With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the opening of the II All-Russian Festival of Contemporary Church Art "To See and Hear" took place at the Moscow House of Artists on October 9, 2025.
The organizers of the festival are the Russian Academy of Arts and the Autonomous Non—Profit Organization "Center for the Promotion of Church Art in the Name of St. Filaret of Moscow" with the assistance of the Expert Council on Church Art, Architecture and Restoration.
The See and Hear Festival is a meeting place for professionals and viewers interested in Russian Orthodox culture, which helps everyone who wants to find a foothold in the rich church tradition and build their creativity on it, to gain ideological integrity.
The opening ceremony was preceded by a performance by the Moscow Synodal Choir led by Honored Artist of Russia Alexei Puzakov.
Evgeny Maksimov, Vice-President, Academician-Secretary of the Department of Painting and Monumental Art of the Russian Academy of Arts, addressed the audience. He congratulated everyone on a great creative holiday and expressed confidence that the festival would become an important milestone in the development of modern Orthodox art.
Then, Acting Chairman of the Expert Council on Church Art, Architecture and Restoration of the Russian Orthodox Church, curator of the exhibition, Priest Vladislav Mishin, addressed the audience with a welcoming speech.
"Beauty is one of the names of God,— said Archpriest Andrey Yurevich, Honorary Architect of Russia, Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, chief architect of the Financial and Economic Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, addressing the guests of the event. — God created the world beautifully. When we walk through the temple and look at its images, we see genuine beauty — how much spiritual color there is in it, how much inspired sound. Icon painters and singers, through their art and skill, bring Divine beauty to the world, which means they are missionaries."
At the end of the ceremony, Dmitry Trofimov, Head of the See and Hear project, noted: "It is important that our project is expanding. In 2025, we held five regional festivals, and this is just the beginning of the journey. More and more regions and republics want to host the festival, and this is especially gratifying, because the joy of seeing and hearing each other is the foundation of our lives."
The festival program includes lectures, performances by leading Russian choirs, film screenings of educational films, round tables on sacred music and temple architecture, as well as master classes for children and adults. Guests will be offered daily guided tours, including interactive VR programs. The forum will end on October 18.