The New Jerusalem Museum and Exhibition Complex is the largest cultural and educational center of the capital. It is located in the picturesque area of the Moscow region on Istra and is adjacent to the beautiful Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery. Today it is a real miracle of architectural and engineering thought, combining the aesthetics of a classic museum space and the latest interactive technologies.
The beginning of the story
According to official documents, the New Jerusalem Museum and Exhibition Complex was opened in the 1920s. However, its history begins half a century earlier, with the organization of a small exhibition in the refectory of the monastery in memory of Patriarch Nikon. The idea of its creation belonged to Archimandrite Leonid, a prominent church figure and scientist.
A modest exposition of things, books and paintings opened in 1874. This wasthe first church museum in the Russian Empire. In this form, it lasted 30 years. At the initiative of the new archimandrite, the original museum was expanded, the collection was replenished with new donations, and the monastery library was launched.
Twisted Fate: Revolution
The coming government has contributed to the development of the museum. In 1919 the monastery was empty, and a year later the first museum opened on its territory. It is from its opening that the modern museum and exhibition complex "New Jerusalem" traces its history. The museum's collection could boast not only of the variety of church monuments that once belonged to the monastery. It included an extensive collection of paintings, church utensils, decorative plastics, exhibits from archaeological excavations.
The period of the 1920s and 1930s was marked by turbulent events for the museum on Istra. The museum and exhibition complex in New Jerusalem, then the State Museum of Art and History, gradually grew, art objects confiscated from private property were brought into the funds. After the restoration of the monastery buildings in 1925, the first permanent exhibition opened, which, according to the testimony of that time, enjoyed great success with the public.
Rising from the Ashes
During the war, the museum's architecture and collection suffered greatly. By the beginning of hostilities, he did not have time to evacuate. In November 1941, the most valuable exhibits were urgently taken out, the rest were hidden in hiding places here, on the territory of the museum complex.
The buildings of the monastery were heavily destroyed by the German troops during the retreat. In the post-war years, restoration work began to be actively carried out. A decade later, the collections exported to Moscow and Alma-Ata were again met by Istra.
The New Jerusalem Museum and Exhibition Complex was literally restored from the ashes in the post-war period. In subsequent years, the ensemble was supplemented by an architectural and ethnographic exposition located around the main buildings.
New life of the old museum
In the 1990s, life around the museum began to boil again. By that time it was already the largest museum and exhibition complex. "New Jerusalem" has collected about 180 thousand exhibits under its roof, including collections of sacred and secular art. Designed for 300 thousand visitors a year, it is rightfully considered a unique scientific, tourist and exposition center.
With the resumption of the work of the New Jerusalem Monastery, the question arose of reorganizing the museum and a separate pavilion for it. In 2009, a corresponding decree was signed, and three years later the museum moved to a new building, the main value of which was 2 thousand square meters. meters of a specially equipped storage facility.
New building
The project of the architectural ensemble was planned on a grand scale. The total area of the main building is 28 thousand square meters. meters and includes exhibition halls,depository, restoration workshops, as well as an entertainment area. Two years ago, the museum center was fully opened to visitors. From that moment on, it bears the official name of the New Jerusalem Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Moscow Region.
Architects and engineers working on the concept of the new complex took as a basis the idea of combining the ensemble of the New Jerusalem Monastery and the museum building in one cultural space. This difficult architectural and landscape task was brilliantly solved, and the project itself was awarded several prestigious awards.
In addition to the main building, the complex of museum objects includes: an exhibition building, a museum of wooden architecture, which is located in the open air. The project also provides for a vast garden and park area for walks, artistic and cultural events.
Construction of new facilities on the territory of the museum complex continues and its final completion is scheduled for 2018.
Exhibitions and collections
"New Jerusalem" is a museum and exhibition complex, which today has no equal either in terms of architectural design, or in terms of the scale and richness of the collections. The permanent exhibition, divided into several thematic sections, occupies the basement.
The first hall is dedicated to Russian church art of the 16th-19th centuries. Here is an interesting collection of icons and monuments of church arts and crafts. Do not forget that it was church art that stood at the origins offormation of the museum's collection, and today one of the largest collections of Russian sacred art is kept here.
The next room is dedicated to the secular art of the late 17th - early 20th centuries. Most of it is occupied by portraiture. The first parsunas, images of contemporaries of Peter's time, a gallery of magnificent portraits of the Baroque and Rococo eras, paintings of the 19th century are presented here in a well-thought-out sequence.
An interesting exhibition concept of time connection is represented by the Hall with Columns. Its exposition consists of monumental works made in various techniques, where contemporary art is closely intertwined with the Christian tradition and the heritage of antiquity.
Majority of the exhibition space is occupied by temporary exhibitions and projects dedicated to both contemporary art and classical monuments.
Modern "New Jerusalem" - museum and exhibition complex
Photos of exhibition halls demonstrate an interesting approach to the design of not only showcases, but also the museum space itself. Despite the fact that the museum is designed for a large flow of visitors, during the week it is not crowded there. You can walk through the halls for a long time, enjoying the works of ancient and modern art.
