An exhibition ‘Russia.Orthodoxy.Culture’ in the State Museum of History

AN EXHIBITION ‘RUSSIA.ORTHODOXY.CULTURE’ IN THE STATE MUSEUM OF HISTORY

On October 26, the commemoration day of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia celebrated a prayer service in the Iberian chapel at the Resurrection Gates. After that in the State Museum of History, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church led a ceremony of the opening of the ‘Russia.Orthodoxy.Culture’ exhibition dedicated to the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ and the coming of the third millennium. Taking part in the ceremony were the RF Minister of Culture M.Shvydkoy, director of the State Museum of History A.Shkurko, rector of the Moscow State University A.Sadovnichy, Metropolitan Methody of Voronezh and Lipetsk and Archbishop Arseny of Istra.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II said in his speech at the exhibition opening: ‘It is remarkable that the exhibition dedicated to the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ is being opened in the building of the State Museum of History, which concept and decoration are to remind people of the fundamental role of Orthodox Christianity in the history and culture of Russia’. His Holiness noted that the years of the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia and the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ were marked by spiritual revival of the Fatherland, which is being built through concerted efforts of the Church, science and culture.

The choir of the Moscow Theological Academy performed church hymns.

There are more than 700 exhibits of church art from the reserve stocks of the State Museum of History, the museums of Vladimir, Suzdal, Rostov the Great, Yaroslavl, Murom and Novgorod. Among the exhibits are the oldest double-sided small Russian icon painted on birch-bark and dated 1029, which was found by an archaeological expedition of Academician V.Yanin at the excavations in Novgorod last summer.