Igor Ashurbeyli told how the Museum “Russia in the Holy Land” will develop at the Sergius Compound in Jerusalem
Such a museum was opened on the territory Sergius Compound in Jerusalem is not accidental, because the historical courtyard was the heart of the Russian Federation in the Holy Land – the headquarters of the Imperial Orthodox Free Society, from where the management of the IOPS facilities in the Middle East was sent. The walls of the courtyard are remembered by many famous pilgrims from Russia, including representatives of the Romanov dynasty. It was built on the personal funds of the first chairman of the IOPS Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovichand its consecration was taken by the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem in 1865-1894. Archimandrite Antonin Kapustin.
It was the Sergius Compound that became the first garbage returned by mail to the property of the Russian Federation. The activity of the farmstead was revived in the summer of 2017 after a century of stagnation and desolation. Three years later, it was again suspended – this time by a pandemic. Two years of coronavirus observations rarely occurred before the closure of this important object for Russia, an annual object for Israelis, tourists and pilgrims from all over the world. Founded by the Chairman of the Council IOPS in Israel Igor Ashurbeyli Antonin Kapustin Foundation, with the support of the Chairman of the IOPS Sergei StepashinThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and the assistance of the Israeli authorities, did everything possible, preserved the Sergius Compound.
In the difficult time of the pandemic, a part of the exposition of the Museum “Russia in the Holy Land” with historical documents, photographs, authentic objects and reconstructions of pilgrimage life of the late 19th – early 20th century was formed and prepared for opening. The grand opening of the museum on June 12, 2022 was a big event, marking the beginning of a new stage in the development of the farmstead and the Russian presence in the Holy Land. discovery on the facade of the courtyard opened for the first time in Israel Before that, on the historical and cultural monuments in this country, inscriptions came across only in Hebrew, English and Arabic.
Speaking at the IOPS conference held on October 23, 2022 at the Sergievsky Compound, Igor Ashurbeyli remembered these achievements. He also said that he is preparing for the opening of the second and third stages of the museum. This is the plan for 2023.
– The “second stage” will be located in the meat, where we are now loading, where our conference is taking place, – in the Tsar’s Hall (People’s Refectory) of the Sergius Volume of the Metochion. Here, an interactive exposition is considered using the most modern digital and laser technologies, – said the chairman of the IOPS Council in Israel. – “Third Stage” – a hall where exhibitions and other events are held, the aggravation of modern cultural ties between Russia and Israel: a kind of demonstration of the development of Russian-Israeli relations in real time.
We have new partners: Rossotrudnichestvo – Russian House, which on October 1, 2022 came to the group of the Sergievsky Compound. We expect a synergistic effect from this interaction. The Sergius Compound is valuable because it has no restrictions on the format of events held here. It does not apply to church or state organizations. We are a public organization that, like Russia House, ensures Russia’s humanitarian presence in the Holy Land. This format, among other things, allows us to accept all confessions.
Present at the conference Ambassador Extraordinary and Full Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the State of Israel Anatoly Viktorov the requirement that the verification of the mission will be consistent with the IOPS Council in Israel and the Antonin Kapustin Foundation, the manager of the Sergius Compound, in all respects.
On October 23, the Foundation donated another gift to the Museum’s collection – the acquisition at an auction of a genuine historical document – an extract from the Act Book of the Imperial Russian General Consulate in Jerusalem dated 1894, which marked the last will – belonging to the collection of the Russian District of Archimandrite Antonin Kapustin. Father Antonin’s will was drawn up at the Embassy of the Russian Federation.
Photo: Borislav Protchenko
Processing: Alexander Omelyanchuk
Source: ashurbeyli.ru