On January 23, 2024, an exhibition dedicated to the spiritual life of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War opened at the Museum of the History of Religion in St. Petersburg, Patriarchy.ru reports. It is timed to the 80th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade and tells about the functioning churches, shrines and the life of believers in the besieged city. Photos, posters, diaries, prayer books, orders and medals, icons and images of the besieged are presented.
The exhibition was opened by the director of the museum Lyubov Musienko. Vladimir Ivanov, head of the city department for interaction with religious associations, made a welcome speech.
Senior researcher of the museum Svetlana Semenova noted that the purpose of the exhibition is to show the strength of spirit of Leningrad residents.
"The strength of spirit is made up of faith - in victory, justice, the highest human values and God's help," Svetlana Olegovna said. - By the beginning of the war there were ten temples in Leningrad. Twelve priests served in them. The Russian Orthodox Church adopted a patriotic stance. Metropolitan Alexy (Simansky) of Leningrad and Novgorod wrote proclamations, sermons, called to fight fascism and to gather forces to fight the invaders. The collection of aid to the Defense Fund for the construction of a tank column "Dmitry Donskoy" and a flying squadron was organized "Alexander Nevsky". Leningraders suffering from hunger gave money and jewelry, which could be exchanged for food, to the victory fund. The clergy made a lot of efforts to support the spirit of Leningraders. Divine services were held in the churches, the Vladyka managed to agree with the authorities to allocate flour and wine for the Divine Liturgy. Priests consoled, encouraged people, helped financially. The churches were overcrowded, especially on major feast days. This helped to survive and win the victory".
Vladimir Bezrodin, senior researcher of the museum, told about the feat of climbers who were engaged in camouflaging spires and domes - city dominants, on which German artillery corrected its shelling. Due to bad weather, shelling and wind, the paint was peeling off, it was necessary to renew it, to put patches on the torn tarpaulin, to sew it up at the height, that is, it was serious labor. There were four climbers, two died of hunger in the winter of 1941-1942.
The rector of the St. Petersburg church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Archpriest Vyacheslav Kharinov provided for the exhibition icon "Front George" with attached to it crosses and images found by searchers on the remains of soldiers. Also on display are "Blockade Prayer" Leningrad schoolgirl Lydia Rybaeva, written by her in the winter of 1942, a homemade icon found in the tablet of a dead pilot, lists of miracle-working icons in the city's active churches, images of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg, St. Seraphim of Vyritsky, and other saints. A separate showcase exhibits Irena Adamovna Borodziuli's belongings: a prayer book, drawings and crystal glasses, which became a symbol of the miraculous salvation of the family. The 90-year-old artist was present at the opening of the exhibition and said that the shell that hit their room destroyed everything except these shot glasses.
The photographs depict the heroic activities of the maskers of domes and spires, the sale of tickets to the Philharmonic, where on August 9, 1942 the symphony orchestra under the direction of Carl Eliasberg performed the Seventh "Leningrad" Symphony by Dmitry Shostakovich, as well as the battles for the liberation of the city and the destroyed churches. Portraits of twelve priests who served in the city and were awarded medals "For the Defense of Leningrad" are placed.
The excursion "Temples of the Siege of Leningrad" was presented, which will take place on January 28. It will begin with this exhibition, then participants will visit the temples that operated in the besieged city: St. Nicholas Cathedral, Spaso-Preobrazhensky and Knyaz-Vladimirsky cathedrals, miraculously preserved wooden The Church of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Solunsk in Kolomyagi.
The exhibition will last until April 14.
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