Thursday, November 5, 2015

The Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, opened the Patriarchal Church Art Museum – Official portal of the Moscow Patriarchate

November 5, 2015 11:58

October 5, 2015 in the cloister the lower church of the Transfiguration Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and All Russia Kirill and Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation VR Medina led the opening ceremony of the Patriarch of the museum of religious art.

The event was attended by Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion, the first Vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Moscow Metropolitan Arseny of Istra, Head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s administrative secretariat Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, the first deputy governor of the Moscow Patriarchate, Bishop Savva Resurrection, secretary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Moscow, Archpriest Vladimir Divakov, Senior Priest of Christ the Savior Cathedral Archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, the head of the Moscow Patriarchate Publishing, Art and chairman of the Commission at the Diocesan Board of Moscow, Archpriest Vladimir police, clergy of the capital.

The opening ceremony was also attended by the chairman of the Moscow City Duma AV Shaposhnikov, Minister of Moscow Government, Head of the Department of Culture of Moscow AV Kibovsky, Head of the national policy, inter-regional relations and tourism of Moscow VV Chernikov, director of the Tretyakov Gallery ZI Tregulova, director of the State Historical Museum AK Levykin, vice-president of the Russian Academy of Arts, the architect MM Posokhin, director of the foundation of the Temple of Christ the Savior SG Semenenko, representatives of museums in Moscow.

Addressing the ceremony, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill said:

«Today we are opening a permanent exhibition works of religious art in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. It is based on a unique collection of icons, which met at the beginning under the auspices of the Department for External Church Relations, and then the Moscow Patriarchate, with the support of the late President Yeltsin and President Putin still alive, with the active participation of patrons, both Russian and foreign. This collection consists of icons that allow people who want to learn about the history of religious art, to see the development of church canon and style icons, from the most ancient times, from the Fayum portraits, and up to the XX century.

I hope that on the basis of the museum will be held educational seminars, lectures, to work with young people. All this is possible thanks to the fact that the exhibition presents remarkable works, I dare say, of global significance. Here and ancient Byzantine iconography, and the Italo-Greek, Russian, Balkan iconography – in other words, for a very short time you can learn the history and variety of icons.

I would also like to recall the name of a remarkable man, recently deceased German journalist Norbert Kuchinke that many of you are known for playing the hapless Danes in the film “Autumn Marathon”. This man loved Russia, loved Russian art and helped me, then chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, to find these treasures. He dreamed about how to open a unique exhibition in the center of Moscow, but did not live up to this time, and I found it necessary to recall the name of Norbert Kuchinke as a man who stood at the origins of the museum.

I thank all of you for your attention to today’s event, and I hope that not only experts but also wide circles will be able to appreciate the significance of this remarkable exhibition».

Culture Minister VR Medina, in his speech at the opening ceremony noted, in particular, that the history of the formation of Russian culture “is inconceivable without an understanding of how to develop the art of the creation of the icon.” The Minister thanked the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and the organizers of the exhibition for the creation of a unique project.

Patriarch Kirill and VR Medina cut the symbolic ribbon at the entrance to the halls of the Patriarch of the museum.

Children’s choir of Christ the Savior performed the song “do good works».

Then, The Primate of the Russian Church and Culture Minister got acquainted with the exposition.

***

From 1998 in the gallery of the Church of Transfiguration located branch of the Museum of History of Moscow – The Museum of Christ the Savior. The exhibition was devoted to the history of the cathedral – its creation, death and rebirth. In 2003, the museum opened an exhibition of religious art.

Now, on the initiative of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, an exhibition of religious art takes on a new format and is becoming Patriarchal museum, where visitors can see a lot of unique pieces of religious art.

The exhibition includes, in particular, the monuments of religious art V-XX centuries, donated Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church – the ever-memorable Patriarch Alexy II and Patriarch Kirill.

The exhibits presented at the exhibition demonstrate the diversity of the Christian culture of different countries, schools and trends. Much of the collection – icons, different in style, technique, time of writing, the degree of preservation. The exhibition gives an idea of ​​the historical and geographical aspects of the development of icon painting as a genre of religious art. Monuments of the Byzantine Empire, Palestine, Asia Minor, Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Georgia and Northern Europe coexist in the exhibition with Russian icons of Novgorod, Moscow, Pskov, Stroganov School.

According to the curator of the exhibition, the cleric Christ the Savior Cathedral Archpriest George Martynov, the earliest monuments of Russian icon painting, displayed at the exhibition belong to the XIV century. – This icon of the Archangel Michael and the Archangel Gabriel.

One of the exhibits – Egyptian Fayum portrait (technique and manner of execution Fayum portraits allow researchers to claim that they have in a sense, one of the originals of the works of ancient iconography).

Among the exhibits: the Palestinian mosaic (V-VI cent.); Byzantine icon of the Nativity (late XIV – early XV century.); alloy icons from Byzantium, Georgia and Asia Minor (V-XII centuries.); chalice (XII century.); a rare iconography of St. George “double miracle» (XVI century). Icon of Our Lady of the Palestinian Child (Siena School, XIV c.); Icon Fiery Ascent of the Prophet Elijah with Scenes from His Life St. (mid. XVI c.); a rare collection of fine mineynyh ikon- “pills» (XVI century.), which are images of saints, placed on the 12 bilateral icons in the order of the church calendar.

also presented a triptych, written by VM Vasnetsov for the World Exhibition in Paris in 1899.

There is an ongoing scientific study of the collection, the catalog will be published. Shortly after the opening of the main exhibition will be equipped with an additional exhibition hall.

The museum will be open every day from 10.00 to 17.00.

Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

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