Transfer of museum temples to the church: who is right?

Something touched me about the possible transfer of five Yaroslavl museum churches to the church. Therefore, let me express some thoughts.

Unlike those who are categorically for and categorically against, I fully understand the arguments of both sides. Museum workers are afraid that their use for services, as well as the lack of scientific control over the condition of the monuments, will cause them damage. This argument is fair, but it should not be taken to the point of absurdity.

The Resurrection Cathedral in Tutaev, built in the same 17th century as the five disputed Yaroslavl churches, has always been the property of the church. The parish managed to preserve the building itself, its frescoes, and the unique icon of the Savior. It seems to me that with the possible transfer of temples, museum researchers should continue to monitor their condition and the condition of the “movable property.”

I'm talking about icons first of all. Let's say the iconostasis of the Church of St. Nicholas Nadein. If the temple is given to the parish, will the iconostasis (made, as they say, according to a sketch by Fyodor Volkov) have to be dismantled and taken to the museum’s storerooms? Or the carved “prayer places” in the Elias Church? I think it would be crazy.

It seems to me that here the church and the museum should differentiate their powers: the church should take on protection responsibilities. For example, “places of prayer” should be fenced off, as is done in museums, and be, as it were, a separate object. Museum employees must inspect all objects at certain intervals, make their conclusions, recommendations for use, and even take away some objects for restoration. And the church should treat this with understanding.

Another point that museum staff usually do not bring to the fore is economic. Having lost the temples, the museum is deprived of the opportunity to collect money from tickets. This is where I am not on the side of museums. It seems to me not very right that I, as a resident of this city, cannot go to a church for free and at any time of the year, which actually contains unique frescoes and icons created by our ancestors. It seems to be a public property, but only for money.

A ticket to the temple is somehow wild, by God. In my opinion, it would be better even for tourists if the temples were open constantly and free of charge. It is clear that the church will make money from this - and God willing. Let the candle shops (like in the Assumption Cathedral) have both souvenirs and literature. I don’t see anything blasphemous in this. A “living” church as a tourist attraction is more interesting than a museum one. The museum should make money from excursions - nothing prevents them from organizing them in the same way. This should also be part of the agreement between the museum and the diocese. During non-liturgical times, excursions can come to these churches (observing the usual church rules - closed access to the altar, headscarves at the entrance for women), while the guide can continue his story in the church itself. Why not?

At the same time, the state must and will continue to fulfill its functions in relation to temples as monuments, that is, to allocate money for their restoration when it is necessary. This practice has existed for a long time, for example, the ensemble in Korovniki, although it is under the jurisdiction of the Old Believer Church, periodically receives state funding for restoration.

To summarize: I am for the transfer of churches to the church, but on clearly defined conditions that take into account the interests of both the Orthodox and the scientific community, which has preserved churches, icons and other shrines for decades. But the former Spaso-Preobrazhensky and Goritsky monasteries, as well as the Rostov Kremlin - the sites of the Yaroslavl, Rostov and Pereslavl museum-reserves, in my opinion, should remain under the jurisdiction of museums. There, museum spaces, funds, and scientific traditions are already inseparable from the buildings.

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