Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery was founded in 1479 by Rev. Joseph of Volokolamsk. By the middle of the XVI century, the monastery became one of the richest in Russia, he patronized the Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

The oldest building of the monastery - a monumental refectory, built in 1504, with the One-room, building, modeled on the Moscow Faceted Chamber. At the northern side of the building in 1573 he was buried Malyuta Skuratov.

Cathedral of the Assumption was built in the late XVII century at the expense of the deacon Zachariah Silin. The cathedral is a square at the base building, richly decorated with tiles, borders, columns, domes, and with the original tent roof. Inside preserved carved iconostasis of the XVII century, gold columns and in the basement the relics of St. Joseph. The paintings of the cathedral made at the beginning of the XX century Palekh masters in ancient style.

Gate five-domed Church of St. Peter and Paul in 1589, built on the contribution Malyuta Skuratov, and has undergone some changes. Picturesque upper gallery, covering the perimeter of the church and the rich decoration of glazed ceramics on the sides of the entrance gate.

Surrounding the monastery walls and towers were built in the middle of the XVII century on the site of the former hard-hit during the Time of Troubles. Topped peaked tents and intricately decorated with figural polychrome brickwork and tiles, they are surprisingly enliven the severe monastic architecture.

At the end of the XVII century, the monastery bell tower was layered up to 10 lines and has become a mere five meters below the Ivan the Great in the Moscow Kremlin. The bell tower was blown up during the Great Patriotic War. Now it remained only on the ruins of the base, covered with a wooden canopy.

Premises Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery for a long time been used as a dungeon for political criminals. It contained SHUISKI and Maxim the Greek, Polish and French prisoners of war. In 1920 the monastery was closed and only in 1999 Monastery was revived for the monastic life.