Mass Media Overview
Walls of famous icons come to the Kremlin
23.05.2013 09:50
http://www.elementmoscow.ru/
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE KREMLIN MUSEUM / TEXT EMMA CAFFERTY
This summer, the Kremlin Museum is home to some of the country’s most renowned walls of icons — not art that is easy to transport. These walls, or iconostases, are brought to the seat of government from the Orthodox Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. Located outside of the town now called Kirillov, the monastery was founded in 1397 by St. Kirill of Beloozero.
Kirill of Beloozero was a boyar with close ties to the ruling elite of his time. His monastery became an important stop on the northern trade routes, and was essential to Moscow as it struggled with the Novgorod republic. Under both Kirill and his predecessor, the monastery also established academic programs with particular strengths in the study and preservation of literature and history.
The monastery istelf has a rich history, as it was one of the largest in Northern Russia for much of its existence. During the 16th century, Kirillo-Belozersky was also the second richest landowner in Russia, and it also acted as a formidable political prison. Many Muscovite polititians were exiled to the monastery, including Tsar Simon Bekbulatovich and Patriarch Nikon.
The monastery is made up of 11 churches, many of which are home to some of Russia’s most prized icons. The iconostases built by Tsar Alexei in 1645 are is of special note. Along with this wall, many of the monastery’s other icons will be brought to the Kremlin as part of the exhibition.
This particular show is important as it is the first time in many years that the Kremlin has gathered icons from various museums around Russia to present to the Moscow public. Many of the icons on display were removed from Kirillo-Belozersky in the 18th century as part of an effort to modernize, and were only reconstructed in 1918.