One of the precious masterpieces of the Russian embroidery goes on display in Saint-Petersburg from 5th to 9th of December, 2014. The project is carried out within a programme of the St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum 2014, dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the State Hermitage.

At the exposition the Moscow Kremlin Museums presents the sakkos (dalmatic, phelonion, worn by Orthodox bishops), which belonged to Alexius, Metropolitan of Kiev and all Russia in 1354-1378, one of the most venerated historical figures in the country. Nowadays the vestment is undergoing restoration, which is about to be successfully completed by the museum's specialists.

Metropolitan Alexius was a distinguished politician and statesman, a spiritual tutor of young Dmitriy Donskoi, who served as a regent and actually a governor of Russia during many years. Alexius was buried in the Chudov Monastery (Monastery of the Miracle at Chonae) and canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1448 as one of the patron saints of Moscow.

The history of the sakkos is full of mysteries. According to a legend, it was gifted to Metropolitan Alexius by the Tatar Queen Taidula, healed by him from blindness. Having seen the Metropolitan wearing this vestment in her dream, Taidula ordered to sew the sakkos for the Metropolitan's arrival. The sakkos is also believed to have been entombed along with Alexius, but after uncovering of his imperishable relics the vestment also turned out to remain undecayed.

For several centuries the sakkos has been preserved in the Moscow Kremlin. In 1918 it was included to the museum fund to become one of the precious exhibits within collection of the Armoury Chamber.

The sakkos of Metropolitan Alexius of Moscow is a real masterpiece of high artistic and historical value, which is remarkable for the beauty of materials and decorative techniques peculiar to the Russian ornamental embroidery.