Construction of the exposition and exhibition center of the historical Museum near the Novodevichy Monastery

A new exposition and exhibition center of the Historical Museum is being built near the ensemble Novodevichy Monastery. The museum center dedicated to the history of the ancient monastery should open a new page in the relationship between the monastery and the museum community, and in a broader sense, between the state and the Russian Orthodox Church. The Novodevichy Monastery has long been an integral part of the State Historical Museum. This is a unique historical and architectural complex, which was transferred to the Historical Museum of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2010. Our contacts with the monks of the monastery and the Moscow Diocese have never stopped," said Alexey Levykin, General Director of the State Historical Museum.

The state has returned to the Russian Orthodox Church what was taken from it after the 1917 revolution. But the Historical Museum was not offended either. Instead of the monastic cells that were not adapted for museum needs, a modern building is being built, which will house an exposition telling about the history of the ancient monastery and its role in the life of the state. The Historical Museum houses an iconostasis created in 1685 by royal icon painters for the Smolensk Cathedral of the Novodevichy Monastery. "The 2,000-square-meter exposition will tell about the close relationship between the history of the Novodevichy Monastery and the history of our country since the first half of the 16th century," Alexey Levykin added.

The construction is planned to be completed at the end of 2025, and the exposition and exhibition center of the Historical Museum will open for visitors in 2026. Restoration work is currently underway at the Novodevichy Monastery: the wall paintings of cathedrals, decoration elements and iconostases of monastic churches are being restored. This year, the Novodevichy Monastery will celebrate its 500th anniversary.