The Museum of the Russian Icon in Moscow Is Now Open to the Public

The online gallery Russian Icon Collection is pleased to share the amazing news that the renowned Museum of the Russian Icon in Moscow is now open to the public. Starting from January 22, 2021, everyone passionate about Orthodox Christian art can visit the permanent exposition at the Museum, as well as a temporary exhibition of the icon of the Release of the Apostle Peter from the Dungeon from Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Kozhevniki, which is organized in collaboration with the Novgorod State Museum-Reserve. The Museum of the Russian Icon is open for visitors every day, except Wednesday, from 11am to 7pm. Admission is free.

The Museum of the Russian Icon is one of the world’s best museums entirely dedicated to religious art with a focus on Byzantine and old Russian icons. The Museum was established in 2006 by the Russian businessman and art patron Mikhail Abramov, who tragically died in summer 2019. The Museum of the Russian Icon started as Abramov’s private collection but soon was officially converted into a public museum and became a member of the International Council of Museums (IСOM) and the Russian Union of Museums. Featuring nearly 5,000 pieces, including over 1,000 antique Russian icons, it is now one of the biggest public museums of its kind in the world.

In addition to the impressive collection of antique Russian icons, the Museum of the Russian Icon houses a comprehensive collection of Ethiopian Christian culture, Early Christian art, Greek monuments, and Byzantine antiquities of the 6th – 14th centuries. Most of the items are on view at the permanent exposition. The Museum of the Russian Icon also hosts temporary exhibitions organized in collaboration with different cultural institutions, religious organizations, and private collectors. One of them, dedicated to the 16th-century icon of the Release of the Apostle Peter from the Dungeon from Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Kozhevniki, is on view at the Museum through April 25, 2021. This exhibition is part of the Museum’s project “Masterpieces of Old Russian Painting from the Collections of Russian Museums.” The aim of the project is to present the treasures of regional museums, which are not well known to the general public in Moscow.

The Museum of the Russian Icon is a true treasury of Orthodox icons and other masterpieces of religious art, which offers a memorable experience to its visitors. It is now open to the public during its normal working hours, operating according to a COVID safety plan that requires visitors to wear face masks and follow some other procedures. For more information, please visit the official website of the Museum of the Russian Icon.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons User Museum of the Russian icon / CC BY-SA 3.0

About Russian Icon Collection

Founded by Oleg Kushnirskiy, Russian Icon Collection is one of the leading online galleries of antique Russian icons. It represents the most accurate compilation of all the knowledge and expertise gained from many years of collecting and selling rare and famous religious icons of museum quality. Initially created to preserve this sacred form of art and to display the true masterpieces of Eastern Orthodox iconography, Russian Icon Collection has become a reliable place where everyone can enjoy and sell authentic antique icons and religious artifacts.