Museum of Religion and Atheism. State Museum of the History of Religion

The State Museum of the History of Religion (GMIR) is the only institution in Russia, and there are few similar places around the world. The collection, collected over the years, is still being replenished from all over the world. One institution houses more than 200 thousand exhibits.

Museum of the History of Religion of St. Petersburg

The founding of the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism in St. Petersburg is conventionally divided into two stages: laying the foundations and traditions of scientific, educational, exhibition and research work and restoring the fund after the war.

Founding history

On September 7, 1930, the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences put forward the initiative to open such an institution. Already on April 26, 1931, the idea was supported by the Central Election Commission of the USSR. The first director and founder of the museum of religion was the famous ethnographer and historian of those times - Vladimir Germanovich Tan-Bogoraz.

Throughout its existence (until 2000), the museum of religion was located in the Kazan Cathedral on Nevsky Prospekt. The first collection was created from exhibits from other museums, in particular the Hermitage and the Kunstkamera.

The institution was conceived as a platform for the study and analysis of religions. The first employees carried out serious scientific work, and not only stored exhibits.

By the beginning of the war, a rich exhibition had been collected, consisting of valuable and rare relics of the main branches of religion and individual movements within them. An impressive collection of books on religious studies and related history was also kept there. During the war, employees took care of the safety of exhibits, they even managed to organize several exhibitions.

IN post-war years The museum was being restored and replenished, and it became known outside the USSR. At that time, exhibitions on the religions of individual countries were actively created. A lot of energy and effort was invested in strengthening the position of the institution by its then director, an outstanding expert on the history of religious movements and public figure - V.D. Bonch-Bruevich, who lived in Moscow and ran the museum directly from there.

Current situation

In 2000, GMIR moved to a new location. For the first time in Russia after almost a century-long break, the complex was housed in a building specially equipped and adapted for museum needs. Employees are still studying the monuments cultural heritage and conduct exhibition activities.

The new directions of their work were:

1. Creation of educational and museum-pedagogical programs.
2. Creation of a relevant museum and tourism product aimed at different groups visitors.
3. Participation in solving socio-cultural problems of the North-Western region.

The issues are quite complex, but in the neutral space of the museum professional work employees allows them to get acquainted with religion at accessible language. The main task of specialists is to teach respect for the history and culture of different peoples, to cultivate conscious tolerance towards different faiths and ethnic groups.

Museum exhibitions

From the very beginning of its history, GMIR has constantly expanded its collection. Many exhibits have been kept since the opening, but some of them are exhibitions created just a few years ago.

Permanent

Today the following sections are open to the public in the Museum of Religion: permanent exhibition:

• history of Russian Orthodoxy;
• Catholicism;
• Protestantism;
• religions of the East: Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism;
• Islam;
• archaic beliefs and rituals;
• religion Ancient world: polytheism;
• religions of the Ancient World: Judaism and the emergence of monotheism;
• the emergence of Christianity.

Children's department

The Beginnings of Beginnings department is a comprehensive interactive exhibition space that complements the permanent exhibition of the Museum of Religion. The use of only copies and dummies of objects is its important feature. Thus, children are calmly allowed to take all things in their hands, look at them and explore.

The program's monitored content is combined with an interactive form of presenting material using a multimedia system and gaming technologies. In November 2011, the “Beginning of Beginnings” department became the winner All-Russian competition children's museum programs. There are currently two interactive programs: "Androcles and the Lion" and "A Dog Called Tiger."

Exhibit funds

The exhibitions are divided into fifteen funds, which combine narrower complexes.

Archaic and traditional beliefs

Material and pictorial monuments that characterize the archaic and traditional beliefs of the peoples of Russia, neighboring countries, and the indigenous populations of America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

Collections of traditional beliefs and exhibits included in them:

1. Indigenous peoples of Siberia and Far East: various attributes of rituals and Siberian shamanism.
2. Peoples of the Volga region: ritual utensils and musical instruments, priestly robes, offerings to spirits, amulets.
3. Peoples of the Caucasus: priestly costumes, sacrifices from sanctuaries, ritual materials New Year's holiday, amulets, ritual cookies.
4. Russians and Belarusians: Christmas masks, ritual cookies, Kupala wreaths, cuckoo dolls, goo-birds, materials on funeral, memorial and wedding rituals.
5. Peoples of Indonesia and Melanesia: bags for sacred rice, wands and priestly fortune-telling books, Melanesian sculptural images ancestors, ship of the dead.
6. American Indians: shamanic masks and headpieces, noisy dance bracelets.
7. Peoples of Africa: masks, sculptures, weapons.
8. Archaeological excavations medieval Pyatnitsky burial ground in the city of Murom (IX–XI centuries). Includes bronze jewelry and iron weapons.

Religions of early civilizations

Sections of the fund's collection correspond to their division according to historical, cultural and religious affiliations.

1. Numismatic (VI-V centuries BC - IV century AD).
2. Archaeological (VI century BC - XIII century AD).
3. Sculpture.
4. A separate set of exhibits consists of a gypsum sculpture of the 19th-20th centuries, transferred in the 1950s from the Academy of Arts and State Hermitage.
5. Graphic arts.
6. Works of Western European masters of the 18th-19th centuries. on ancient subjects.

Orthodoxy

The main part of the collection consists of monuments from the 17th-20th centuries; the specificity is determined by the variety of iconographic material.

Collections and complexes of exhibits:

1. Icons of the late 17th - early 18th centuries.
2. Icons of masterful writing of the late 19th - early 20th centuries.
3. Oil painting.
4. Printed graphics.
5. Engraved and lithographed prints.
6. Original graphics.
7. Watercolor Old Believer drawings of the 18th-19th centuries.
8. Soviet posters and cartoons of the 1920s—1940s.

Islam

The fund's collection includes religious objects, graphics, paintings, and works of decorative and applied art. They represent the dogma, rituals, culture and way of life of peoples professing Islam. The main part of the exhibits dates back to the 18th-21st centuries.

Collections:

1. Religious objects.
2. Works of decorative and applied art and household items.
3. Religious wall chromolithographs published in Kazan at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries.
4. Religious posters and " folk pictures» from countries of the foreign East.
5. Amulets and amulets.
6. Women's jewelry with religious symbols.
7. Paintings and graphic works of Russian and Soviet artists.
8. Engravings for the Russian translation of D'Hosson's book “The Complete Picture of the Ottoman Empire.”

Judaism

Various ritual utensils and graphics, including those from existing synagogues. Chronological framework fund: XVIII - early XX centuries.

Complexes:

1. Torah scrolls.
2. Items that form an integral part of the sefer Torah vestment, and festive ritual utensils made of metal.
3. Wooden cases for mezuzah.
4. Tefillin.
5. Jewish postcards.
6. Charts.

Religions of the East

The collection presents historical and cultural monuments of Buddhism, Shintoism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Chronological scope of the collection: II-XXI centuries.

Complexes:

1. Archaeological excavations of the Buddhist cult center Kara-Tepe II-IV centuries. n. e.
2. Japanese scrolls of the 17th-19th centuries. with images of Buddhist characters.
3. Hindu and Buddhist ritual masks of the Tsam mystery.
4. Buddhist thangkas (icons) of the 18th-20th centuries.
5. Buddhist sculptures of the 18th-20th centuries.
6. Buddhist ritual utensils of the 18th-20th centuries.
7. Musical instruments used in Buddhist rituals.
8. Multi-figure composition "Sukhavati - the pure land of Buddha Amitabha."
9. Chinese folk paintings(splints) XVIII-XIX centuries. Academician V. M. Alekseev.
10. Chinese sculptures of the 19th century. from a mouthguard.
11. Chromolithographs of the late XIX - early XX centuries. depicting characters from the Hindu pantheon.
12. Hindu sculptures of the 18th-19th centuries. from the collection of F. M. Plyushkin.
13. Ritual objects of the XX-XXI centuries, received as a gift from the International scientific society"Shinto" (Japan).
14. Japanese home icon cases of the 18th-19th centuries.

Religions of the West

Includes paintings, sculptures, graphics, as well as church utensils and details of the vestments of the clergy of the countries Western Europe.

Complexes:

1. Italian painting.
2. Spanish painting XV-XX centuries
3. Painting Northern Europe(Germany, the Netherlands, Flanders and Holland).
4. German and French sculptures of the XIV-XVI centuries.
5. Sculptures of the XVII-XX centuries.
6. Graphic arts.
7. Decorative and applied arts.
8. Numismatics (from the Middle Ages to the 20th century).
9. Medals.
10. Western European stained glass (XVI - late XIX century).

Other funds

All funds are presented in fascinating exhibitions within the walls of the museum. The building itself is divided into sectors, so visitors gradually move from halls dedicated to primitive religions to more recent areas. The decoration of the premises also echoes and corresponds to the collections. In some rooms, music (often church music) from the era that guests are currently experiencing is played.

Other funds:

1. Precious metals(products for religious purposes, mainly made of silver).
2. Scientific and historical archive (various printed materials, historical documents and collections).
3. Decorative and applied arts in Orthodoxy (mainly objects that make up the decoration of Orthodox churches and temples).
4. art in Orthodoxy (graphics and painting of Russian Orthodox Church).
5. Rare books (mainly theological content).
6. Fabrics (clothing and fabrics for religious ceremonies and other textiles).
7. Philately (postage stamps from almost all countries, religious images from different eras).
8. Music library-multimedia (music and videos).
9. Photo library (photos from the last 150 years depicting various sanctuaries, objects for religious rituals, lifestyles of people of different faiths, etc.).

Museum Library

The book collection department was created in 1932. Currently, the library has about 192,000 items. This is one of the largest book collections on issues of atheism and religion, the only secular library in Russia, where literature on various faiths and sciences (history, philosophy, ethnography, etc.) is so fully presented.

Book collections

The core of the collection consists of books donated by the following organizations and individuals:

1. Reserve collection of the Library of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
2. Fund of the university library (formerly the University Library).
3. Central Anti-Religious Museum (CAM) in Moscow.
4. Workers' Anti-Religious University (Leningrad).
5. Polytechnical Institute.
6. Institute of History.
7. Synodal Library.
8. Saint Isaac's Cathedral.
9. Expeditions, purchases, gifts from private individuals.
10. Churches, monasteries that have ceased to exist.
11. Part of the book fund of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society.
12. Books from V.D.’s personal libraries Bonch-Bruevich, B.Ya. Ramma, A.N. Nikolsky, Archpriest I.N. Chetverukhina and others.

A systematic catalog has been maintained since the thirties and has developed along with the library. It is compiled at a high professional level, which makes it possible to quickly compile a bibliography on all relevant topics.

The library stores following types and types of publications:

• books (sacred texts, reference books, monographs, collections of articles);
• brochures;
• albums;
• exhibition catalogues;
• periodicals in different languages.

The book collection of the fund includes publications from the 17th - 21st centuries.

Collections of the Scientific Library:

• publications of the Bible of the World and Russian Bible Societies;
• Masonic literature;
• theological pre-revolutionary periodicals;
• collections of Proceedings of Theological Seminaries and Academies;
• religious and philosophical editions of the second half of the 19th century– beginning of the 20th century;
• Old Believer literature;
• anti-religious literature of the 1920-1930s;
• works of museum staff;
• books in European languages ​​"Rossica".

Visiting opportunities

The library of the Museum of Religion began to exhibit thematic book exhibitions, revealing the richness and diversity of our holdings. Registration is made on the basis of an application letter, which must be endorsed by the management of the organization where the potential reader works/studies.

The library of the Museum of Religion is a unique specialized book collection and serves the following categories of people:

• specialists (scientific and museum staff, teachers, journalists, etc.);
• undergraduate and graduate students of universities;
• representatives of various religious organizations and confessions.

When visiting the State Historical Museum, you should show respect and follow some rules to avoid damage or complete destruction of exhibits.

How to get there

The actual address of the institution: 190000 St. Petersburg, Pochtamtskaya street, 14/5. It is next to St. Isaac's Cathedral in the Admiralteysky district.

You can get around the city in the following ways:

1. Metro stations: Nevsky Avenue, Gostiny Dvor, Spasskaya, Sadovaya, Sennaya Square, Admiralteyskaya.
2. Buses: No. 3, 6, 22, 27.
3. Trolleybuses: No. 5, 22.
4. Minibus taxis: No. 169, 306, No. 6, 62, 350.

Get off at the Pochtamtsky Lane stop, then you need to cross the road and follow straight along the yellow building. The entrance is located to the left of the famous Post Office Arch.

Opening hours and ticket prices

When checking the schedule, please note that the ticket office closes one hour before the museum closes.

Operating mode:

• opening hours - from 10:00 to 18:00;
• permanent exhibition - from 10:00 to 17:30;
• temporary exhibitions - from 10:00 to 17:30;
• ticket office - from 10:00 to 17:00;
• day off - Wednesday;
• The first Monday of the month is social day (free entry for all categories of visitors).

Ticket prices vary depending on citizenship and status (in rubles):

• for foreigners - 300;
• for Russians and residents of the CIS - 150;
• for full-time students of foreign universities - 200;
• students of foreign universities upon presentation of international student IDs (ISIC or IYTC) - 100;
• students from Russia and the CIS - 50;
• ticket for a foreign student - free;
• for schoolchildren in Russia and the CIS - free;
• pensioners - 50.

The specified categories of tickets give the right to a single visit to the permanent exhibition and temporary exhibitions of the Museum of Religion. The ticket is valid for a one-time visit to the museum for one day. Refunds of unused tickets are only possible on the day of purchase and if the ticket itself is available. Validity period of the electronic entrance ticket(for all categories of visitors, without excursion service), purchased through the museum’s website, is valid for 30 days from the date of the selected date.

Right free visit The museum is used by the following categories of citizens (upon presentation of the appropriate document):

1. Participants and disabled people of the Great Patriotic War and categories of citizens equivalent to them.
2. Faces, medal recipients“For the defense of Leningrad” and the sign “Resident besieged Leningrad».
3. Internationalist warriors, conscripts.
4. Non-working disabled people of groups I and II.
5. Children preschool age.
6. Orphans and children left without parental care.
7. Pupils of orphanages and boarding schools.
8. Mothers of many children and minor family members.
9. Employees of museums of the Russian Federation.
10. ICOM members.

To receive a discount, you must present a document confirming your right to the benefit ( student ID, passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, pension certificate, etc.). Otherwise, the ticket office employee has the right to refuse the benefit and sell the ticket at full price.

Cost of group visits (in rubles):

1. Groups from 6 people additional payment - 80, for English speakers - 100.
2. Group of up to 5 people, cost for the whole group is 1,200 for Russian, for English - 2,300.

TO additional services includes permission for photography and rental of an audio guide (100 rubles for 4 hours and a deposit of 1,000). The ticket price does not include permission to use a camera and video camera - for this you need to pay an additional 200 rubles. Shooting on Cell phones also paid in advance. Single visitors can walk through the museum with a guide for an additional fee.

Video

This video shows one of the reports, dedicated to the museum.

It is unlikely that anyone has counted how many museums there are in the world. The State Museum of Religion in St. Petersburg is the only one in Russia and one of the few in the world whose exhibitions represent the history of the formation of religion. The funds of exhibits collected in St. Petersburg number more than two hundred thousand copies: these are cultural and historical monuments different peoples and eras. The most ancient of them are archaeological finds dating back to the 6th millennium BC. e.

How was the State Government created in St. Petersburg?

In the Winter Palace ( White Hall) in the spring of 1930, an atheistic exhibition was presented to the public. It was based on exhibits from many museums in the city - the Kunstkamera, the Russian Museum, the Hermitage. The initiator of the creation of this exhibition was Vladimir Germanovich Bogoraz, a famous ethnographer, historian, and linguist.

Demonstration and study of the material attributes of religion, as well as objects of worship, was considered a good way that could save Soviet citizens from the “church trouble.” The exhibition successfully fit into the ideology of the time, when the fight against religion was carried out using all available methods. It is for this reason that the exhibition was extremely popular.

Transformation of the exhibition

The exhibition was quickly replenished with new exhibits, and soon it became necessary to transform it into the Museum of Religion. St. Petersburg was replenished with a new interesting institution in 1930. The city authorities decided to give the building of the Kazan Cathedral, which at that time was inactive, to the needs of the new museum. Moreover, at the time of the “moving” the magnificent temple was in deplorable condition. The museum staff were forced to put it in order on their own.

Only in 1932 were they completed preparatory work. In mid-November the museum received its first visitors. It should be noted that this event took place thanks to the talented and wise leadership of V. G. Bogoraz and the enormous enthusiasm of the employees. The Museum of Religion in St. Petersburg has been developing successfully. Its employees went on expeditions to various remote corners of Russia and abroad, the collections were replenished with new exhibits, new exhibitions were regularly opened, and existing ones were improved.

In parallel, serious scientific research was carried out and In 1935, a scientific research association appeared at the Museum of Religion, which was engaged in the study of already collected collections. By the beginning of 1941, all the numerous exhibitions were professionally designed and contained a lot of valuable information about the history and development of beliefs of different peoples.

Imperceptibly, the anti-religious exhibition transformed into a large scientific institution engaged in educational activities.

Museum during the war

The Great Patriotic War became a terrible, difficult test for our country and its people. We must not forget what trials befell Leningrad and its inhabitants, who not only lived in inhumane conditions, they worked and guarded the priceless treasures of their hometown.

Most of the employees of the Museum of Religion in St. Petersburg (Leningrad) went to the front, and only a few people preserved the collections. Despite the fact that almost all the exhibitions were mothballed, the staff managed to organize several exhibitions in besieged Leningrad.

After 1945, the hardest painstaking work began to restore the collections of the Museum of Religion in St. Petersburg. The building was severely damaged; cold and dampness settled in its premises, which could significantly damage the collections. Employees had to combine their main scientific activity with work to restore the building and exhibitions.

Unfortunately, after the war, the permanent head of the museum, V. G. Bogoraz, passed away, and the city leadership decided to merge the Museums of Religion of Moscow and Leningrad with the organization of exhibitions in the capital. But this plan was not destined to come true - the collections of the Moscow museum were transported to the Kazan Cathedral, which was renovated in 1948.

Return to old slogans

In the sixties of the last century, ideology Soviet Union again intensified atheistic propaganda. In 1954, the museum was renamed - it began to be called the Museum of Religion and Atheism. Accordingly, the direction of his work changed - it was assumed that the subject of research should now be the anti-scientific nature of religion, and it was recommended to change the exhibition so that atheism looked like the only true worldview of Soviet people.

New building

A new stage of development of the State. Museum of History and Religion in St. Petersburg began in the nineties of the last century, when throughout the country the restoration of historical sites that were destroyed or closed during Soviet times began. This wave could not help but affect the Kazan Cathedral, so they urgently began to find another premises for the museum.

Not far from Isaac's Square premises were selected for the Museum of Religion in St. Petersburg. The address of the new building is st. Pochtamtskaya, 15/4. The building required serious restoration, and it must be said that it was carried out taking into account the requirements of the museum. During construction and finishing work, they tried to adapt it to the needs of the museum to the maximum. It changed its name again - the State Museum of the History of Religion in St. Petersburg. He has been working in his new location since 2001.

His collections moved from the huge and high halls of the Kazan Cathedral to more compact but bright rooms. Museum workers I had to re-create the exhibitions. Nowadays, when organizational difficulties are a thing of the past, and all ideological dogmas have been forgotten by us, the Museum of Religion invites St. Petersburg residents and guests of the city to get acquainted with priceless exhibits that tell about the mysterious aspect of human life - about faith.

Exhibitions

We have already said that today the museum collections contain about two hundred thousand exhibits that illustrate the history of world religions, movements and beliefs of various peoples. These are graphics and paintings, clothing for rituals and objects of worship, manuscripts and books, products made of precious metals and musical instruments, collections of stamps and coins, video, photo, and audio materials.

All exhibits are divided into fifteen funds, each of which covers a separate topic. All objects are displayed in the form of exhibitions, placed in a certain order - visitors move from archaic to medieval, and then move on to later religious movements. Sound and decoration halls enhances the impression of the inspection.

The museum hosts dozens of excursions that are dedicated to the main world religions. People visit excursions different ages- from elementary schoolchildren to retirees, they often come here Foreign tourists. For each category, you can choose an interesting program - about the afterlife of Ancient Egypt and religious symbolism, about monasteries and shamans of Siberia, about objects of exotic cults and famous hermits. Special programs are offered for young visitors.

In addition to excursions, the Museum hosts scientific conferences and lectures, and has a library. Most visitors are satisfied that the information provided by the guides is bright and accessible, but at the same time scientific in nature. There is no preference given to any particular religion, just as there is no propaganda of atheism, and even in the museum today there is no hall dedicated to it.

Hidden in the archives is also a collection of torture instruments of the Inquisition, which in the old days was exhibited in the basements of the Kazan Cathedral.

Museum Features

Moving from hall to hall, guests can compare how the attitude towards God has changed among people of different faiths, but at the same time, when the tour ends, the question of whether there is a God or not remains open. After the museum moved to a new premises, exhibitions with some rituals that could frighten visitors (for example, instruments of torture) were removed.

Along with atheism, some sects do not have their own halls. For example, Baptistism, which is very popular in the United States, did not receive a place in the museum.

How to get there?

The museum is located almost next to St. Isaac's Cathedral. You can get here by walking from the Admiralteyskaya metro station. The journey will take no more than twenty minutes.

Ticket prices

We inform everyone who wants to visit the Museum of Religion in St. Petersburg: the ticket price for adult guests is 400 rubles. For pensioners (upon presentation of identification) - 85 rubles. For students (student card required) - 100 rubles. For schoolchildren - 100 rubles. For foreigners - 300 rubles. On the first Monday of every month, admission to the museum is free.

IN different eras history, religion has been a special miracle for all the peoples of our world. She saved lives, blessed sinners, helped scientific minds explain those unknown phenomena that surrounded people, it was religion that preserved modern material values, it was Religion that was capable of both seizing and maintaining power, it was Religion that started the war and dealt with people disliked by the authorities. If you want to consider its history, aspects, learn about the peculiarities of the religion of Ancient Rus', and the Ancient World, you should visit the State Museum of the History of Religion in St. Petersburg.

The unique history of the Museum of Religions in St. Petersburg

On the territory of St. Petersburg there is the State Museum of the History of Religion; it has been located on Pochtamtskaya Street in a building since 1991. The exhibitions presented there testify to the emergence of a particular religion and its development over the centuries. Today this museum is the only one of its kind in the Russian Federation. There are very few such institutions in the world.

Let us note that modern humanity throughout history has considered religion from a scientific point of view, however, a museum that is entirely dedicated to this issue appeared for the first time only in the USSR, and to this day it has been preserved as an atheist, although it studies religious aspects.

This museum contains 200,000 exhibits that contain information related to Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism and Islam.

The exhibition, which is dedicated to Orthodoxy, the eastern branch of Christianity, includes real materials. There are icons, ancient books, temple utensils, clergy clothes, items from the Old Believer church, etc. The principle of the exhibition (thematic and chronological) introduces visitors to the Russian history of Orthodoxy from Epiphany to the beginning of the twentieth century. Its sections are educational and extremely interesting.

For the first time in its almost 80-year history, the State Museum of the History of Religion will open to large audience the mysterious world of Eastern religions. The new section of the permanent museum exhibition will include original examples of sacred art from Central, South, East, and Southeast Asia. The opening occurred at four o'clock in the afternoon on September 28, 2010.

This Museum has never had a special open section of the exhibition, which is dedicated to the religions of the states of Central, South, East, and Southeast Asia. There was no presentation of the collections of the Eastern Religions Foundation to a large audience. Only a small part of the exhibitions called on modern language fund of undisguised storage, was accessible to a limited number of visitors. Usually, for specialist researchers, museum employees and others. Temporary exhibitions allowed some exhibits to be displayed.

In 3 halls of the new section, the exhibition presents 800 monuments. It is quite rare that such a large collection of original objects is presented in modern museums. But the section is rich not only in exhibits. There are various artifacts in the halls of the museum, which display the maximum full information regarding the religions of the East - Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism.

The spatial design solution is non-standard and informative

The structure of the exhibition is determined by the diverse picture religious life countries of Central, South, East, and Southeast Asia.

In the first hall you can get acquainted with the main stages in the development of Buddhism, the figurative meaning of bodhisattvas and buddhas, and other subjects. At the same time, staged scenes are reproduced here, such as: “Contemplation of the wrathful deity Vajrabhairava”, “Lama’s Room”, “Festival of the Future Buddha Maitreya”, which was developed in 1930 by Buryat artist-lamas together with orientalist scientists.

A separate showcase presents a panorama of the “Mystery of Tsam”, that is, ritual dances that were performed by Buddhist monks in Mongolia, Nepal, Tibet, and Northern India.

One of the exhibition sections is dedicated to Tibetan medicine.

The model of the altar of the then Buddhist temple serves as a real exhibition pearl. The center of the composition is the Buddha in the sambhogakaya (i.e., in the body of bliss). He was depicted in “prince’s attire”, wearing earrings, a mantle, a crown, and bracelets on his legs and arms. Surrounding the Buddha are figures of arhats, who are his disciples who have achieved enlightenment. There are also bowls used for offerings, vessels needed to store holy water, a mandala (which is a sacrificial dish), an incense burner, Buddhist symbols - that is, 7 jewels, as well as 8 lucky emblems, which are located near the sacred images. The altar is decorated with “banners of victory.” Also, the exhibition includes the development of a light scenario representing Buddhist teachings regarding the cosmos. At the same time, a model of the interior of the Buddhist temple of St. Petersburg has also been placed.

Buddhist scroll paintings of the 19th-20th centuries introduce subjects related to the life of the Buddhist founder Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha Shakyamuni). - presented in the form of a thangka, and also widely represented at the exhibition (“Birth of the Bodhisattva”, 19th century; “Descent of the White Elephant”, 19th century; “The Wheel of Being”, 20th century; “In the Circle of Noble Women”, 19th century . and etc.). In this hall you can see the robes and attributes of Buddhist monks; also images of deities, their cult was preserved along with Buddhism, and sculptures of Buddha (XIX-XX centuries), which entered the museum collection from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia. It is necessary to pay attention to the monuments of the Buddhist cult complex - the so-called. Kara-Tepe (II-IV centuries AD), which were brought by the workers of this Museum from expeditions carried out in modern Uzbekistan.

The second hall testifies to the religions of India. There are subjects here that introduce the main movements and origins of the world's largest national religion - that is, Hinduism, which has its roots in the Vedic religion. The exhibition displays sculptural images of the deities of the Vedic Pantheon - Saraswati, Indra and others. During the formation of Hinduism, the cult of these deities was in the background, and Vishnu and Brahma took their place. Shiva introduces us to Shaivite and Vaishnava mythology; all this is presented in the hall with works of Indian painting, as well as sculptures of decorative and applied arts. Other exhibits in the hall introduce us to Hindu rituals - musical traditional instruments, amulets, masks, lamps, ritual bells. Many regional cults have become widespread among the peoples of South Asia. The exhibition widely displays monuments that testify to the diversity of beliefs of the people.

The unique scrolls, which are exhibited in the 3rd hall, show the diversity and diversity of religious beliefs in Japan and China, where Taoism, Buddhism, Shintoism, and Confucianism have interacted for centuries. Very interesting are the Chinese popular prints, which are in the collection of Academician V.M. Alekseev, which were collected in China by him at the beginning of the 20th century. The subjects of the popular prints reflected the people's ideas regarding earthly happiness and well-being. The sculpture of the founder of Taoism, Lao Tzu, and the Taoist immortals also amazes with its inherent artistic merit, expressing scenes that reveal the fantastic stories of their lives. No less remarkable is the embroidered canvas “Three Gods of Happiness”, striking in its beauty and originality. The model of the altar of Amida Buddha also attracts attention.

The display cases in which the exhibits are placed imitate the facades of Buddhist temples. And the interactive space of the hall gives every visitor the opportunity to spin prayer wheels on which mantras (prayers) are inscribed.

Along with the opening of a new section of the exhibition, the section “Sukhavati - Pure land Buddha Amitabha" (“Buddhist Paradise”), which is a three-dimensional model reflecting the Pure Land of Buddha Amitabha. The area occupied by the layout is 12 square meters. m. When designing this layout, special lighting effects were used, with the help of which the meaning of the entire composition is revealed.

All visitors to the museum will be able to touch the history of Eastern religions. A large collection, including more than a thousand monuments, is evidence of the religious world of China, Japan, India, as well as Asian states. The Buddhist exposition is presented in 14 sections.

Islam

A separate exhibition is dedicated to Islam. It is proposed to consider “Shiism”, “Sunnah and Koran”, “Sufism”, “Cult” among the sections available in it. One of the halls presents the holy book of the Islamic religion. During the excursion, visitors will get acquainted with Islam and the history of its origin, as well as its directions. The exhibits include a mace, a dervish axe, a staff and clothes, etc.

Excursions to the State Museum of the History of Religion

The museum presents a variety of excursions for visitors, schoolchildren, and students from around the world. The range of these tours is truly unique, with the museum providing over 300 options. This excursion lasts more than two hours. Often students from other countries who come to explore unique story Russia, they book bus excursions around the most beautiful city in Russia - St. Petersburg. Guides also conduct excursions for the youngest visitors. If you want to get acquainted with certain types of exhibitions, then the guides have prepared special, unique excursions for you, and many of them are designed at a time convenient for you, on weekends, or can last several hours. In the museum you can see and learn about every religion in the world, about such phenomena as monasticism or various ancient beliefs. Many visitors interesting excursion consider an excursion about religious symbols of both Russia and other countries of the world. Tourists also find the excursion program about the afterlife and the history of Russian ancient holidays very interesting. The museum has developed a program for a thematic exhibition for both schoolchildren and preschoolers; the program can also be tailored to the theme of a particular holiday. For the most inquisitive visitors, the museum's directors have developed programs on the History of Religion, which can be ordered individually. This is exactly the program that takes place in the evening, when the museum closes, the so-called night excursion. It is worth noting that it includes tasting of various drinks or reenactment of individual religious rituals.

The museum also opened an exhibition entitled “Russian Church Embroidery of the 17th-20th Centuries”, and a unique “Masonic Collection” was opened.

Currently, the Museum has a scientific library; the fund was officially opened in 1932. Today the library has approximately 192,000 unique book items. And it is considered one of the largest collections of monuments of both religion and atheism. Science Library was recognized as the only library in Russia of secular and religious nature. It presents books on a wide variety of areas: Islam, Buddhism, Shintoism, Taoism, Judaism, etc. Here you can find books on psychology, ethnography, fine arts, museology, as well as unique monuments ancient history Russia.

Ten years ago, the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg began to operate as a cathedral. In the years Soviet power, there was a Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism.

Of course, this was perceived by believers as an outrage. However, some believe that it was precisely this circumstance that saved many shrines from destruction, and perhaps the temple itself, which turns 200 this year.

Some argue that it was thanks to the museum that many shrines were preserved. Of course, it is unknown whether the cathedral would have survived at all if a museum had not been opened in it in 1932

Who is the owner of the temple?

For sixty years, atheistic propaganda was carried out within the walls of the temple. And although services in the cathedral resumed in 1992, the museum workers felt like masters. It was as hosts that in 1996 they met Archpriest Pavel Krasnotsvetov, who was appointed the new rector. The director of the museum explained to the priest that the liturgy in the cathedral is celebrated only on Sundays and it must be completed before eleven o'clock - then the excursions begin. “Sorry, but this is a cathedral, and we will serve the liturgy, as it should be in a cathedral, every day. From ten to about twelve, but we can finish later. Please lead excursions, and we will serve.” The abbot immediately made it clear who was the boss here and who was the guest.

So they coexisted within the same walls - a museum and an Orthodox parish, and one could often observe how an atheistic excursion was taking place in the temple, and the Divine Liturgy was being served at the other end. Only in 2001 the museum finally left the walls of the temple, moving to the premises allocated to it on Pochtamtskaya Street.

Forgotten relics

And in the 1990s, when the state’s attitude towards the Church changed, the relics of St. Zosima, Savvaty and Herman of Solovetsky, Seraphim of Sarov, and St. Joasaph of Belgorod were found here. But if many icons during the years of militant atheism were really saved through the efforts of employees art museums, then in the Kazan Cathedral something was preserved rather thanks to the disorder.

When a museum opened in the cathedral, many shrines taken from churches and monasteries were given to it. But it is difficult to say how many of them were stolen or destroyed here. Father Pavel recalls how in one of the rooms where an employee was sitting, he saw more than a dozen torn altar Gospels on the floor. The museum treated other Orthodox shrines with the same carelessness. Oddly enough, this saved the relics of the Solovetsky saints and Seraphim of Sarov - they were simply forgotten. The late Patriarch Alexy II later spoke about the discovery of the relics of St. Seraphim: “Sewn into matting, they lay in the storerooms of the museum, in one of the rooms of the former sacristy, where tapestries were kept... We found the act and documents of the opening of the relics in 1920. One of these documents states that the relics were removed from the monastery for their destruction or exhibition in a museum. That is, the threat of destruction of the holy relics of St. Seraphim was quite real. But by God’s Providence evil was turned into good.”

And the relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod were preserved thanks to the workers of the museum. In 1956, there was an anthrax epidemic in Astrakhan. In this regard, all museums were ordered to remove the relics from their exhibitions and, if possible, destroy them. The director, without hesitation, ordered the relics of St. Joasaph to be burned in the stove. The two workers to whom he entrusted this task were apparently believers. They wrapped the body in wrapping paper, then in a curtain and also in black paper, tied it all up and buried it in the attic, where there was a large layer of slag. In 1990, one of them, before his death, told his daughter about this and asked her to inform the diocese. The diocese sent a commission to the museum, which included Father Pavel Krasnotsvetov. “We found a large package in the attic, took it downstairs, and unwrapped it. The relics were preserved without any decay,” the priest recalls. An expert group arrived from Moscow, checked the inventory and documents and determined that these were the relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod.

No one is responsible for losses

It is still unknown exactly how many relics brought to the museum have disappeared. “A lot of church items lay here without any accounting. They brought it from Moscow in the thirties, dumped it in a corner, and that’s it,” Father Pavel sighs. For example, the reliquary with a particle of the relics of the holy martyr Hermogenes, which had been kept in the cathedral since 1919, disappeared.

In 1813, Field Marshal Kutuzov was buried in the cathedral. They brought to the cathedral banners captured from the French, and keys to many cities taken by Russian troops. Kazansky was a temple almost from the very beginning military glory. It is no coincidence that in 1837 monuments to Kutuzov and Barclay de Tolly were erected on the square in front of the cathedral.

In 1914, most of the flags from Kutuzov’s grave were taken to Moscow, historical Museum. Some of the keys have disappeared. The grave itself was opened several times under Soviet rule. The Smolensk Icon hanging above it Mother of God, which the field marshal always took with him on military campaigns, was replaced with the Smolensk icon of the 20th century. Now the Kutuzov icon is in the Museum of the History of Religion. Instead of a gilded dove holding a lamp in its beak, an eagle of the French or Polish type now hangs above the commander’s head. Nobody knows when the replacement took place.

Its dome shone with silver

The building itself, after museum use, has not been preserved at its best. “The museum’s management knew that sooner or later they would have to leave here, so they didn’t invest a penny in technical repairs,” says Chief Engineer cathedral Evgeny Danilevsky, who began working here at the museum in the early 1990s. “They didn’t even think it was necessary to run hot water.” In winter, sometimes the room warmed up to only five degrees. Here the windows are very large, unusual for a Russian church. A lot of heat escapes through them. But nothing worked; the air ducts had holes long ago.” Retired colonel, Evgeniy Ivanovich is a non-church person. “I have a different upbringing, I grew up in the family of a Soviet officer and served in the army for 36 years,” says the chief engineer. Despite his unchurchishness, he loves the cathedral very much, has thoroughly studied its history and can talk about it for hours. “Everyone is used to the fact that the dome is green, but from old photographs you can see that it used to play in silver. It was originally covered with tinned iron, but during the war two bombs hit the dome. We had to change it, and after the war it was covered with copper. And copper turns green. It’s a pity that so far there are no plans to replace the coating. A cathedral with a shiny dome shimmering in silver would look completely different,” laments Evgeniy Danilevsky. He is also worried about the roof, for which not a penny was allocated this year. Work on the facades has not begun. Previously, they had black boards with quotations from the Gospel engraved on them. The letters were all torn off, many of the boards also disappeared. Perhaps something is kept in the museum, but its workers, according to Evgeniy Ivanovich, themselves do not really know what they have.

What remains of the cathedral

The temple, transferred to the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism in 1932, was once magnificent. Built on the model of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, it looked very unusual. The colonnade alone caused so much bewilderment - 126 columns 14 meters high. Paul I himself, by whose order the temple was erected, saw the hands of Christ in these columns, hugging everyone who came here. But even today, not everyone considers such an architectural innovation successful. For example, the famous church architect Andrei Anisimov calls the colonnade a brilliant artistic solution from the point of view of organizing the square and attracting people’s attention, but he is convinced that it is unnecessary for the cathedral, since these columns do not carry a spiritual meaning, and therefore have no relation to church architecture.

Another architect, Mikhail Filippov, on the contrary, is convinced that the Kazan Cathedral, like hundreds of other Russian churches built during the Synodal period under the influence of Western traditions, organically merged into Orthodox culture, enriching church architecture.

The interior of the cathedral once amazed with its luxury. The iconostasis alone cost 1,800 kilograms of silver. Of course, after the campaign to confiscate church valuables, nothing remained of this wealth. In 1930, the iconostasis was finally destroyed, and its four jasper columns were soon transferred to Moscow to the Academy of Sciences. I had to restore everything bit by bit. In the museum of the University of Railway Transport, a folder “Projects of the Kazan Cathedral” was miraculously found. The iconostasis was restored according to the drawings. True, it was impossible to make new columns from jasper. I had to pick it up artificial material under this stone. And instead of silver sheet, the new iconostasis was covered with leaf.

The old iconostasis was painted famous artists- Borovikovsky, Andrei Ivanov (father of Alexander Ivanov - author of “The Appearance of Christ to the People”), Tyurin, Urzhumov. Today these paintings are in the Russian Museum. Copies were made for the iconostasis.

However, these shortcomings, visible to a specialist, are unlikely to be noticed by a simple sightseer. By the 200th anniversary of the cathedral, not a trace remained of the Bolshevik desecration.

The State Museum of the History of Religion is the only one in Russia and one of the few museums in the world whose exhibitions present the history of the emergence and development of religion.

The museum's holdings number about 200,000 exhibits. These are historical and cultural monuments different countries, eras and peoples: from the archaic, Ancient Egypt and Israel to the early European Middle Ages; from Ancient Greece and Rome to modern times; Buddhism and Islam. The oldest exhibits museum collection- archaeological finds dating back to the 6th millennium BC.

Museum building built in the 1860s. designed by architect A. Kavos, located in historical center St. Petersburg. It houses permanent exhibitions and funds open storage, temporary exhibitions, special programs, and lectures are held. The museum operates a Center for Youth Programs - the museum's educational platform, the main target audience of which is students of all forms of education.

Today the following sections of the permanent exhibition are open in the museum: " Archaic beliefs and rituals", "Religions of the Ancient World: Polytheism", "Religions of the Ancient World: Judaism and the Emergence of Monotheism", "The Emergence of Christianity", "History of Russian Orthodoxy", "Catholicism", "Protestantism", "Religions of the East: Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism", "Islam".

In addition, the museum has regular access to storage funds:

- "Masonic Collection" is one of the most extensive collections on this topic in our country. The history of Freemasonry from various countries is presented - Russia, Germany, France, Belgium, etc. The collection's time span is also quite wide - from the end of the 18th century to the 1930s.

- "Japanese Collection", which presents both genuine rarities of the 18th - 19th centuries, for example, famous scrolls from various temples in Japan, and quite modern items- amulets, pilgrimage souvenirs, etc.

- "Collection of Western European paintings". The fund includes works of religious and secular art Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Holland, Flanders, Poland. Chronological framework of the collection XIV - XX centuries.