On December 2, 2024, the TASS news agency in Moscow held a press conference dedicated to the presentation of the exposition and exhibition center of the State Historical Museum (GIM), which was attended by Abbess of the Novodevichy Stavropol Convent in Moscow, Abbess Margarita (Feoktistova).
The construction of the future GIM exposition and exhibition center will be completed by the end of 2025, its opening is scheduled for 2026, GIM CEO Alexey Levykin said at a press conference. Construction began in 2023 near the Novodevichy Monastery on behalf of the President of Russia.
"Today we want to present to you the results that we have achieved and present the final solution to the exposition that is planned at the exhibition center. Many people could get acquainted with this decision at the anniversary exhibition, which was opened in Moscow in August 2024 and was dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the Novodevichy Monastery. A lot of structural, exposition, and design solutions will be implemented on a larger scale… I can add that the end of 2025 is the completion of the active part of the construction work… And the commissioning is already 2026. Because it will take time to organize the exposition and activate all security systems," Alexey Levykin said.
The General Director of the GIM noted that the exhibition center will include almost the entire collection of the Historical Museum related to the history of the Russian Orthodox Church and Orthodox art. The audience will be able to see icons in precious frames, books for worship, shrouds, church utensils. The exposition with an area of about 2,000 square meters is devoted to the unique history of the Novodevichy Monastery and the history of Russia, starting from the first half of the XVI century, and is included in a set of measures to preserve the historical appearance of the monastery ensemble, as well as in the list of events dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the unique monument of world architecture.
During the press conference, it was also added that as part of the center's work, a storage facility for artistic and historical objects will be created, premises for master classes, lectures and other cultural events will be provided.