, Dmitri Shostakovich and the Futurist poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, but Krushchev is also here - he died out of office, and was denied burial in the Kremlin wall.
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