CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE EXHIBITION

On February 28, 2026, the official closing ceremony of the exhibition "The Great Russian Northern Route. The Golden Thread of Centuries" took place. It showcases the unique Russian World Heritage sites located along the Great Russian Northern Route.

The exhibition, which opened on January 16 this year in the halls of the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center in Paris with the blessing of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', was timed to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Moscow Novodevichy Convent.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation, Permanent Delegate of the Russian Federation to UNESCO R.Zh. Alyautdinov, addressed the closing ceremony.

In his speech, he thanked His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Paris, the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center in Paris, and the Novodevichy Stavropegic Convent in Moscow for the preparation and implementation of this unique exhibition.

R. Zh. Alyautdinov noted that the Moscow Novodevichy Convent was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004 and celebrated the 500th anniversary of its founding in 2024. This date has been included in the UNESCO Calendar of Anniversaries for 2024-2025.

"I would like to hope that this exhibition continues its international journey, introducing foreigners to the richness of Russian culture," R. Zh. Alyautdinov concluded.

In her response, Abbess Margarita (Feoktistova) expressed her profound gratitude to His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'; Russian Ambassador to France A.Yu. Meshkov; Permanent Delegate of Russia to UNESCO R.Zh. Alyautdinov; Director of the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center in Paris A.I. Kotlova; and the clergy of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Paris for their assistance and support in preparing and hosting the exhibition.

The exhibition introduced visitors to Russian World Heritage sites, churches, monasteries, and national parks. It also featured creative professionals from twelve Russian regions along the Great Russian Northern Route.

The exhibition featured unique works by the gold-embroidering sisters of Moscow's Novodevichy Convent—objects of ecclesiastical art recreated from models currently housed in Russian state museums, but previously owned by the Novodevichy Convent and crafted by the convent's gold-embroiderers in the workshops of Tsarina Irina Godunova.

On the exhibition's closing day, February 27, Abbess Margarita (Feoktistova), Abbess of the Novodevichy Stavropegic Convent in Moscow, was received at his residence by A.Yu. Meshkov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to France.

The Ambassador noted the positive response to the exhibition "The Great Russian Northern Route: The Golden Thread of Centuries" and proposed continuing work on cultural initiatives, including developing a concept for joint church-state projects in France to promote Russia's rich spiritual and cultural heritage. The draft concept is planned to be submitted to His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', for review and approval.

Abbess Margarita (Feoktistova) conveyed her gratitude to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to France A.Yu. Meshkov for his invaluable personal contributions to the "Great Russian Northern Route" exhibition in Paris.

In turn, A.Yu. Meshkov expressed his deep gratitude to His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', for his comprehensive support of the unique project held at the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center in Paris and other spiritual initiatives carried out by the Russian Orthodox Church and the Embassy in France.

With the use of materials from the press service of the Russian Embassy in France

REVIEWS OF THE EXHIBITION