Exhibition "Heavenly Khvalynsk"

About exhibition

The core of the "Heavenly Khvalynsk" exhibition consists of works from the museum's collection. These are icons that were used in the Khvalynsk region during the period when the famous Cheremshan Old Believer monasteries existed. The exhibition is divided into three themed halls. The first recreates the interior of the secret prayer room of the Mikhaylov merchants and also presents the history of the main cultural center of Old Belief in the Khvalynsk area. The second hall is devoted to two prominent artistic phenomena in the history of Old Belief: the manuscript book tradition and the singing culture of the Old Believers, as well as copper-cast ecclesiastical sculpture. The third hall is presented solely as an art exhibition of icon-painting objects from the 16th–19th centuries and serves as the culmination of the aesthetic of the Khvalynsk icon-painting tradition after visitors have become acquainted with the history of Old Belief in the Khvalynsk region.