His Holiness Patriarch Alexy opens ‘The Holy Land in Russian Art’ Exhibition

HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH ALEXY OPENS ‘THE HOLY LAND IN RUSSIAN ART’ EXHIBITION

‘The Holy Land in Russian Art’ exhibition was opened in the State Tretyakov Gallery on 21 December 2001. Exhibited are old icons and pictures of the Biblical lands, engravings, lithographs, manuscripts and printed books on the travels to the Holy Land, information on the activities of the Orthodox Palestinian Society and the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem and some other documents. Some of the exhibits were presented to the public for the first time, for instance a portrait of Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin), which was brought to Moscow from the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission upon the blessing His Holiness Patriarch Alexy. Taking part in exhibition preparation were Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery and other museums of the capital. The museums of Tula, Pskov and Taganrog presented the exhibits from their collections.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy said at the opening ceremony: Russia has had links with the Holy Land from many years. The Russian Ecclesiastical Mission was established 154 years ago. The Mission’s heads bought the plots of land, built churches, monasteries and the houses for pilgrims who came there from Russia to visit the places where our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ performed His earthly deed.

His Holiness reminded the audience that during the Soviet period in the history of our state Russian pilgrims had no opportunity to visit the holy places of the Bible and that after the Second World War only small groups of clergymen could visit Jerusalem on Easter. The traditions of pilgrimage are being revived in new Russia, and thousands of Russian people now visit the Holy land and venerate the greatest holy places of Christianity.

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church expressed his regret for the decreasing number of the pilgrims from Russia this year because of the terrorist acts and hostilities. People are just afraid of the outbursts of violence in the region. ‘Yet we hope that peace in the Holy Land will be reestablished, and pilgrims will be able to visit the sites where the greatest events in the history of Christian Church took place’ – said His Holiness Patriarch Alexy.

After the ceremony His Holiness was presented the first personal membership card of the ‘Tretyakov Gallery Friends Society’. Present at the exhibition opening was H.E.Natan Miron, Ambassador of the State of Israel in Russia. He wished the inhabitants of Jerusalem to see the exhibition dedicated to the Holy Land.