14.12.2024
“The Institute of History and Archives is an institution for preserving documentary heritage, which is an important aspect of protecting the main cultural wealth – our national memory,” says Andrei Loginov.
On December 12, an exhibition dedicated to the history of the building of the Institute of History and Archives of RSUH “Nikolskaya, 15: Three Eras in the History of Russian Statehood, Culture, and Education” opened in the House of the Russian Historical Society. The Institute of History and Archives was opened in 1930 in a place that has a deep historical tradition. It is located in the very center of Moscow, two hundred meters from Red Square, in the building of the former Correction Chamber.
“It is very important for us to feel and confirm our continuity in relation to Ivan Fedorov and a whole galaxy of zealots of book culture and heroes of national education. After all, the first school in Russia, essentially a higher educational institution, for “different ranks of people”, the Typographic School, the prototype of the future Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, began its activities right here on Nikolskaya, 15. The Institute of History and Archives is the heir to this centuries-old tradition of scholarship and education, and the basis of its mission, as one medieval prince said, is “so that the candle does not go out”, said the Acting Rector.
The Exhibition is divided into two parts. The first is dedicated to the activities of Ivan Fedorov and the history of printing in Russia, the second describes the historical building of the Institute. Among the most valuable exhibits is the first printed book "Apostle".
"Looking at these books, you can’t help thinking about the enormous significance of book printing, which became such a foundation for the development of national education. And today, a book, as an intelligent and interesting conversationalist, remains a necessary attribute of every educated person," said Sergey Naryshkin, Chairman of the Russian Historical Society.
The Institute of History and Archives is a complex of cultural and historical heritage. It is deservedly considered a landmark of the capital. The lion and the unicorn, towering on the facade of the Synodal Print Yard on Nikolskaya, are the historical symbol of the Moscow Print Yard. This emblem adorned its products and seals. The building of the Institute is directly adjacent to the only surviving section of the ancient Kitay-gorod wall.
In his recent interview, Acting Rector of RSUH Andrei Loginov spoke about the uniqueness of the building on Nikolskaya and whether the Institute was planned to be turned into a museum.
“The Institute of History and Archives is an institution for preserving documentary heritage. Preserving this heritage, including book culture, is an important aspect of protecting the main cultural wealth, our national memory. In this context, the Institute of History and Archives and RSUH as a whole naturally continue the important work of Ivan Fedorov, which has a sacred meaning for our culture. “…” The most ancient historical parts of the building on Nikolskaya, namely the Correction and Book-Keeping Chambers, located in the courtyard and built on the foundations of the first Russian printing house and the even earlier buildings from the turn of the 15th-16th centuries, as well as the only surviving section of the Kitay-gorod, should be turned into a museum,” said the Acting Rector.
You can visit the exhibition “Nikolskaya, 15: Three Eras in the History of Russian Statehood, Culture, and Education” during a tour of the House of the Russian Historical Society by prior arrangement.
