Museum workers are alarming

The pre-science meeting of Patriarch Kirill with the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin actually laid the foundation for a new stage in the transfer of church property in favor of the Moscow Patriarchate. And it began with a “iconic” cultural object, one of the most visited by tourists in Moscow, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, from the Novodevichy Monastery. At the meeting, Putin announced that the state is ready to transfer the church all historical monuments that were previously in its property. Meanwhile, the museum community is anxious, because those in power do not want to listen to his opinion.

Last week, a round table on the topic “Experts on the process of returning church property” was held in RIA Novosti. The reason for its holding was the preparing bill on the transfer of religious property to religious organizations.

The director of the Scientific Center of Eastern Christian culture, who opened the press conference, emphasized that the return of the church of numerous temples and monasteries, many of whom are empty, cannot but cause support from any cultural person. However, the existing practice causes serious concern. Accepting the law, it is impossible to ignore the opinion of museum workers and restorers, not to take into account the experience they have accumulated in preserving ancient monuments.

The Executive Director of the Russian Committee of the International Council of Museums Galina Andreeva noted that the process of returning to give legal forms and take into account European standards. And today we do not even know who is the developer of the project .

The head of the Federal Service for compliance with the legislation in the field of cultural heritage protection, Alexander Kibovsky, who represented at the Eye of Sovereign, believes that the transfer process is sufficiently regulated by the Decree of the Government of an eight -year -long ago “On the Procedure for Religious Organizations of the Religious Property Property”. In his opinion, the most important thing is the technique, the mechanisms of interaction between church and state structures. Kibovsky proposed to create a special group of experts from the church and the state.

The head of the branch of the Novodevichy Monastery, Marina Shvedova, did not agree with him. “It is too late to work out technologies after a decision on the transfer of Novodevichy. We are standing in front of the Black Range, ”she said. And she expressed fear that such scenarios would be played in the future.

The head of the department of ancient Russian art of the Institute of Art of Arts Lev Livshits was categorical: "To transfer the monuments to the new owners who will dispose of them at their discretion is extremely dangerous." Livshits gave examples indicating the catastrophic state of monuments already transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate. As a result of careless use, the painting of the iconostasis in the Trinity Cathedral of Pskov is crumbling from improper heating. The Bogolyubskaya icon dies from the fungus of the icon of the middle of the XII century, who was in the princess monastery (Vladimir). And such examples "Abyss".

Museum workers have developed their consolidated position. They offer the joint use of churches-monuments by the church and museums. If joint use is impossible for some reason, then the transfer of ancient temples should be preceded by the development of a certain system of the rules for their operation. The temples should support the necessary parameters of the temperature and humidity regime, based on which the number of worships, etc. will be determined.

All these are the right words. But will they be heard by the state? And, which is also important, will they be accepted in the church fence?

The ROC MP is currently facing the "museum challenge." A lot depends on the answer to it, primarily in the field of culture and mission. In the Jubilee Bishop Cathedral of the 2000, the social doctrine, the problems of culture are attributed to the field of cooperation of the church and the state. Not a word is said about the protection and restoration of monuments with church forces in the document. In subsequent years, at the level of cathedrals and synodes, the Church did nothing to advance its decision at the canonical level.

And on practical too. This follows at least from the words of Patriarch Kirill at the last diocesan meeting of Moscow. Holy Vladyka voiced claims of the art history commission at the diocesan council to the clergy. In the report of the commission, an alarm was made that the coloring of buildings, the interior decoration of temples, etc., often change during repair and restoration. At the same time, until recently, the commission itself did not have any power, it performed a purely decorative function.

It is high time to create a special synodal museum department that would coordinate the work on the protection of history and culture monuments within the church fence. According to the Bishop of Zaraysky Mercury close to the Patriarch, negotiations are now underway between the Patriarch and the Minister of Culture on the creation of a special group of interaction. But whether the fruit of these negotiations will become the appearance of a special department coordinating church cultural policy is not yet clear.

There is still something else. The Moscow Patriarchate is quite indifferent to the facts of vandalism within the church fence. None of the guilty are seriously punished, they are not transferred to less prestigious positions.

And this deafness scares. It testifies to the extinction of the spirit, indifference to its past. Cathedral mechanisms stopped working, and under these conditions, top managers, who, according to the new parish charter, have even more privileges, can break a lot of firewood. In some dioceses, this is already happening.

Photos of RIA Novosti