July celebrations in Kazan: visit of Patriarch, foundation stone laying, exhibition of unique icons

Patriarch will participate in the conference

The exhibition, which is expected to host over 500 visitors, will unite about 200 icons, 100 art and craft items, picturesque portraits, architectural drawings, graphic sheets, photos and collotypes connected with the history of the Kazan Virgin Monastery and archaeological materials found during the digs on the territory of the monastery. It was the topic of a press conference dedicated to the opening of the exhibition.

A curious detail is that 170 icons of the exhibition belong to private collections, the rest of the items is borrowed from the State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan, National Museum of Tatarstan, N.Lobachevsky Library.

'The idea of the exhibition and scientific conference was supported not only by President of Tatarstan but also Patriarch of Moscow, Metropolis of Tatarstan, Russian Historical Society and museum society. As for the project on the reconstruction of the Virgin Monastery, it is under discussion in UNESCO because the monastery is closely connected with a site of a World Heritage Site – the Kazan Kremlin. This is why all nuances should be taken into account during the construction. We hope both the exhibition and conference will draw attention to the reconstruction of the future Kazan Cathedral. We should treat with due care the historical landscape that has been existing for 437 years since the appearance of Our Lady of Kazan,' Ramil Khayrutdinov, director of the Institute of International Relations, History and Oriental Studies of the Kazan Federal University, told.

According to hegumen Yevfimy, who is the first deputy rector of the Kazan Spiritual Seminary, the foundation stone laying of the future Kazan Cathedral is important not only for Tatarstan but also for the whole country. Photo: Roman Khasaev

According to hegumen Yevfimy, who is the first deputy rector of the Kazan Spiritual Seminary, the foundation stone laying of the future Kazan Cathedral is important not only for Tatarstan but also for the whole country. 'These celebrations will be headed by Patriarch Kirill. He confirmed his visit. It is the first visit of the Most Holy to the Metropolis of Tatarstan, though Patriarch has already visited many eparchies, he has been even in Antarctica. But he has not been in Kazan yet. It will be a very important visit for the Metropolis of Tatarstan and the eparchies included. The Virgin Monastery used to be the largest in the Volga Region. In its best old days, it had over 600 inhabitants; it used to be a place for pilgrimage – it attracted not only Orthodox Christians but also representatives of other religions who worship Our Lady of Kazan,' the first deputy rector told.

In answer to a question asked by Realnoe Vremya whether Patriarch is going to visit the Museum of Fine Arts, hegumen Yevfimy told the Most Holy confirmed his participation in the conference and, if he has free 30 minutes, naturally, he will visit the exhibition.

In private and state partnership

Two collectors whose icons will be demonstrated on the exhibition preferred to be unknown. As director of the State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan Rozaliya Naurgaleyeva told, the exhibits from private collections don't have any insurance, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Ministry of Culture of Tatarstan is responsible for them. There will be additional security guards in the halls.

'This exhibition is held in private and state partnership,' Ramil Khayrutdinov stressed.

When the journalists asked about how long it took to persuade the collectors to demonstrate their collections, Nurgaleyeva gave a negative answer. She explained there is a tendency to acquaint the spectators with private collections. Many collectors open private museums for a reason.

The director of the Museum of Fine Arts told that 97 items of the collection of the National Museum are rarely demonstrated. A half of the collectors' items will be showed for the first time. A third of the exhibits of the State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan will also be made public for the first time.

If the Most Holy has free 30 minutes, naturally, he will visit the exhibition called 'Wonderworking Image of Our Lady of Kazan. History of the Kazan Virgin Monastery'. Photo: patriarchia.ru

'I dare to note that a section of the exhibition connected with the image of Mary will be very interesting because many Russian icon painting schools will be represented, including the so-called school of the Virgin Monastery, though it is not a school. But it is an interesting material too.'

There will be sensational exhibits too. For instance, an icon presented to Kazan as a consolation after the great sacrilege – a theft of the 'manifested' icon from the Virgin Monastery in 1904.

'Who can imagine that museum workers would save the cover of the 'manifested' icon that blasphemer Chaykin stole in the summer 1904. The cover was supposed to be lost. It will be possible to see these pearls on the exhibition. Are not 80 icons made by feminine masters of the Kazan Virgin Monastery – where at least 100 people worked from 1887 to 1922 – a pearl? One of the icon painters, nun Lidiya, was shot in 1937 together with her sister. The Kazan Icon Painting School was not worse than the Diveyevskaya or Pochaevskaya Schools; the feminine painters possibly studied in the Art School,' ethnographer Anatoly Yeldashev shared interesting facts.

It was offered to organise such exhibitions and conferences in Kazan every year.