Saint Sergius of Radonezh

Pectoral reliquary cross
Moscow, 1420s (?)
Silver, bone; casting, gilding
The Apparition of Our Lady to St Sergius of Radonezh. Podea (veil)
Moscow, workshop of Grand Princess Maria Yaroslavna, last quarter of the 15th с.
Silk, silver and silver-gilt threads; weaving, needlework
Dish
Moscow, 1561. Kremlin workshops
Gold; forging, chasing, niello
Donated by Ivan IV the Terrible to the Holy Trinity–St Sergius Monastery in 1569.
Gospel in cover
Moscow, 1632, cover – Moscow, Kremlin workshops, 1632. Master – Gavrila Ovdokimov
Gold, silver, precious stones, pearl; chasing, carving, filigree, enamel, niello, granulation
Donated by Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich to the Holy Trinity–St Sergius Monastery in 1632.
Censer
Moscow, Kremlin workshops, 1616. Masters D. Osipov and T. Pestrikov
Gold, precious stones, stones, silver; chasing, niello, carving, flat chasing
Donated by Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich to the Holy Trinity–St Sergius Monastery in 1616.
Reliquary with a cross
Moscow, late 17th - early 18th c., cross – Constantinople 14th c., core reliquary – Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod Principality, 1414
Gold, silver; painting on enamel, chasing, carving, niello
Originates from the burial vault of St Sergius of Radonezh in the Chudov Monastery; belonged to the Grand Prince Sergey Alexandrovich.
Panagia
Russia, Saint Petersburg or Moscow, 1741-1744
Gold, precious stones; painting on enamel
Granted by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna to Archbishop Arsenius Mogilyansky, archimandrite of the Holy Trinity–St Sergius Lavra in 1744.
Liturgical set
Saint Petersburg, 1795. Jeweller – Iwar Wenfeld Buch
Gold, silver, agate, precious stones; chasing, engraving, filigree, casting, carving, gilding
Donated by Empress Catherine II to the Holy Trinity–St Sergius Lavra in 1795.
Chalice
Saint Petersburg, 1795. Jeweller – Iwar Wenfeld Buch
Gold, precious stones; chasing, engraving, filigree, carving
Donated by Empress Catherine II to the Holy Trinity–St Sergius Lavra in 1795.
St Sergius of Radonezh, St Tsarevich Dmitry and St Elizabeth. Icon
Russia, Moscow, late 19th – early 20th c.
Oil on wood

23 September 2022 – 11 January 2023

State anteroom of the Armoury Chamber

Organizer and participant:

The Moscow Kremlin Museums

The exhibition in the state anteroom of the Armoury Chamber is dedicated to one of the most revered Russian saints – Sergius of Radonezh. It is timed to the 600th Anniversary of the saint's relics being uncovered and to the Trinity Cathedral’s construction in the Holy Trinity–St Sergius Monastery.

St Sergius of Radonezh and the monastery started by him have a unique place in the history, culture, and spiritual life of Russia. Life of the saint remains an example of high moral courage, and the interest in his monastery and art of that epoch still exists. As the first of the Moscow reverends glorified by the Church and as one of the first Moscow saints, Sergius of Radonezh is of special significance to the capital and particularly to the Moscow Kremlin.

The exhibition reveals various aspects of St Sergius' veneration and tells about the connections of Russian rulers with the Holy Trinity–St Sergius Monastery. The show covers a considerable time interval – from the first third of the 15th century to the beginning of the 20th century. A silver pectoral cross with one of the oldest images of St Sergius and the podea (veil) "The Apparition of Our Lady to St Sergius of Radonezh", created in the Moscow workshop of Grand Princess Maria Yaroslavna – wife of Vassily II the Blind and mother of Ivan III, – are associated with the era of Moscow grand princes.

Two outstanding paintings of the Moscow school of the late 15th century survived from the time of Grand Prince Ivan III’s reign. The icon of St Sergius of Radonezh with life scenes, painted in the workshop of Dionisy, is the earliest hagiographic full-size image of the saint. The second icon – The Holy Trinity – follows the brief iconographic version, most perfectly embodied in the famous icon by Andrey Rublev, painted "in praise of St Sergius of Radonezh". Both works originate from the Moscow Kremlin’s Assumption Cathedral.

The exhibition features pieces created in the Kremlin workshops in the 16th-17th centuries and donated by Russian sovereigns to the Holy Trinity–St Sergius Monastery. They include a dish – a contribution of Tsar Ivan IV for the repose of Tsarina Maria Temryukovna’s soul, gold church utensils created on order of Tsars Mikhail Fyodorovich and Alexey Mikhailovich as a donation to the "house of the Most Holy and Life-Giving Trinity and the great wonderworkers Sergius and Nikon".

In 1742, by decree of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, a theological seminary was established at the Holy Trinity–St Sergius Monastery, and in 1744 the monastery was given high status as a Lavra. On display, there is also a precious Panagia granted by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna to Archbishop Arsenius, the archimandrite of the Holy Trinity–St Sergius Lavra. The exhibition features a magnificent liturgical set made for the Lavra on the commission of Empress Catherine II by the court jeweller Iwar Wenfeld Buch in 1795.

A special section tells about the last representative of the Romanov Imperial House, the patron of the monastery – Grand Prince Sergey Alexandrovich, whose patron saint was St Sergius. Visitors have a chance to see artifacts from the burial vault of St Sergius of Radonezh in the Chudov Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin.

The image of the Venerable Sergius is profoundly connected with the history of the Russian state and its rulers and is closely linked to the Moscow Kremlin – a political and artistic centre, a treasury that has carefully preserved ancient relics over the centuries.

The exhibition is held in the state anteroom of the Armoury Chamber from 10:00 to 18:00 daily except Thursday.
In addition to the permanent exhibition in the Armoury, this exhibition is included in the price of admission.

1000 rubles - full price ticket
500 rubles - discount ticket for all under-16s
Free of charge for under 7-year-olds.
Free of charge for the ICOM members.

Tickets can be purchased:

online (only full price tickets)
at the ticket office in the Alexander Garden on the day of the visit. Ticket office operating hours - from 9:30 to 16:30