Project “Saint Kirill Belozersky” was presented at IT-Forum!

The project containing all materials about the founder of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery was presented by its head Alexey Smirnov, head of the Department of Information Technologies in the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve.

“The Internet encyclopedia is the collection of full and detailed information about the saint who founded one of the largest monasteries in the North-West of Russia. This project participated in the International Contest “Orthodox Initiative” in March, 2016, and became one of the winners. The Internet encyclopedia was made by almost 30 people during 9 months. The Vologda State Museum-Preserve, the Cherepovets Museum Association, the Belozersk Regional Local History Museum, the Vologda Regional Universal Scientific Library, federal museums, libraries and museums of many regions of our country (the State Hermitage, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Historical Museum, the State Russian Museum, the Central Andrey Rublev Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art, the State Museum of History of Religion, the Russian National Library, the State Vladimir and Suzdal Museum-Preserve, the Yaroslavl Art Museum) were partners of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve. Pictures with the image of the venerated Russian saint have been also given by private collectors, including foreign ones. One picture has been sent from the British Museum.

The image of St. Kirill Belozersky dated to 1424 opens the resource. This icon was painted by St. Dionisy Glushitsky. St. Kirill is depicted against the background of the cloister: this image is considered to be created during the lifetime of the saint. The original is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, but this summer everybody will be able to see it: the Tretyakov Gallery intends to bring this and other icons to Kirillov and to display them in the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve”.

All information about the saint can be found on one resource: www.кириллбелозерский.рф. “The new website has been already launched”, noted A.I. Smirnov, head of the project. “All information about the saint is placed in eight main sections. For example, the places and articles connected with St. Kirill Belozersky – his books and personal things, the burial place – can been seen in the section “Relics”. Many photos have been posted in the Internet for the first time! Everything on the website is convenient and up-to-date. Virtual panoramas and 3D-reconstructions open great opportunities for readers. In particular, you can zoom in and get a good look at the ascetic patched fur coat that warmed the saint in the 15th century – it is very difficult to take a picture of it in the museum glass showcase. You can see even threads, stitches and pieces of the sewn fur. And every letter is easily visible on the spiritual testament of St. Kirill Belozersky.

Separate sections of the website tell about the monastery, the saint’s library, the churches dedicated to St. Kirill Belozersky. One more section is a “cinema hall” containing video materials, an animated cartoon and a short 10-minute film about the saint’s life. They have been made especially for the project. About 100 pictures of the saint have been already gathered in the Internet encyclopedia, including icons, engravings, sculptures and miniatures (many of them have museum and general description). It is the fullest collection of the saint’s images – from ancient times and up to now. We plan to develop and to improve the resource in future”.

The Internet encyclopedia “Saint Kirill Belozersky” has interested a lot of people. And not only participants of the forum. Users of the USA and Europe access this website. Therefore the employees of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve think about the possibility to translate the Internet encyclopedia into English. This idea can be realized if volunteers and benefactors become interested in it.

Using the materials of cultinfo.ru and vologdaregion.ru

Photo: Natalya Yudina, the Vologda Regional Archive of Contemporary Political History.