The exposition “History of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery” is being made in the Refectory now. Work is in full swing. It is planned to open it for visitors at the beginning of the new tourist season. The new exposition will continue another permanent exhibition “Antiquities of Belozersk District” located on the lowest floor of the Refectory. It is about the history of the region from the earliest times to the beginning of monastery colonization.
Visitors will be able to learn about the history of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery thanks to over 300 exhibits. Life and activity of the outstanding church and political figure – St. Kirill Belozersky, his veneration and iconography will certainly become one of the important subjects. A separate hall will present the inner life of the monastery, its communal charter served as an example for imitation. Several exposition complexes will tell about development and strengthening of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery that became not only a large spiritual centre, but also supported the central power in the Russian North. The matter will concern construction of the fortifications, defence of the monastery during the Time of Troubles (the Polish-Lithuanian siege of 1612), tsars, noble people and their donations, and famous figures for whom this cloister became a place of long-term exile. They will also pay attention to the Synodical period in the Russian history – the time when the economy of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery declined after the reforms carried out in the country.
History of other monasteries of the Kirillo-Belozersky rural dean’s district - the St. Nil Sorsky Monastery and the Goritsy Convent of the Resurrection – will be also presented in the exposition. Besides, the museum employees will touch on the topic of spiritual successors of St. Kirill Belozersky and their cloisters.
It is intended to equip the exposition with various up-to-date multimedia aimed at both visual and sound accompaniment of the display.
