# Epiphany-Anastasia Convent, Kostroma > The Epiphany-Anastasia Convent is a working Orthodox nunnery in central Kostroma, a 7–10 minute walk north of Susanin Square. Entry is free, but visitors only get into the Epiphany Cathedral, entered straight from the street — the convent grounds are closed. The cathedral opens daily from about 7:30 until early evening. Allow 30–40 minutes. The famous Feodorovskaya icon moved to the Kostroma Kremlin in November 2023. Web page: https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/epiphany-anastasia-convent - City: [Kostroma](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma), Russia - YesGo score: 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 40 min - Opening hours: Cathedral daily, roughly 7:30–18:30 (one source says until 19:30); the convent grounds are closed to visitors - With kids: Better without small kids - Entry: Free; candles and prayer notes by donation - What’s open: The Epiphany Cathedral and a chapel, both entered from the street; the grounds are closed - Cathedral hours: Daily, roughly 7:30–18:30; one guide says until 19:30 - Services: Weekdays 7:30 and 18:00; weekends and feast days from 9:00 - Dress code: Women: skirt and headscarf; men: long trousers, no hat inside - On foot: 7–10 min north of Susanin Square - Payment: Visa and Mastercard issued abroad don’t work in Russia — bring a little cash for candles - Feodorovskaya icon: Since 5 November 2023 in the Epiphany Cathedral of the Kostroma Kremlin, not here - Address: Ulitsa Simanovskogo 26, Kostroma - Coordinates: 57.77245, 40.92502 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **1426** — founded by St Nikita of Kostroma, a relative and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh (source: The convent’s official website; Orthochristian; Russian Wikipedia (15th century)) - **1559–1565** — the Epiphany Cathedral was built — the oldest surviving stone building in Kostroma (source: Russian Wikipedia; Orthochristian; Rusmania) - **1991–2023** — the Feodorovskaya icon, Kostroma’s most revered, was kept here; it is now in the Kremlin cathedral (source: Russian Wikipedia; Orthochristian) - **1863** — the men’s monastery became a convent and merged with the neighbouring Anastasia convent — hence the double name (source: Russian Wikipedia; Azbuka Palomnika; Rusmania) - **1608** — Polish-Lithuanian troops under Lisowski stormed the monastery and killed 11 monks (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1825** — the Smolensk Church was built at the south-west tower, around an icon painted on the tower wall (source: Azbuka Palomnika; Rusmania) - **1918** — closed by the Soviets; the cathedral later housed an archive (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1982** — a fire destroyed what was left of the cathedral’s 17th-century frescoes (source: Russian Wikipedia; Orthochristian; English Wikipedia) - **1990** — revived as a convent; the first nuns arrived in 1991 from Pühtitsa Convent in Estonia (source: Russian Wikipedia; Azbuka Palomnika) - **St Nikita** — the founder’s relics rest in the lower church beneath the cathedral altar (source: Azbuka Palomnika; Tonkosti travel guide) > **Can you go inside? Only the cathedral** This is a working nunnery, and the grounds behind the walls are closed to visitors — only pilgrim groups go in, by arrangement. What you can visit is the **Epiphany Cathedral**, which has its own entrance straight from Ulitsa Simanovskogo, plus a chapel. Don’t try the gates or wander towards the nuns’ buildings. The best way to see the whole convent is to walk around its walls. > **Dress code** The usual Orthodox church rules apply, and a convent takes them seriously. Women should wear a skirt below the knee and cover their hair and shoulders. Men need long trousers and take hats off at the door. Bring your own scarf — there may be no spares at the entrance. During a service, stand still at the back and don’t take photos without asking. ## Is it worth visiting? Yes, if you’re already in the centre: it’s a 10-minute walk from Susanin Square and takes half an hour. The Epiphany Cathedral, begun in 1559, is the oldest stone building in Kostroma, and stepping into a quiet working church after the busy Trading Rows is a nice change of pace. Don’t make a detour for the Feodorovskaya icon — many guides still place it here, but it moved to the rebuilt cathedral in the Kostroma Kremlin in 2023. And don’t expect to stroll the courtyard; it’s off limits. If you only have time for one religious site in Kostroma, choose the [Ipatiev Monastery](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/ipatiev-monastery): open grounds, frescoes and the Romanov story. ## What the convent is The Epiphany-Anastasia Convent — Bogoyavlensko-Anastasiin Monastyr in Russian, listed in some guides as the Monastery of the Epiphany or the Theophany Convent — is a women’s community of the Kostroma diocese. St Nikita of Kostroma founded it as a men’s monastery in 1426. In 1863 it became a convent and absorbed the nearby Anastasia convent, which is where the second half of the name comes from. From 1991 to 2023 its cathedral served as the cathedral of the diocese and held the Feodorovskaya icon of the Mother of God, the city’s great relic; tradition says Mikhail Romanov’s mother blessed him with it in 1613. On 5 November 2023 the icon was carried to the newly rebuilt Epiphany Cathedral in the Kostroma Kremlin, consecrated that September. The convent today is a calm place of prayer rather than a museum: no exhibitions, no tickets, no courtyard tours. ## Opening hours and service times The cathedral is open every day, roughly 7:30–18:30 according to the Orthodox pilgrim directory Azbuka Palomnika; one travel site says until 19:30. The same directory lists weekday services at 7:30 and 18:00, with the morning service at 9:00 on weekends and feast days. The convent doesn’t publish a timetable online, so treat these times as a guide. For sightseeing, come in the middle of the day, between the morning and evening services. The cathedral is quiet then, and you can look at the iconostasis and go down to the founder’s relics without disturbing anyone. There is no weekly closing day. ## What to see - **The Epiphany Cathedral** — a white-stone, four-pillar 16th-century church with five golden domes, joined in the 19th century by a red-brick extension in the Russian Revival style. Inside: blue vaults, icons in gilded frames and a tall iconostasis. - **The lower church** of St Sergius and St Nikita beneath the altar, where the relics of the founder, St Nikita of Kostroma, rest. - **The relics collection** — the pilgrim directory describes a reliquary cross holding fragments of many saints’ relics, and the relics of Elder Timon of Nadeevo. - **The Smolensk Church** (1825) at the south-west corner tower, built around an icon of the Virgin painted straight onto the tower wall; tradition says the image survived several great fires. - **The 17th-century walls and towers**, best seen by walking around the block along Ulitsa Simanovskogo and Ulitsa Pyatnitskaya. - **The gate bell tower** with its tall tent roof, visible from several streets away. - **The monument to St Theodore Stratelates** (2002), the saint the Feodorovskaya icon is named after. ## Why is it called “Anastasia”? The first half of the name comes from the Epiphany Cathedral. The second comes from a separate women’s convent that stood nearby; by tradition it was founded by Anastasia, a daughter of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy. It was attached to the Epiphany monastery in the 16th century and abolished in Catherine the Great’s church reform of 1764. The Epiphany monastery itself was almost destroyed by fire in 1847. In 1863 the two histories were joined: a convent opened on the Epiphany site and took the name Epiphany-Anastasia. You may also see it spelled Bogoyavlensky-Anastasiin or Anastasyinsky — it’s the same place. ## How to get to the convent from Susanin Square 1. Start at [Susanin Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/susanin-square) by the [Fire Tower](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-fire-tower). From Kostroma railway station (the bus station is in the same building), a bus or trolleybus to the **Susaninskaya Ploshchad** stop takes about 15 minutes. 2. Walk north, away from the Volga, towards **Ulitsa Simanovskogo**. The convent is less than a kilometre away — 7–10 minutes on foot. A maps app such as Yandex Maps works well in Russia. 3. Look for the white wall with towers and the golden domes. The cathedral entrance is on **Ulitsa Simanovskogo**, through a side porch — not through the main gate. 4. By public transport: **trolleybuses 2 and 7** or **bus 1** to **Ulitsa Pyatnitskaya**, or **bus 2** to **Fabrika-Kukhnya**. Check current numbers in the app — routes change. 5. A taxi from anywhere in the centre takes 5–10 minutes. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Women: skirt below the knee and a headscarf - [ ] Men: long trousers; shoulders covered for everyone - [ ] Small cash in roubles — foreign Visa and Mastercard don’t work in Russia - [ ] Visit between services - [ ] Know that the Feodorovskaya icon is now in the Kremlin cathedral - [ ] Entrance is on Ulitsa Simanovskogo, not through the gate ## Epiphany-Anastasia Convent vs Kostroma’s other churches | | Epiphany-Anastasia Convent | Ipatiev Monastery | Resurrection Church on the Debre | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Where | Centre, 7–10 min from Susanin Square | Where the Kostroma River meets the Volga, ≈ 3 km out | Near the Volga, in the historic centre | | Highlight | 16th-century cathedral, St Nikita’s relics | Frescoed Trinity Cathedral, the 1613 Romanov story | 17th-century church with wall paintings | | Entry | Free, cathedral only | Paid museum; services free | Working church, free | | Time | 30–40 min | ≈ 2 h | 20–30 min | With one day: the Ipatiev Monastery in the morning, then a walk through the centre after lunch — the square, the Trading Rows, this convent and the Debre church. ## Kostroma’s churches and monasteries compared Every church and monastery in Kostroma rated by YesGo. - [Epiphany-Anastasia Convent](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/epiphany-anastasia-convent) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free, cathedral only - [Church of the Resurrection on the Debre](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/resurrection-church-on-debre) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Ipatiev Monastery](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/ipatiev-monastery) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ≈ 350–400 ₽, services free ## Central Kostroma on foot in half a day Susanin Square and the Fire Tower, the Trading Rows, then north to the convent and down to the Resurrection Church on the Debre by the Volga. YesGo fits in the timing and walks. 1. [Susanin Square](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/susanin-square) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free 2. [Kostroma Fire Tower](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-fire-tower) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free to see outside; no climb 3. [Kostroma Trading Rows](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-trading-rows) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free 4. [Epiphany-Anastasia Convent](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/epiphany-anastasia-convent) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free, cathedral only 5. [Church of the Resurrection on the Debre](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/resurrection-church-on-debre) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free ## Good to know There are Epiphany monasteries in other Russian cities too, including Moscow and Uglich; this page is about the one in Kostroma. Also, don’t mix up this convent’s cathedral with the Epiphany Cathedral in the Kostroma Kremlin by the Volga — a different church, rebuilt in 2023, and the one that now holds the Feodorovskaya icon. ## Tips - Come around midday, between services, when the cathedral is quiet. - Bring your own headscarf and skirt rather than hoping to borrow one. - Walk around the outside: the walls and the corner Smolensk Church are only visible from the street. - Carry small rouble notes for candles and donations — foreign cards won’t work. - Here for the Feodorovskaya icon? Go to the Kremlin cathedral by the Volga instead. - Pair it with the [Trading Rows](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/kostroma-trading-rows) and the [Resurrection Church on the Debre](https://yesgo.io/russia/kostroma/resurrection-church-on-debre) — all walkable. - There are almost no signs in English; a guided tour fills in the history. ## Questions ### Where is the Epiphany-Anastasia Convent? In central Kostroma at Ulitsa Simanovskogo 26, a 7–10 minute walk north of Susanin Square. ### Can tourists go inside? Into the Epiphany Cathedral and a chapel, yes — free, from the street. The convent grounds and buildings are closed to visitors. ### Is it free? Yes. There is no ticket; candles and prayer notes are paid for by donation. ### What are the opening hours? The cathedral opens daily from about 7:30 until 18:30; one source says 19:30. There is no closing day. ### What time are the services? According to the Azbuka Palomnika pilgrim directory, weekdays at 7:30 and 18:00, and from 9:00 on weekends and feast days. ### Is there a dress code? Yes. Women wear a skirt below the knee and a headscarf; men wear long trousers and remove hats. Shoulders covered for everyone. ### Is the Feodorovskaya icon still here? No. It was kept here from 1991 to 2023 and moved on 5 November 2023 to the rebuilt Epiphany Cathedral in the Kostroma Kremlin. ### Why is it called Epiphany-Anastasia? In 1863 the Epiphany monastery merged with a neighbouring Anastasia convent, said to have been founded by a daughter of Dmitry Donskoy. ### Can I pay by card? You don’t need to pay to enter. For candles, bring cash: Visa and Mastercard issued abroad have not worked in Russia since March 2022. ### How long do I need? 30–40 minutes for the cathedral, the relics and a walk around the walls. ## How we checked Dates and history were checked against English and Russian Wikipedia, Azbuka Palomnika, Rusmania and Orthochristian. Founding year: the official website and Orthochristian give 1426, Wikipedia says “15th century”; we use 1426. The year it became a convent appears as 1847 in one part of Russian Wikipedia and 1863 elsewhere; we use 1863, when it took its current name. Many guides (and the convent’s own site) still say the Feodorovskaya icon is here, but Wikipedia and Orthochristian report its transfer to the Kremlin cathedral on 5 November 2023, and we follow them. Cathedral hours: 7:30–18:30 per Azbuka Palomnika, 7:30–19:30 per Sputnik8 — both shown. Service times come only from Azbuka Palomnika, since the official site publishes none, so the row is marked “verifying”. The closed grounds and street entrance are reported by both Azbuka Palomnika and Tonkosti. Bus and trolleybus numbers come from those two guides; walking times are our own map estimate. ## Sources - The convent’s official website — address, phone, founding year - English and Russian Wikipedia: Theophany Convent, Kostroma; Wikidata Q4089836 - Azbuka Palomnika (Orthodox pilgrim directory): cathedral hours, services, visitor rules, relics, transport - Tonkosti travel guide: visitor access, relics, transport - Orthochristian: transfer of the Feodorovskaya icon to the Kostroma Kremlin, November 2023; the convent’s 600th anniversary - Rusmania: Bogoyavlensko-Anastasiin Convent — building dates - Visa and Mastercard statements on suspending operations in Russia, March 2022 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.