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The battle of 1380 at the
Kulikovo field, marked an important
victory by the Russians over the Tatars, and was one of the most decisive
moments in Russian history, bringing confidence to the people and helping them
to regain their independence. It also marked the beginning of a renaissance in
the arts and a revival in all aspects of life.
Dimitri Donskoy showed interest in monumental architecture. During his reign
several monasteries were built, among which the most important were Chudov,
Spaso-Androniev, Nikolougreshsky, Simonov and the Voznesensky and the
(Ascension) convent, founded by his wife Yevdokia in 1387 in the Kremlin.
Yevdokia was a daughter of Suzdal's Prince Dimitri Constantinovich, himself
also a very religious man. The Ascension convent had its own cathedral of the
same name. Here Yevdokia took the veil in 1407, and was buried when she died.
The cathedral has since become the burial place for grand duchesses and, later,
for tsarinas. The Ascension convent was demolished in 1928 and some royal
remains moved to the basement of the building next to the Archangel's
cathedral. During the transfer of the body of Martha Sobakina, the third wife
of Ivan the Terrible, the workers noticed that she was excellently preserved
and almost looked to be merely sleeping. Martha, an exceptionally beautiful
girl, was chosen by the tsar from among some two thousand contestants who were
brought to Alexandrovo, where the tsar moved at the height of the oprichina in
1571. Martha mysteriously died after being married to Ivan only fifteen days.
Only through the carelessness of the archaeologists was Martha's body not
preserved or even photographed.
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