On the old Arbat of Moscow (Arbat street 33), within the framework of the BOULEVARD OF ARTS project, a city-format photo exhibition "Orthodox cultural heritage of the Russian North" was opened. The photo exhibition was opened by His Grace Bishop Jacob and State Secretary of the Russian Environmental Chamber, member of the Public Council of Roshydromet Vadim Petrov.
After the grand opening in the Library of the History of Russian Philosophy and Culture at the Losev House, an open lecture "Orthodox Cultural Heritage of the Russian North" by Bishop of Naryan-Mar and Mezen His Grace Jacob took place. The lecture is available at: https://www.youtube.com/c/domloseva.
Vadim Petrov emphasized that in the modern world of the development of the highest information technologies: the Internet, television, adults and children lack the knowledge about national traditions, culture, and the way of life of the people, especially in such remote regions as the Arctic. Therefore, the decision of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin to declare 2022 the year of the cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia is aimed at maintaining and developing the original traditions, crafts and arts of the peoples of Russia.
Popularization of the original folk culture of the inhabitants of different regions of the country, the formation of respect for religious and national values will become the basis of peace and harmony in our multinational state.
«Strong-spirited people live and work in the Arctic. Oil and gas producers, metallurgists and geologists, builders, sailors, doctors, teachers... These are those who love the harsh beauty of the north and master the economic potential of this most powerful region,» Petrov notes. «But even the strongest people need spiritual support. Many find it in Orthodoxy. Orthodoxy in the Russian North played a huge role in the development of this region. It was the first northern monasteries that helped make it habitable. It was the monks who carried the light of civilization in the North.»
In the 15th century, the local residents of the North themselves began to actively engage in temple building, which was due to the need for a spiritual landmark in this sparsely populated and harsh region. There are more and more churches in the Arctic, and church communities and parishioners, as a rule, are multinational - Russians, Yakuts, Nenets, Karelians, Evenks, Chukchi, Khanty, Yukagirs, Dolgans.
And the northernmost Diocese of Russia is Naryan-Mar. The photo exhibition «Orthodox cultural heritage of the Russian North» was prepared with the personal participation of the Bishop of Naryan-Mar and Mezen, His Grace Jacob, with the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, the Losev House, the Environmental Chamber of Russia, the Green Carnation Fund named after. A.V. Astavina and PJSC Norilsk Nickel.
Photos for the exhibition were provided by the authors of Arctic photography: Vladimir Vaskin (vladimirvaskin.com), Agata Karaseva, Dmitry Mukhin, Elena Lebedeva, Alexander Kitaev, Marina Peshkova, as well as the press service of PJSC Norilsk Nickel.
