State Museum of Religion of St. Petersburg: review, description, history and interesting facts

Hardly anyone calculated how many museums exist in the world. The State Museum of Religion in St. Petersburg is the only one in Russia and one of the few in the world whose expositions represent the history of the formation of religion. The collections of exhibits collected in St. Petersburg number more than two hundred thousand copies: they are cultural and historical monuments of different peoples and eras. The most ancient of these are archaeological finds dating back to the 6th millennium BC. E.

How was the State Museum of the History of Religion created in St. Petersburg?

In the Winter Palace (White Hall) in the spring of 1930, an exhibition of an atheistic trend was presented to the public. The basis of it were exhibits from many museums of the city - the Kunstkamera, the Russian Museum, the Library of the Academy of Sciences, the Hermitage. The initiator of this exhibition was Vladimir Germanovich Bogoraz - a famous ethnographer, historian, linguist.

Demonstration and study of material attributes of religion, as well as objects of the cult was considered a good way, which could save Soviet citizens from "church trouble". The exhibition successfully blended with the ideology of the time when the fight against religion was conducted by all available methods. It is for this reason that the exposition was very popular.

Conversion of the exhibition

The exhibition quickly replenished with new exhibits, and soon there was a need for its transformation into the Museum of Religion. St. Petersburg was replenished with a new interesting institution in 1930. The city authorities decided to pay for the needs of the new museum the building of the Kazan Cathedral, which at that time was inactive. Moreover, at the time of "moving" the magnificent church was in a deplorable state. The staff of the museum had to put it in order by their own efforts.

Only in 1932 the preparatory work was completed. In the middle of November the museum received its first visitors. It should be noted that this event took place thanks to the talented and wise leadership of VG Bogoraz, the huge enthusiasm of the employees. The Museum of Religion in St. Petersburg has successfully developed. His staff went on expeditions to various remote corners of Russia and abroad, collections were replenished with new exhibits, new expositions were regularly opened, existing ones were being finalized.

In parallel, serious scientific and publishing activities were carried out. In 1935 a research association appeared in the Museum of Religion, which was engaged in studying the collections already collected. By the beginning of 1941 all the numerous expositions were professionally worked out and contained a lot of valuable information about the history and development of beliefs of different peoples.

Inconspicuously, the anti-religious exhibition was transformed into a major scientific institution engaged in educational activities.

Museum in the war years

The Great Patriotic War became a terrible, hardest test for our country and its people. We must not forget about what tests fell on the share of Leningrad and its inhabitants, who not only lived in inhuman conditions, they worked and stored the priceless treasures of their native city.

Most of the staff of the Museum of Religion in St. Petersburg (Leningrad) went to the front, and only a few people kept the collection. Despite the fact that almost all expositions were conserved, the employees managed to organize several exhibitions in besieged Leningrad.

After 1945, the hardest painstaking work began to restore the collections of the Museum of Religion in St. Petersburg. The building was severely damaged, cold and damp settled in its premises, which could significantly damage the collections. Employees had to combine their basic scientific activity with works on the restoration of the building and expositions.

Unfortunately, after the war, the permanent head of the museum, VG Bogoraz, did not become permanent, and the city's leadership decided to merge the Moscow and Leningrad Museums of Religion with the organization of exhibitions in the capital. But this plan was not destined to come true - the collections of the Moscow museum were moved to the Kazan Cathedral, which in 1948 was renovated.

Return to old slogans

In the sixties of the last century, the ideology of the Soviet Union once again reinforced atheistic propaganda. In 1954 the museum was renamed - it became known as the Museum of Religion and Atheism. Accordingly, the direction of his work changed-it was assumed that the object of research was now to become the anti-scientific nature of religion, and the exposition was recommended to be changed so that atheism looked like the only true worldview of a Soviet man.

New building

A new stage in the development of the State. A museum of history and religion in St. Petersburg began in the nineties of the last century, when the restoration of historical objects, destroyed or closed during the Soviet era, began throughout the country. This wave could not but affect the Kazan Cathedral, so the museum began to urgently select another room.

Not far from St. Isaac's Square was chosen a room for the Museum of Religion in St. Petersburg. Address of the new building - st. Pochtamtskaya Street, 15/4. The building required a serious restoration, and I must say that it was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the museum. During the construction and finishing works, he tried to adapt to the needs of the museum to the maximum. He again changed his name - the State Museum of the History of Religion in St. Petersburg. He has been working at the new place since 2001.

His collections moved from the huge and tall halls of Kazan Cathedral to more compact, but bright rooms. Museum workers had to re-create the exposition. Nowadays, when organizational difficulties are left behind, and all ideological dogmas are forgotten, the Museum of Religion invites Petersburgers and city visitors to get acquainted with priceless exhibits that tell of the mysterious aspect of a person's life - about faith.

Expositions

We have already said that today in museum funds there are about two hundred thousand exhibits that illustrate the history of world religions, currents and beliefs of different peoples. These are graphics and paintings, clothing for rituals and objects of worship, manuscripts and books, precious metal products and musical instruments, collections of stamps and coins, video, photo, audio materials.

All exhibits are divided into fifteen funds, each of which consecrates a separate subject. All items are exhibited in the form of expositions placed in a certain order - visitors move from archaic to medieval, and then move on to later religious trends. The sound and artistic decoration of the halls enhances the impression of the inspection.

Dozens of excursions are held in the museum, which are devoted to the main world religions. Excursions are visited by people of different ages - from junior schoolchildren to pensioners, often there are foreign tourists. For each category, you can choose an interesting program - about the afterlife of ancient Egypt and about religious symbols, monasteries and shamans of Siberia, about objects of exotic cults and famous hermits. Small visitors are offered special programs.

In addition to excursions, the Museum holds scientific conferences and lectures, and a library. The majority of visitors are satisfied with the fact that the information given by guides is bright and accessible, but at the same time is of a scientific nature. There is no preference for any religion, as there is no agitation of atheism, and even in the museum today there is no hall dedicated to him.

In the archives is hidden a collection of instruments of torture of the Inquisition, which in former times was exhibited in the cellars of the Kazan Cathedral.

Features of the museum

Moving from the hall to the hall, guests can compare how the attitude towards God changed among people of different faiths, but at the same time, when the tour ends, the question of whether there is a God or not is left open. After the transfer of the museum to the new premises, expositions with some rituals that could frighten visitors (for example, instruments of torture) were removed.

Along with atheism, some sects do not have their own halls. For example, a Baptist who is very popular in the United States did not get his place in the museum.

How to get there?

The museum is located almost at the St. Isaac's Cathedral. You can get here by walking on foot from the metro station "Admiralteyskaya". The journey will take no more than twenty minutes.

Ticket prices

We inform everyone who wants to visit the Museum of Religion in St. Petersburg: the price of tickets for adult guests is 400 rubles. For pensioners (upon presentation of the certificate) - 85 rubles. For students (a student's ticket is required) - 100 rubles. For schoolchildren - 100 rubles. For foreigners - 300 rubles. On the first Monday of every month, the entrance to the museum is free.