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Danilov (St Daniel) Monastery

The first monastery was built by Daniel Moskovsky in 1282. This Prince was then canonized by the Orthodox Church in 1652 because of the miracles he was credited with. Devastated by the Tatars in 1293, Danilov Monastery was rebuilt under Ivan the Terrible. Fortified, it became a part of Moscow’s southern defense. It resisted some attacks but was set on fire in 1610. Restored later, the monastery kept growing and in the 20th century it had three churches. Its cemetery was famous for being the burial place of renowned Russian culture artists like Nicolas Gogol. Shut down in Soviet times, the monastery hosted a reform school. The cemetery was vandalized. The ashes of some famous artists were transferred to other cemeteries. Five years were necessary for the Monastery to be restored and for two new churches to be built after it was returned to the Church in 1983. Since 1987, it hosts the headquarters of Moscow’s Patriarchate. In 2008, the bells were returned to the Monastery. They had been in Harvard University since they were sold in the 1930s.
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