"Cathedral of Saints": an exhibition of unique sculptures has opened in Nizhny Novgorod

      April 12, 2026 16:20 Culture and Leisure An exhibition titled "Cathedral of Saints. Three Centuries of Wooden Church Sculpture from the Nizhny Novgorod Region" has opened at the Manege of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin (6+).

      The foundation of the exhibition consists of restored monuments of wooden church art from the Nizhny Volga region dating from the 17th to the early 20th centuries. A total of 47 unique exhibits from the collections of the Nizhny Novgorod Museum-Reserve, the Nizhny Novgorod Art Museum, as well as municipal museums of Arzamas, Balakhna, Vetluga, Gorodets, and the Nizhny Novgorod Diocese Museum are presented.

      The restoration and conservation were carried out by specialists from the All-Russian Scientific Restoration Center named after Academician I.E. Grabar.

      The General Director of the Nizhny Novgorod Museum-Reserve, Yuri Filippov, noted that many of the presented sculptures had been stored in the funds for decades and were in emergency condition.

      "We saw amazing results. For example, the sculpture of Nicholas of Mozhaysk from the 17th century revealed bright, saturated colors of clothing after cleaning," Filippov said.

      He added that the restorers worked "like surgeons," which made it possible to preserve and present these monuments to the general public.

      The exhibition is complemented by multimedia support - a narrative about the history of the restoration and conservation of churches in the region.

      The implementation of the project became possible thanks to a comprehensive restoration program initiated in 2025 by the order of the Nizhny Novgorod governor Gleb Nikitin.

      Photo: Alexander Volozhanin

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