History and Culture: Exhibition “Time to Collect Stones: Marking the 20th Anniversary of the Revival of the Staraya Ladoga St. Nicholas Monastery” presented in St. Petersburg

The exhibition Time to Collect Stones: Marking the 20th Anniversary of the Revival of the Staraya Ladoga St. Nicholas Monastery has opened in the Korf Hall of the National Library of Russia (St. Petersburg).

The exhibition tells about the life of the monastery in pre-revolutionary and Soviet times, as well as about the stage of its revival in recent decades. The exhibits include manuscripts, rare editions, photographs, drawings and artifacts from the collections of the National Library of Russia and the monastery.

At the opening, the originals of the monastery synodics of the XVI-XIX centuries stored in the Department of Manuscripts of the NLR were presented. The role of synodics in the Russian Orthodox Church is remarkable. For centuries, they have been irreplaceable books among the public. Today, with the help of these commemorative publications, it is possible to trace the inclusion of the monastery in the historical canvas of the country. Their pages contain notes about such famous figures of Russia as the outstanding generals Mikhail Kutuzov and Alexander Suvorov, St. Petersburg merchant, ancestor of the great academician Pavel Likhachov, grandson of the commander, military Governor General of St. Petersburg Alexander Suvorov, patron of arts and philanthropist Count Nikolai Sheremetev, and others.

According to the legend, the monastery was founded immediately after the Battle on the Neva in 1240. This is partially confirmed by archeological excavations. The exhibition displays a census book of the first half of 1500 with the first written mention of the monastery.

The rare editions include a brief biography of one of the most famous abbots of the monastery Archimandite Appolos. A Brief Essay on the Life and Work (St. Petersburg, 1900), which tells about “the best times in the annals of the monastery”, as well as Historical and Statistical Description of the Staraya Ladoga St. Nicholas Monastery (St. Petersburg, 1865), compiled by Abbot John.

The memoirs of the famous peredvizhnik artist Vassily Maximov, published in the Golos minuvshevo (The Voice of the Past) magazine (1913), will tell about the years of study at the St. Nicholas Monastery school.

Numerous photographs and drawings used in the design of the exhibition allow visitors to trace the stages of both the decline of the monastery and its active revival.

The exposition is complemented by items of church utensils (XVIII-XX c.), icons and liturgical literature (XVIII-XIX c.), a collection of crosses (XVII-XIX c.) from the collections of the museum of the St. Nicholas Monastery.

The exhibition has been organized by the National Library of Russia together with the Staraya Ladoga St. Nicholas Monastery.

The exhibition will run until January 31, 2023.