The exposition will display some 300 exhibits, masterpieces of Russian spirituality and culture. They will illustrate the multi-formity of Russian worship and representation of the Cross as principal Christian symbol throughout the history of Christianity in this country.
The exhibits include crosses worn by the laity on the chest, ornate crosses used in religious processions, crosses worn by the clergymen and monks, heavy chains ascetics were wearing to mortify their flesh, crosses used in blessing, family crosses passed from generation to generation, and crosses brought from pilgrimages. Icons make a considerable part of the exhibits. These holy images are dedicated to the Feasts connected with the Cross, the Epiphany, the Crucifixion, and the Exaltation of the Cross. Some icons on display represent rare iconographies, such as "Christ in Prison," "The Fruit of the Passions," and "Via Dolorosa." Prominent among the exhibits are crosses represented on which are the attributes of the Passions.
The exhibits come not only from the Andrei Rublev Museum, which hosts the event. Many have been ceded by the State History Museum and the Kolomenskoye museum preserve (both in Moscow), the Local History Museum of Yegoryevsk, a small town not far from Moscow, a museum attached to the Church of St. Mitrophanius of Voronezh, also in Moscow, and by many private collectors resident in Moscow, Yaroslavl on the Volga, and Arkhangelsk in European Russia's north.
The exposition will be running till September 30.
