Museum of ancient Russian culture and art. Central Museum of Old Russian Culture and Art named after

"The abyss has opened, full of stars" - this is how I can briefly describe my impressions of visiting the Andrei Rublev Museum, officially called the Andrei Rublev Central Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art.

Let's start with the fact that the museum itself is located on the territory of the Spaso-Andronnikov Monastery (founded on this site in the 14th century), and the exposition itself occupies the premises of the Church of Michael the Archangel (1691-1739). This is very successful, in my opinion, because. The main part of the museum's collection is made up of icons and other objects related to religion. Several amazing discoveries awaited me at this place, I will try to tell you about them in order.

We came here for the opening of the exhibition" Apocalypse wondrous", which is dedicated to a remarkable monument of the Pomeranian Old Believer book culture of the late 17th - early 18th centuries - an illustrated manuscript of the Book of Revelation of John the Theologian. But the first thing we saw (and were amazed at the impression made) was the hall of icons of the 16th century.

Pay attention to the background on which the icons are located. I think this is an absolutely wonderful find. The fresh color of the young foliage is incredibly suitable for the icons of the 16th century, in which there is a lot of the same tenderness, strength and freshness. A little later, the museum staff told us that the color space is the idea behind the new design of the museum. Each hall is dedicated to icons of a certain period. And the background color not only makes it easier for the viewer to assign paintings to a particular century, but is also chosen in accordance with the color preferences of icon painters. For example, noble dark green was chosen for the 18th century, deep blue for the 19th century.

Here I was interested in an unusual icon of the Mother of God, around the image of which there are many symbols. This is where you realize how much the average person of the 19th century was more versed in symbolism than the same person of the 21st century ... It would be very interesting to decipher all these small images in circles.

All the halls mentioned (green and blue) are on the second floor, but don't think that's all. The first floor is dedicated to the most ancient and valuable icons (they are on a red background), and if you go higher, you can see a rare wooden sculpture (in my opinion - charming and very interesting), and even higher - the frescoes of the altar, transferred here from the destroyed temples ( the photo does not convey the atmosphere at all, so come see with your own eyes).

But back to the subject of our original curiosity. Those. to the Old Believer manuscript. It is worth noting that this exhibition is unique - it presents only one exhibit, but you can see almost all the pages in detail. Of course, no one will allow you to flip through an old copy, but you can look at miniatures and texts as much as you like on a large screen nearby.

The initial miniature shows John the Theologian with an angel descending to him, sent by the Lord to show the Revelation about "what must be soon." And it is this future that we see further through the eyes of John. By the way, looking at the miniatures turned out to be very exciting. The manuscript is made with great love, each sheet is framed, the headpieces impress with a lush pattern, the headings are neatly drawn in cinnabar.

Miniatures of the "Apocalypse" consistently reveal the contents of the book of Revelation of John the Theologian. The main cycle of the Apocalypse is made up of 72 miniatures accompanying each chapter. So even an illiterate person, leafing through a book, would understand a lot for himself. By the way, pay attention to the images of tulips. Tulips are something like an artist's mark. There are quite a few of them throughout the manuscript.

The mysterious content, vivid images, and numerical symbolism of the Apocalypse led to the appearance of an extensive interpretative literature. The most famous and popular was the interpretation of Andrew of Caesarea (6-7 century). He divided the text into 72 chapters, explaining it as follows: we divided the present work into twenty-four words and seventy-two chapters according to the tripartite nature of the being - body, soul and spirit, twenty-four elders, which, as will be confirmed below, designate the fullness of those who pleased God from the beginning to the end of the age. We consider further discussions about this God-inspired book to be completely superfluous. And. However, such a statement did not at all prevent further interpreters from offering their own versions. This "Apocalypse", for example, is three-way - that is, besides the canonical one, he has two more (anonymous) interpreters.

In general, the further you get into this topic, the more interesting it becomes. This is truly an abyss, full of stars. I cannot but say that this book was written on Amsterdam paper. Those. the connections of the Pomeranian Old Believers with Europe is another interesting topic.

The exhibition will last only 1 month - until April 10, 2018 (then the book will be replaced by something else, probably also interesting), so hurry up to see it.

It would be time to end here, but I want to talk about one more room that made the most vivid impression on me. The iconostasis (brought from the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery) is lowered down here, to the level of the floor. Due to this, a person, entering the hall, suddenly finds himself among the saints. Due to the close levels (the icons are just the height of a person), an amazing feeling of the realness of the images arises. In the most human sense. And it's an absolutely amazing feeling! It's very difficult to explain, but it's like the sky came down to you. That alone is worth coming here for.

The Andrei Rublev Central Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art is the only special museum in Russia dedicated to the Russian artistic culture of the Middle Ages. The museum is located within the walls of the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, where the great Russian icon painter Rev. Andrei Rublev lived, worked and was buried.

On the territory of the monastery, the oldest stone church in Moscow, the Spassky Cathedral, built during the life of Andrei Rublev in the first quarter of the 15th century, has been preserved.

The museum's collection has been collected over the past 50 years and includes about 10 thousand works of ancient Russian art. It gives a comprehensive idea of ​​the artistic life of Ancient Rus'. Its main core is made up of works of fine art: monuments of icon painting of the 13th-17th centuries, book miniatures, monumental painting (fragments of murals taken from the walls, as well as copies of frescoes).

The icon painting collection includes monuments of all directions and schools from antiquity to the late Middle Ages (Moscow, Rostov, Novgorod, Pskov, Tver, the Volga region). The pride of the museum collection is the works of the masters of the circle Andrei Rublev and Dionisy, their closest followers, images created by special order of Ivan the Terrible, signature works of the iconographers of the Armory.

The museum's collection includes a variety of works of decorative and applied art of the 11th-19th centuries: facial embroidery, wooden sculpture, small plastic, enamels, items made of precious metals. The collection of manuscripts and early printed books includes liturgical and secular compositions, singing books of the 15th-19th centuries.

The museum offers visitors a variety of sightseeing and thematic tours, as well as special programs for children and adults.

Highly qualified specialists of the museum conduct an examination of works of ancient Russian art.

History of the Andrey Rublev Museum

The Andrei Rublev Museum was established by a government decree on December 10, 1947. The initiator of the creation of the museum was Pyotr Dmitrievich Baranovsky (1892-1984), a famous restorer architect who did a lot to preserve the ancient Russian artistic heritage. The organization of the museum saved the architectural ensemble of the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery from destruction, within whose walls the great icon painter Andrey Rublev worked and was buried. The founding of the museum was timed to coincide with the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Moscow.

The first director of the museum in 1949 was David Ilyich Arsenishvili (1905-1963), an enthusiast of museum work, the founder of the Theater and Literary Museums in Tbilisi, and the first researcher was Natalya Alekseevna Demina (1904-1990), one of the outstanding researchers of ancient Russian art, expert on the work of Andrei Rublev.

In the early 1950s, a young art critic, Irina Aleksandrovna Ivanova, came to the museum. Through the efforts of these people, the first scientific expeditions were organized, and the formation of the museum's collections began. Its employees often saved works of ancient Russian art from destruction, taking them out of churches and some peripheral local history museums, which did not know how and were afraid to store works that were dubious from the point of view of the ideology of that time. The first receipts in the museum were several icons of the XVI-XVII centuries. from the Vladimir Regional Museum and an iconostasis complex from the Cathedral of the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery in Suzdal, created in the 1660s.

At the same time, research and scientific restoration of the architectural ensemble of the monastery was carried out, primarily the white-stone Spassky Cathedral of the early 15th century, the oldest surviving architectural monument in Moscow, as well as other monastic buildings.

The museum was opened to visitors on September 21, 1960. This year was declared by UNESCO as the year of celebrating the 600th anniversary of Andrei Rublev, and the opening of the museum became one of the most important events of the anniversary days. At that time, the museum collection consisted of only 317 monuments. Today, thanks to numerous expeditions, acquisitions, as well as valuable offerings, the museum has about 10 thousand icons, works of arts and crafts, originals and copies of frescoes, manuscripts and early printed books, archeological monuments.

The Andrei Rublev Museum has taken a special place among other Russian museums. It has become the only museum of fine arts of the Russian Middle Ages in the country, covering a huge stage of history spanning more than seven centuries. Since its opening, the museum has been a real informal cultural center, where the Moscow intelligentsia flocked to discover the previously unknown world of ancient Russian fine art. In the 1960s, a new generation of researchers came to the museum, among them G.V. Popov, who is now its director, as well as K.G. Tikhomirova, V.V. Kirichenko, A.S. Loginov, V.N. Sergeev, L.M. Evseeva, I.A. Kochetkov. At that time, the museum carried out especially numerous expeditions, thanks to which the museum collection expanded significantly. The collection was replenished with the help of purchases from private owners, collectors, in antique and second-hand bookshops. A lot of works detained during an attempt to illegally export abroad were transferred to the museum by state organizations: customs, internal affairs and state security agencies. Friends of the museum, private collectors also made an active contribution to the replenishment of the museum collection with their generous gifts. Among them G.D. Kostaki and artist V.Ya. Sitnikov

A valuable collection of iconography of the 13th-17th centuries brought world fame to the Andrei Rublev Museum. In 1991, it was included in the list of especially valuable objects of cultural heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation.

In 2001, the first director of the museum D.I. Arsenishvili and the first researcher N.A. Demina in the museum, on the wall of the Rector's building, commemorative plaques by Zurab Tsereteli and Viktor Surovtsev were installed.

Expositions of the Andrey Rublev Museum

The permanent exhibition of the Museum is deployed in the architectural complex of the Church of the Archangel Michael and the refectory. It includes the most significant works of the museum collection, giving a holistic view of the history and development of Russian icon painting from the 12th to the beginning of the 18th century.

The exposition is organized chronologically and is divided into two large sections devoted to Russian fine arts of antiquity (Painting of the 12th - early 16th centuries) and the late Middle Ages (Painting of the 16th - early 18th centuries). Within the sections of the exposition, separate art centers are distinguished (plans-schemes of the expositions of the first and second floors).

The section of the exhibition Paintings of the 12th - early 16th centuries is located on the second floor. In the premises of the Church of the Archangel Michael, the oldest icons of the collection and monuments of icon painting of Peter I by the boyar Lev Naryshkin in his estate near Moscow are presented and is a vivid example of the architecture of the so-called Naryshkin style (or baroque). It is distinguished by the use of a plan and three-dimensional composition, which is unconventional for ancient Russian architecture, and an orientation towards European models in white stone carving.

The church has altars in the summer and winter temples. The upper, summer, in the name of the Savior Not Made by Hands, has almost completely retained the original decoration of the interior. The gilded carving of the iconostasis, choirs and the royal box was made by the best Moscow carvers. The icons for the iconostasis were painted by prominent artists from among the royal masters of the Armory, Kirill Ulanov and Karp Zolotarev. The interior of the lower, Pokrovskaya, church was repeatedly updated during the 18th-19th centuries.

Address: Moscow, st. Novozavodskaya, d. 6, metro: "Fili"

The Andrei Rublev Central Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art is the only state specialized museum of Russian church art of the Middle Ages and Modern times.

The museum is located within the walls of the famous Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, where the great icon painter Andrei Rublev painted the Cathedral of the Savior, now the oldest temple in Moscow. The museum has a rich collection of iconography from the 12th to early 20th centuries. In 2017, the museum celebrates the 70th anniversary of its foundation.

In 1947, in the wake of the post-war patriotic upsurge, in the year of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Moscow, the Museum named after A.I. Andrei Rublev. Its first director was D.I. Arsenishvili (1905-1963), the first researcher - an outstanding expert on the work of St. Andrey Rublev N.A. Demina (1904–1990).

By the time the Museum was founded, the monastery was completely ruined, the museum collection was collected literally bit by bit, in an environment of extremely negative attitude of the state towards the national religious heritage. Collected works often required careful and many years of restoration.

Nevertheless, 13 years later, on September 21, 1960, the Museum was opened and presented to the visitors in a hall with dozens of icons opened from late recordings and dirt, murals and works of arts and crafts taken from the walls of destroyed temples. Collecting activities and restoration work continue to this day and are an integral part of everyday museum life.

Now the exposition occupies all the rooms of the refectory chamber and the Church of the Archangel Michael, restored and accessible for inspection. An exhibition hall is located in the Rector's building.

Working mode:

• Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 14:00 to 21:00;
• Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00;
• Wednesday is a day off.

The territory of the Museum is open daily from 9:00 to 21:00.

Ticket price:

permanent exhibition

• for foreign citizens - 400 rubles;
• for citizens of the Russian Federation and CIS countries - 299 rubles;
• reduced ticket - 150 rubles.

Temporary exhibitions

Tickets for temporary exhibitions are sold separately, the cost may vary depending on the exhibition.

Monthly calendar in icons from the collection of the Andrei Rublev Museum ST. MITROFAN OF VORONEZH About 1837. Saint Petersburg. Wood, tempera, oil; salary: silver, chasing, engraving, gilding; 17 x 13.4 cm KP 4601 Saint Mitrofan of Voronezh (1623-1703) came from a priestly family, in the world he bore the name Michael. He took monastic vows in 1663 after the death of his wife in the Zolotnikovskaya hermitage near Suzdal. He was hegumen of Yakhroma Kozmin and Makariev Unzhensky monasteries, and in 1682 he became bishop of Voronezh. Under him, a new stone Cathedral of the Annunciation was built in Voronezh. The saint had a special relationship with Peter I, who after his death personally attended the funeral and carried the coffin. In August 1832, the relics of the saint were uncovered, after which the canonization took place. By this time, two main versions of the iconography of the saint had emerged. One represented him with a book in his hands and ascended to a lifetime portrait. Another version was distinguished by the vestments of Mitrofan, corresponding to the rank of the bishop (in a schemnical doll and a bishop's mantle) and the presence of a baton in his hands. It is to this type that the icon from the collection of the Andrei Rublev Museum belongs, on which the saint is idealized, without preserving individual features, despite the fact that they are exaggerated on many other icons. The image was executed shortly after the canonization of the saint and was decorated with a silver setting made in St. Petersburg in 1837. Obviously, the icon was painted there.

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Classes 98

Monthly calendar in icons from the collection of the Andrei Rublev Museum THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE LORD Late 17th – early 18th century. Central Russia Wood, tempera; 61.5 x 54.5 cm KP 509 From the Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica in the village of Saburovo, Voskresensky District, Moscow Region The Transfiguration of the Lord is one of the great twelfth feasts. He commemorates the event described in the Gospel, when Christ with three disciples - Peter, James and John - climbed Mount Tabor, where during prayer he was transformed: his face shone, his clothes turned white, and the prophets Moses and Elijah appeared next to him, with whom Christ talked. Frightened, the apostles fell on their faces, and when they got up, they no longer saw only Jesus, who forbade them to talk about what happened until the moment when “the Son of Man rises from the dead” (Mark 9:9). The iconography of the Transfiguration in its main features took shape already in the 6th century. At the top in the center, Jesus is depicted in a radiance of glory and white robes, next to him are the prophets Elijah and Moses. Below, on the spurs of the mountains, three frightened apostles, falling or rising. The icon from the collection of the Andrei Rublev Museum additionally depicts Heavenly Jerusalem in the upper right corner behind the figure of the prophet Elijah and a tomb in the mountains behind the figure of the prophet Moses. These details are intended to emphasize that Moses on Tabor represented the world of the dead, and Elijah, who ascended to heaven in the flesh, represented the world of the living. They are often found in the works of the second half of the 17th century. Another feature of the monument is the multi-colored round "glory" of Christ, complemented by three red rays emanating from it. The brightness of colors, the contrast of color combinations make the icon especially elegant, corresponding to popular tastes.

Comments 1

Classes 117

August 11 at 15:00 as part of the cultural and educational program for the exhibition “From New Acquisitions. 2004–2018” the Andrei Rublev Museum will host a CONCERT “Russian Seasons”. You will hear works by Sergei Rachmaninov, Reinhold Gliere, Dmitry Shostakovich, as well as the work of contemporary author Alexander Tsygankov "Slavic Concerto" in 2013, dedicated to the events in Ukraine. Performers: laureates of various competitions Anastasia Zakharova (domra), Alexei Nistoatov (double bass), Anastasia Larionova (piano). With a concert ticket, you can visit the exhibition free of charge on the same day.

Comments 1

Classes 54

August 8th is World Cat Day. 🐾 Are you familiar with the "fluffy" caretakers of the Andrei Rublev Museum?

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Classes 113

Museum for children

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Classes 83

The gospel of Isaac Birev of 1531 is notable for its calligraphic writing and magnificent miniatures. The ornamentation performed at the highest level goes back to the Western European engraved “Great Alphabet” by Israel van Mekenem. The semi-statutory script of the manuscript was the basis for the Moscow Cyrillic fonts of early printed books. Remarkable miniatures, inspired by the work of the famous icon painter Dionysius and his son Theodosius, influenced the subsequent art of designing an old Russian book. The free exhibition "The Gospel of Isaac Birev" at the Andrei Rublev Museum is open until August 25.

Comments 1

Classes 76

Monthly calendar in icons from the collection of the Andrei Rublev Museum THE ORIGIN OF THE HONEST TREES OF THE LIFE-GIVING CROSS OF THE LORD - THE APPOINTMENT (DOUBLE-SIDED ICON) The middle of the 17th century. Russian North Wood, tempera. 95.5 × 80, 5 KP 2516 In the composition of one of the sides of the double-sided portable icon, images of two holidays celebrated on the same day on August 1 (14) are combined: The origin of the even trees of the Cross and the All-Merciful Savior Christ God and the Most Holy Theotokos Mary, His Mother. The Feast of the Origin of the Cross was established in Constantinople in the 9th century, based on the custom of annually transferring a part of the tree of the Life-Giving Cross, which was kept in the house church of the palace of the Byzantine emperors, to the church of St. Sophia. During the ceremony, the consecration of water took place, then the procession went beyond the city wall to the source of the Savior, and then for two weeks the Cross was carried around the city to sanctify places and ward off diseases. In Russia, the service to the Cross appears in the XIV-XV centuries with the introduction of a new Jerusalem charter to replace the previously existing Studian one. In the 17th century, the feast of the Origin of the Cross was celebrated very widely and, in terms of the way it was held, was close to Theophany: the Jordan was built on the Moscow River, after the blessing of the water, the patriarch and the tsar were immersed in water, processions and water blessings were arranged in rivers, ponds, springs, which were accompanied by mass bathing. In some areas, horses and cattle were bathed on this day, it was believed that "To swim on the Savior - unforgiven sins will be forgiven." The feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos Mary, which falls on the same day, is set in memory of the victory in 1164 over the Saracens and the Volga Bulgars, which was simultaneously granted to the Byzantine emperor and the Russian prince. The holiday was established around 1168 by the Patriarch of Constantinople Luke Chrysoverg (1156 - 1169) under Emperor Manuel (1143 - 1180), and in Russia by Metropolitan Konstantin of Kiev (mentioned 1167, 1169) and Bishop Nestor of Rostov (mentioned 1149, 1157.) under the prince Andrei Yurievich Bogolyubsky (1157 - 1174). The inscription on the icon mentions both holidays and lists in detail all the main participants in the events, however, there is no Byzantine emperor among the persons in the procession, only Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky is represented in the upper row on the left. The composition in the upper part of the icon serves simultaneously as an image of the ceremony of carrying out the Cross, in which the deacons participate, carrying it and the images of Christ and the Mother of God, and the glorification of the All-Merciful Savior, depicted in the center inside the mandorla, blessing with both hands with two fingers. These images are reminiscent of the main meaning of the holiday, which was originally called "The Almighty Day of the Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, in the same mercy of God we celebrate, and His Most Pure Mother and the Holy Cross origin." In the lower part of the composition there are scenes of water blessing and ablution in the spring. The icon was a portable image and participated in processions. The combination of the plots of Theophany and the Origin of the Cross reflected their semantic and everyday combination in the church and folk life of the 17th century and was often found in the North. In addition to the archaic iconography and the use of an ornamental frame, the northern origin of the monument is indicated by the features of the artistic language: flattened figures, inaccurate drawing, the use of a rather dark sankir in personal writing, followed by sharp highlighting and the use of long whitewash slides placed along the crest of the nose, on the forehead and fingers of the characters. A feature of the icon is the violation of proportions towards the elongation of the hands and fingers of the saints, as well as strongly elongated narrow faces, with thin long noses, small mouths and round eyebrows.

Museum of ancient Russian culture. Andrei Rublev (Moscow, Russia) - exposition, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.

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In 1947, in the wake of the post-war patriotic upsurge, in the year of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Moscow, the Museum named after A.I. Andrei Rublev. By the time the Museum was founded, the monastery was completely ruined, the museum collection was collected literally bit by bit, in an environment of extremely negative attitude of the state towards the national religious heritage. Collected works often required careful and many years of restoration. Nevertheless, 13 years later, on September 21, 1960, the Museum was opened and presented to the visitors in a hall with dozens of icons opened from late recordings and dirt, murals and works of arts and crafts taken from the walls of destroyed temples.

The museum's collection contains more than 5,000 icons, including works by Dionysius, as well as liturgical objects, handwritten books and frescoes.

The Andrei Rublev Central Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art is the only special museum in Russia dedicated to the Russian artistic culture of the Middle Ages. The museum is located within the walls of the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, where the great Russian icon painter Rev. Andrei Rublev lived, worked and was buried.

On the territory of the monastery, the oldest stone church in Moscow, the Spassky Cathedral, built during the life of Andrei Rublev in the first quarter of the 15th century, has been preserved.

The museum offers visitors a variety of sightseeing and thematic tours, as well as special programs for children and adults. Highly qualified specialists of the museum conduct an examination of works of ancient Russian art.