Exhibition of Moscow Novodevichy Convent to take place in Paris

DECR Communication Service, 14/01/2026

From 16^th January to 28^th February 2026, an exhibition entitled “Great Russian Northern Route. Golden Thread of the Centuries” will be held at the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center in Paris, presenting an educational, historical, patriotic, pilgrimage and ecological route that passes through twelve Russian regions and includes fourteen UNESCO World Heritage sights.

Starting in the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow, the route then passes through the Moscow Kremlin, ancient churches of Novgorod, Pskov and Yaroslavl, as well as the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius Lavra and the Ferapontov Monastery, ending in the Holy Transfiguration Monastery on Solovki.

The Novodevichy Convent – starting point of the Great Russian Northern Route – was founded in 1524 by the Grand Prince of Moscow, Vasily III. Celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the convent were included in UNESCO’s calendar for 2024-2025, which shows the monastery’s international importance as a cultural and religious site.

The exhibition traces the origins of the Novodevichy Convent’s artistic and religious practice, reports patriarchia.ru, citing the website of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Paris.

From the 16th century onward, the convent produced covers, shrouds and icons of refined composition, finest craftsmanship and intricate decorative design. Restoration of monastic life in the abode in 1994 also marked the revival of old crafts. Present-day craftswomen working at the convent’s gold embroidery workshop creatively interpret classical church motives while preserving characteristic features of the Moscow school. Gold embroidery technique is one of the most exquisite and labour-consuming types of applied art. Silk and velvet fabrics are embroidered with golden and silver threads, pearls, precious stones and small decorative elements. Every stitch requires utmost precision, and making one shroud can take several years.

The convent’s icon-painting workshop develops the principles of the Moscow icon-painting school formed in the 16th and 17th centuries. The icons painted at the workshop have a muted, elegant palette, with the soft modelling of saints’ faces.

The exhibition will be held at the following address: 1 quai Branly, 75007 Paris, France (exhibition halls on 1^st and 2^nd floors of the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center).

Exhibiting hours will be from 14:00 to 19:00, Tuesday through Sunday; prior registration is required.

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Exhibition of Moscow Novodevichy Convent to take place in Paris

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons