On February 5, 2026, the Moscow Architectural Institute hosted the conference "Architecture and Painting of the Temple" as part of the xvth International Christmas Educational Readings "Enlightenment and Morality: Personality Formation and Challenges of the Time."
The conference was attended by students and postgraduates of the Moscow Architectural Institute, the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture Ilya Glazunov and Kazan Federal University.
In his welcoming speech, the rector of the MARCHI, the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician D.O. Shvidkovsky, stressed that the profession of temple architect is in high demand today: "It is gratifying that among the diocesan architects whose meeting was held at the MARCHI last week, there were university graduates. Today, more than ever, it is important to pay attention to the preservation of cultural heritage, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed in his speech. Modern architects have a foundation for future projects — a rich heritage. In its individual essence, in its spirituality, it is church architecture that is far above all fields of creativity."
Archpriest Andrey Yurevich, head of the Architectural Department of the Financial and Economic Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, head of the working group on modern church building of the Expert Council on Church Art, Architecture and Restoration, emphasized in his speech: "Today there is an intensive and in-depth search for a national idea, and, as a result, the question arises of what is "Russian", how to comprehend not what happened, but what path Russian church building should take. Russian church construction can use historical sites as a basis, but it is impossible to create new ones without the use of modern creative searches."
Then the reports of the conference participants were heard.
The conference program included a discussion of two global issues: the new shaping and analysis of modern temple buildings and regional cultural monuments, issues of their preservation and enhancement. Of particular interest were reports on the use of elements of the "Russian style" and compositional techniques of secular architecture in the framework of church architecture, on the construction of temples in the early twentieth century and the use of reinforced concrete, on attempts to preserve the authenticity of Orthodox architecture in Europe in the 21st century.
Archpriest Andrey Yurevich noted the breadth of research covering regions from the south of Russia to the Far East.