An exhibition entitled “Christian Tradition. Our Days”, marking the 80th birthday of Patriarch Kirill, opened at the Manege exhibition hall in Moscow on November 4. Vladimir Putin and the patriarch himself visited the exhibition on its opening day.

This was reported by SOTA.

The exhibition features sculptures of warrior saints, including Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy and others. The works bear the inscription: “Sculptor Vitaly, architect — Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) of Simferopol and Crimea.”

The first hall is devoted to Russian history. Among the works on display are paintings depicting the war in Ukraine. There is also a painting showing Putin at the opening of the Crimean Bridge.

Among the exhibits is the Dmitrov Cross, dating from the late 14th to the early 15th century, from the Tretyakov Gallery. Concerns have previously been raised about its condition and future.

According to the Russian president’s official website, Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow visited the exhibition “Christian Tradition. Our Days”.

“Visitors to the exhibition will see how, under the spiritual guidance of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, church art is taking on new forms while remaining faithful to patristic tradition and maintaining an unbroken connection with Russia’s thousand-year history. The works on display reflect the richness of artistic traditions, the continuity of generations of masters and the diversity of creative approaches pursued by contemporary artists,” the statement said.

The statement also emphasised that a nationwide competition had been announced to select works for the exhibition, attracting more than 3,000 submissions from artists across Russia. Following the selection process, the curatorial team chose 524 works by 216 artists. These included 17 People’s Artists of the Russian Federation, 22 Honoured Artists of the Russian Federation, 14 full members and 12 corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Arts.