The Novodevichy convent: the central development area of the 16th -17th centuries (based on the materials from the 2020 excavation trench)

The paper describes results of the archaeological excavations carried out in the area which is located south of the main Smolensky Cathedral dedicated to the icon of Our Lady of Smolensk in the Novodevichy Convent. The analysis of the planigraphy and stratigraphy of this area suggests that in the 16th-17th centuries residential quarters were located between the cathedral and the first stone wall surrounding the convent. The only survived constructions are ground floors sunk into the soil. The finds from the floors confirm the status of the nuns from aristocratic families who lived in the convent. Four out of six buildings were destroyed by fires in the early and the middle of the 17th century. Two buildings stand out from the other surviving structures because of their rich and various finds; fragments of imported ceramic and glass vessels were discovered in one of these two buildings. Three buildings contained glazed tile stoves covered by plaster. The results of the excavations give an insight into construction activities in the convent during the first 100 years of its existence. The data from written sources along with the archaeological materials suggest that the first constructions in the convent were destroyed by fire that occurred in Moscow in 1611 and which also destroyed the convent.