Orthodox Russia. Monasteries and icons

In medieval Europe, monasteries were centers of writing, repositories of cultural and material values. Civilians hid behind their thick walls during wars and civil conflicts. This phenomenon was especially pronounced during the era of the Mongol conquest. In fact, we know the medieval life of our ancestors from the records left by the monks. Thanks to the archaeological finds of the last century, we have only slightly expanded our understanding of it. The collection is dedicated to a difficult period in the history of Russian monasticism: the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when monasteries were viewed primarily as a source of solution to the financial problems of the government and as an instrument of state propaganda. Despite, monasteries, especially the northern ones, remained centers of spiritual life for the common people.

Icons occupied a special place in the Russian consciousness. They were the tangible embodiment of divine help, solace in grief, a source of enlightenment and aesthetic pleasure. The icons of the Mother of God were especially revered, and naturally, their images occupy most of the virtual collection.

Both professional artisans and ordinary folk artists painted icons. They usually lacked training, but their creations, especially in the questionable 19th century, were imbued with a genuine religious feeling. Various aspects of creativity became the subject of research by Russian scientists at the beginning of the 20th century. Their works remain unsurpassed classics to this day.