Research work

Research work is a comparatively new direction because there were no specialists in the museum for a long time. Study of the collection which began in the 1920-s was resumed only in the late 1970-s. Gradual changes of the museum status and increase of financing of its main activities gave a chance to realize its scientific potential in full measure. Since 1993 by the decree of the Vologda Region administration the museum has been financed not from the district budget but from the regional one. But the more powerful incentive to its development was given after the museum-reserve was included into the List of the most precious objects of cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia in 1997. During 2001-2003 the staff increased almost twofold, and it allowed to create a developed structure, to solve many problems regarding improvement of museum activity. At present the main efforts are focused on cataloging the collections and regional studies caused by the necessity to fill plenty of lacunas in the research of history and culture of the Belozersk district, the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, the town Kirillov and the Kirillov district. Considerable work in these directions has already been carried out during the preparation of a new project the aim of which was to create the National Reserve Park “Russian North” and work out protected areas of the Kirillo-Belozersky and Ferapontov monasteries. Now the museum is working on the following catalogues: Old Russian applied art, embroidery of the 15^th-17^th centuries, lace-making of the 17^th-20^th centuries, ceramics of the Belozersk district in the 19^th-20^th centuries, cold steel and fire-arms of the 17^th-19^th centuries, hand-written books of the 15^th -19^th centuries. In 2003 it published the catalogue of the icon collection of the 15^th-17^th centuries and in succeeding years - the catalogues of the inter-museum exhibitions “Artistic heritage of Dionisy”, “Holy Patriarch Nikon. By the 400^th anniversary of his birth”, “Nil Sorsky and the hermitage founded by him”.

Over the last decades we determined the themes of research work directed to comprehend and reveal the role of monasteries and their founders in the spiritual and cultural development of the Belozersk district. Several conferences “Culture of the Belozersk district in the 15^th-20^th centuries”, “500^th anniversary of the Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral”, Kirillov and Ferapontov Readings, organized by the museum summed up the results of the efforts made by different scientists and initiated the edition of the “Ferapontov collection” and the almanac of history and local lore “Kirillov”. The last one appeared when the museum participated in a unique project of the Vologda Region “Ancient towns of the Vologda region”. From 1994 till 2007 the museum published 6 almanacs and became one of the leaders of this series by the number of published editions.

A necessity to create new exhibitions which will be dedicated to the monastery (to its history, the history of its collections, the architectural ensemble, collection of books, works of local craftsmen, poetic school and others) makes certain demands to the subjects of the research work focused on two main directions.

1. History of the Belozersk district.

Monastery colonization of the district in the 13^th-17^th centuries.  
Monasteries and monastery estates.
Hagiography of the Belozersk district.

18^th-19^th centuries in the history of the Belozersk district. 
Country estate life.
A parish community.
The town Kirillov.

20^th century in the history of the Belozersk district. 
Closing of the monasteries and village parishes.
History of the museum.

2. Artistic culture of the Belozersk district.

Painting and Architecture of the 15^th-17^th centuries.
Traditional forms of icon-painting in the 18^th-19^th centuries.
Book-learning of the Belozersk district in the 14^th-19^th centuries. Book editions of the monastery.
Architecture of the parish churches in the 18^th-19^th centuries.
Traditional fork arts

The researches into the above-listed themes are being carried out by the employees of the museum and the specialist of the Pushkin House, the Institute of Art History, the Institute of Archaeology, the leading museums of the country. Without them it is impossible to reconstruct and complete the picture of spiritual and cultural significance of the monasteries of the “Northern Thebaid”. The museum has to order specialists of particular disciplines to work out several issues. Among them we can name the following themes: Singing school of the Kirillo-Belozesky monastery, research of composition, weight and sound qualities of the bells (it is necessary to restore the belfry), genealogy of the princely families and boards who had burial vaults in the Kirillo-Belozersky and Ferapontov monasteries and the Goritsy Convent, monastery necropolises and so on.

Research work of the museum is complicated by the remoteness of archives and seasonal excursion work.