Presentation of the project and edition entitled Saint Great Martyr Anastasia. The holy image and temples in Europe

21 June 2010 the presentation of the Saint Anastasia – the Hope for Peace project and a Russian edition of the book entitled Saint Great Martyr Anastasia. The holy image and temples was held at the Hermitage Theater. The project is aimed at restoring a wonderful image of the saint in the memory of Europeans.

The book about Saint Anastasia was first published in 2009, Italy, in Italian. Pyotr Chakhotin, a Russian painter, was its author and the project’s author in general. The book’s edition in Russian is published by a blessing of Vladimir, Metropolitan of St Petersburg and Ladoga.

The book encompasses over 500 photographs of temples and monuments of sacred art such as frescos, icons, paintings on canvas and fabric, sculptures, reliquaries and bells that are available in twenty five countries of Europe.

Among the presented artwork are two rare icons from the State Hermitage’s collection. Both icons are fine samples of Byzantine art with the remarkable history. It is believed that a small mosaic reliquary icon belonged to Anastasia, the first wife of Ivan the Terrible. A big icon of the 15th-16th centuries is a widely recognized masterpiece. It was stored at the Russian Archeological Institute in Constantinople and from there, after the revolution of 1917, it was brought to the Hermitage.

The Russian edition includes statements by M. Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage; I. Lebedeva, Director of the State Tretiakov Gallery; B. Arakcheev, Director of the Museum of the History of Religion; the writer A. Kurbatov; spacemen N. Budarin and A. Soloviev; the Cardinal Paul Poiret (Chairman of the Council on Culture of the Holy See), and many others.

The project and the book had been highly appreciated by the now-deceased Alexey II, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

At the project presentation two extraordinary icons, that by a blessing of the Patriarch Alexey II and the Pope John Paul II were sent to the outer space in 1995-1996, were demonstrated.

22 and 23 June, within the project’s framework, the 3rd international conference dedicated to Saint Great Martyr Anastasia was held at the State Museum of the History of Religion. The conference was attended by about twenty speakers from Russia, Italy, Serbia and Germany.

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Born in Rome in 281, Anastasia gained recognition through her merciful deeds and had a martyr’s death in 304 in Sirmium (modern Sremska Mitrovica in the north-west of Serbia). In 467 she was consecrated a saint. Anastasia’s relics were moved to Constantinople.
In orthodoxy Saint Anastasia is recognized as one of the fifteen great martyrs of early Christianity.

Presentation of the project and edition entitled Saint Great Martyr Anastasia. The holy image and temples in Europe

M. Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage

P. Chakhotin, painter

A. Soloviev, spaceman

Receipt of the edition