ROUND TABLE:

On March 6, 2026, a roundtable discussion entitled "Church Architecture of Pre-Mongol Rus' as Part of World Heritage" was held at the Moscow Novodevichy Stavropegic Convent.

The event was organized by the Moscow Novodevichy Convent, the D.S. Likhachev Institute of Natural and Cultural Heritage, the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve, and the Pereslavl Museum-Reserve, with the assistance of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Government of the City of Moscow, and the ICOMOS National Committee.

The event brought together specialists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Republic of Belarus, the Leningrad Region, Novgorod, Pskov, Vladimir, Suzdal, and Smolensk, including restorers, museum workers, representatives of government agencies, religious organizations, and scientific institutions.

The roundtable participants discussed the management and preservation of cultural heritage sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List dating back to the pre-Mongol era. They also considered the prospects for inscription of new sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List by expanding existing nominations, their renominations by expanding the protection zones of existing sites, and the integration of historical and cultural monuments into new tourist and pilgrimage routes.

International and Russian experts presented the results of their research.

Abbess Margarita (Feoktistova) presented a paper entitled "The Great Russian Northern Route: The Potential of a Cultural Route from a World Heritage Perspective."

I.O. Ivanovskaya presented a paper entitled "Integration of Cultural Values: The Polotsk Heritage in the Novodevichy Convent."

Averyanova A.E. In her report, "On the Possibility of Including Pre-Mongol Religious Architecture Monuments in Staraya Ladoga on the World Heritage List," she discussed the cultural heritage sites located within the Staraya Ladoga Holy Dormition Convent.

The event served as a significant forum for expert discussion and highlighted the importance of pre-Mongol Rus' religious architecture as an integral part of global cultural heritage. Participants emphasized the need to unite the efforts of scholars, restorers, and government and religious institutions to preserve these rare monuments.