Rimini, August 19, 2013
Students of St Tikhon's University are making excursions at the exhibition in the Russian, Italian, English and French languages.
There is a model of an Orthodox Chapel in the middle of the exposition; a pillar of bright light is shining inside it. But the Chapel is partitioned off from the visitors by walls from all sides, and in order to get into the Chapel the visitors should first walk round eight theme halls.
The first hall is devoted to the beginning of persecutions, the Russian revolution, the destiny of the emperor Nicolas II and members of his family; the second hall - to the Local Council of 1918 and His Holiness St Patriarch Tikhon. The third and fourth halls tell about persecutions of the Church in 1920s and 1930s. The fifth and sixth ones describe the bloodiest period of persecutions in 1936-1937, creation of gulag and shootings at the Butovo firing range as well as the life of Church communities in conditions of terror.
The seventh hall is dedicated to the period from the famous meeting of Stalin with Church Hierarchs in 1943 to the end of the Khrushchev's persecutions. The eighth hall relates the 1000th anniversary of Baptism of Russia, the beginning of revival of Church life and, among other things, foundation of an Orthodox educational establishment - St Tikhon's University - from a parish community. After visitors have walked round all the halls, they can get into the Chapel (that earlier was inaccessible to them) where a recording of the service devoted to New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia can be heard and their Icon can be venerated.
The exhibition will last till August 24. On August 22, in the main hall of the "Meeting in Rimini" festival, the rector of St Tikhon's University Archpriest Vladimir Vorobyev will speak with an hour's lecture "The feat of Pastors in the 20th century's Russia" before the audience intended for up to 10000 people.
The prorector of St Tikhon's University for international work Archpriest George Orekhanov, senior research worker of the Modern history of the Russian Orthodox Church department and the exhibition's curator L.A. Golovkova, deputy head of the Modern history of the Russian Orthodox Church department, doctor of Church history Priest Alexander Mazyrin will also speak with reports and lectures during the days of the exhibition.