Ivanovo monastery or monastery of St. John the Baptist monastery is located in the centre of Moscow. It is believed that he founded in the 15th century, in the area of modern Halophytes, in place of the blighted Grand estates to Vladimirskaya Church. South of this Church, and founded a convent.

Funds for the maintenance of the monastery was donated to noble patrons. The monastery has also received funds from the state Treasury. In 1700, the monastery was listed as 37 yards peasants, in 1744 were 713 peasants. Since 1654 the walls of the Ivanovsky monastery were "wool fair". The monastery was put up for sale wool yarn, various wool, sewing with silver and gold. In 1700, the descendants of Prince Pozharsky gave Ivanovo monastery village and the village of Safonovo Yuriev in the Moscow district.

The monastery was burned in 1688 and 1737 and 1748 ceased to exist after the great fire. In 1761 by order of Empress Elizabeth, began work on the restoration of the monastery.

Many years Ivanovo monastery was the place of imprisonment of the unwanted women of the Royal house. The monastery was imprisoned Queen Maria p., wife of Vasily Shuisky and Lisa Gerrard – the second wife of Prince John, the eldest son of Ivan the terrible. Ivanovo monastery was used as a prison. In it contained the Bayou Taisia, a member of the conspiracy V. Golitsyn against Shuisky V. 1610. From 1768 to 1801, was contained in the monastery Saltychikha - D. M. Saltykov - for the murder of his serfs 139.

After the great fire of 1812, the monastery ceased to exist. In 1859 the monastery was revived. It was founded a school for orphans. Organized the hospital for nuns, nursery for children-foundlings, as well as icon-painting school for the sisters of the monastery.

In 1861-1878, the architect M. Bykovsky rebuilt Ivanovo monastery. Funds donated to this woman Makarova-Foxglove.

The Ivanovo monastery ensemble in style consonant with the Italian architecture of the time of the Renaissance period. At the heart of the monumental Cathedral with a huge faceted dome shape. The Cathedral of the beheading of John the Baptist leads in the development of the area surrounding the monastery. From the front, looking to the West, erected two towers-the bell tower. Among them are the Holy gates. On the East side of the Cathedral is the hospital building with the Church of Elizabeth. In the North-Western part of the monastery are private building and the refectory.

In 1918 the monastery was closed. In 1941, in the premises of the monastery was opened correspondence school of MIA USSR. In 1980-ies in the Cathedral of the monastery was the Central state archive of the Moscow region in the cell body was located organization Mosenergo, in the parish house was sewing factory and residential apartments. A new history of the Ivanovsky monastery began in 1992.

In our days Ivanovo monastery is active. Was restored the main Cathedral of the monastery of the beheading of John the Baptist. Several rooms of the monastery was transferred to the Brotherhood of the Holy Prince Vladimir. In the Church of Elizabeth, which was built in 1879 and restored in 1995, resumed. In the hospital corps opened an almshouse. In the parish house gymnasium is open.

Scenic views of the Ivanovo monastery like filmmakers. Several times he appears in images of the movie "Pokrovsky gates".