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One of the several monasteries to have representation (a court) in the
Kremlin was the Simonov Monastery. The historians have different view points as
to its origin. It was founded by a follower of Saint Sergei, Simeon or more
likely by Fiodor, nephew of St Sergei. Another approach is that of V.A. Kuchkin
who believes that it was founded by Simeon the Proud. The territory of the
monastery was to have been used by the Great Princes for get aways. The
location was where the Moscow river makes sharp turns and is bordered by steep
banks. This interpretation is dubious in that the distance between that of the
Simonov monastery and the steep banks is substantial especially in distances
measured in the middle ages. Thus it is believed Prince Ivan Ivanovich founded
the monastery on the Steep Banks "V Krutitsakh." It is likewise
believed that the "old" Simonov monastery was the internment site of
the two warriors of the Kulikovo battle - Alexander Peresvet and Andrei
Osliaybya. In 1431 the church of the Vvedenie Vo Khram Svyatoi Bogorodisty was
built in brick on the grounds of the Simonov monastery on the north end of the
ramparts built by Dmitrii Donskoi in 1367.
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