On 16 March, The Heavenly Host. Image and Veneration exhibition was inaugurated in the halls of the Patriarch’s Palace and Assumption Belfry. The show is dedicated to the history and traditions of the veneration of the warrior-saints, whose images have been reflected in Russian culture and art.

A large-scale project has brought together over one hundred thirty works of art, many of which are rarely seen artefacts.

“We are opening an exhibition that is very important for our museum and for the history of our country. Here we tell the story of how the heavenly patrons helped the great princes, tsars and emperors to achieve great victories and unite the Russian lands into a single state,” said Elena Gagarina, the director general of the Moscow Kremlin Museums, at the media preview.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova. She addressed the visitors: 

“Thanks to the efforts of our colleagues from the Hermitage, the Tretiakov Gallery, and private collections, a significant and much-needed exhibition space has been created. Such a museum project is important both for the professional community and for ordinary people, who live through the events that are currently taking place in our country.”

Then, accompanied by the director general of the Moscow Kremlin Museums Elena Gagarina and the exhibition curator Sergei Brun, the Minister toured the exhibition.

The Heavenly Host. Image and Veneration exhibition will run till 20 August 2023. An extensive programme of educational and cultural events has been developed specifically for the project.