The 'Alexander Nevsky. Name, Symbol, Legend' exhibition marks the 800th Anniversary of Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky — the outstanding Russian sovereign and commander, the symbol of military virtues and service to the country.

A helmet that belonged to the father of Alexander Nevsky, Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, stands out because of its exceptional commemorative value. Icons and precious phelonion (liturgical vestment) with the image of the blessed Prince in monastic clothes as a schema monk recall the veneration of Alexander Nevsky in the 17th-18th centuries.

The central part of the exhibition is linked to the history of the Order of St Alexander Nevsky, established by Emperor Peter the Great and his wife Empress Catherine I in 1725. The new Russian order, meant as the award for the feats on battlefields, soon became the decoration for military and civic merits to the Fatherland. On display are the Badges of the Order of St Alexander Nevsky, dating back to the second half of the 18th – beginning of the 20th century, which belonged to Russian and European monarchs. Many Badges of the Order, including those adorned with precious stones, are shown for the first time.

A unique complex of the ceremonial robes of the late 18th century, comprising the costume of a Herald, a Chevalier and a Secretary of the Order of St Alexander Nevsky is of particular interest. The display includes the original manuscript – the 1797 Statute of the Russian Orders, the pages of which, at the behest of Emperor Paul I, incorporated the articles and illustrations of the Badges of the Orders and robes.

A keen interest in national history in the 19th century caused the legend linking the name of the Grand Prince with a splendid 17th-century helmet of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich. Under the influence of this myth, works of art and popular culture still associate the helmet of the Russian Tsar with the image of the Grand Prince. The Soviet Order of Alexander Nevsky established during the Great Patriotic War depicts the Grand Prince in such a helmet. The helmet and the Soviet Order are also presented at the exhibition.