The Presidential Library hosted the premiere of the film “Staraya Ladoga. The Cradle of Life»

On February 17, 2022  the Presidential Library’s cinema club meeting hosted the premiere of the film “Staraya Ladoga. The Cradle of Life directed by Alexander Ivushkin.

The cinema walk through the Orthodox shrines of Staraya Ladoga showed the history of the first capital of Russia. One of the oldest Russian monasteries, the Staraya Ladoga Nikolsky Monastery, was founded in 1240 by the holy noble Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky. To this day, the ancient St. Nicholas Church has been preserved on the territory of the monastery, which, according to legend, was erected at the behest of the rightful prince as a monument of military prowess and glory, in memory of the “degenerate Ladoga residents”, who, together with Alexander Nevsky, fought in the Battle of Nevsky. The film-conversation with hegumen Filaret (Pryashnikov) shows the firsthand about the problems of "survival" of ancient shrines, about the enormous work that the brethren and parishioners are doing.

The next "stop" indicated by the authors of the film is the village of Chernavino, Vasilyevsky churchyard. It is located in a picturesque place on the other side of the Volkhov River. Once upon a time there was an ancient Vasilyevsky monastery, which in the 17th century gave shelter to the Valaam monks, who were forced to leave the island due to the Swedish conquest. The church of Basil of Caesarea and the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, which have survived to this day, serve as a reminder of those ancient years. Today, these churches are in disrepair and are closed for monastic services.

Another plot of the film “Staraya Ladoga. The Cradle of Life” was dedicated to the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist, located on Malysheva Hill. Once it was here that the Ioannovsky Monastery was located, which saw many events from the history of the first capital of Russia. The story from the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist is a story about a passionate desire to revive the Orthodox shrines of Staraya Ladoga in their former glory. And this will be possible only when people realize the significance for the history of Russia of such amazing places as Staraya Ladoga, which are part of our national culture.

The event is available on the institution's YouTube Channel.