On 8 June 2023, the press conference of General Directorof the Moscow Kremlin Museums E.Yu. Gagarina and General Director of the State Vladimir Suzdal Museum Reserve E.V. Pronicheva was held in the Armoury Chamber. On the event, the directors have announced a new mutual project of the Moscow Kremlin Museums and the State Vladimir Suzdal Museum Reserve – the exhibition “Russian Phoenix: the Suzdal Land”. The exhibition will become the first experience of cooperation between two institutes and will be timed to the anniversary of Suzdal that will celebrate its millennium next year. The Suzdal Kremlin will host the exposition, which is planned to open in June 2024.    

The visitors will see silver objects, pre-Mongolian jewellery, Roman and Varangian weapons, masterpieces of Russian icon-paining, precious donations of sovereigns to the temples and monasteries of Suzdal, white-stone reliefs and liturgical vestments. 

“Together with our colleagues, we will reveal on the display the sixth-hundredth history of the development and flourish of the Suzdal land and its towns: both Suzdal itself and Vladimir and Moscow as the capitals of princedoms. Some objects will part from the Kremlin for the first time. One of such items is the icon of the early 13th century  “Our Saviour with Golden Hair”, which is now kept in the Assumption Cathedral.  For the first time during several centuries, it will leave the temple to be shown on the exhibition,” marked Elena Gagarina.

“This exhibition will become the principle project prepared for Suzdal millennium anniversary by the museum. Of great importance for us is to make this project in partnership with the Moscow Kremlin Museums - it is a unique project, that has no equal before. Another key spot making the project so significant is an opportunity to show Suzdal not only from the point of its geographical position and beauty of the architecture, but also as an ancient town, where important historical events took place,” Pronicheva noted.

Within the conference, the author of the exhibition concept, Head of the Excursion and Methodical Department of the Moscow Kremlin Museums Sergei Brun and curator of the project, Head of Scientific and Conservatory Department ‘Museums-Cathedrals’ of the Moscow Kremlin Museums O.A. Tsitsinova gave a short tour round the Armoury Chamber for the journalists. They told which exhibits in the showcases will be on display in Suzdal.