Moscow turns ownership of public monasteries over to Orthodox Church , and this has upset the museum establishment. The latest building to be returned to the Church after being stolen by the Bolsheviks 80 or 90 years ago is “the stunning 16th-century fortified convent of Novodevichy, a pearl of Russian architecture.”
“Novodevichy is an outstanding historical monument, and it should be left to professionals to preserve it,” says Alexei Lebedev, with the Institute of Cultural Studies in Moscow, which is run by the Ministry of Culture. “This process of ‘demuseumification’ that’s going on now is a sign of serious social illness. The church is not an institution dedicated to preserving the heritage of history and culture, it has a different mission. It’s not going to be their keeper, and that’s a potential tragedy.”
The Church has an advantage, for the moment. “Russia lacks fully developed institutions, and people don’t fully trust the state, but they do believe the church can be relied on,” says “a pro-Kremlin member of the State Duma’s committee on religious affairs” at the end of the story.
Smart Russians. What institution did most to preserve Russian’s history and culture through the years of Communist rule? Was it the state? Maybe monks praying in a monastery that’s been there for centuries is part of that heritage, and part of preserving it?
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
