Description of the Museum

The Sergiev Posad State History and Art Museum-Reserve – is one of the major museums in Russia. “It is a kind of Hermitage of Russian culture of the 14th – 20th cc.” (Academician D.C. Likhavhev).The Museum was founded by the decree signed by V.I. Lenin in 1920. Its basic part including historical and artistic treasures of the Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery was supplemented by the collections of Russian folk and contemporary applied and decorative art. Now the Museum displays are housed in 4 expositional complexes in the historical center of the town.

At  present, the Museum collection includes more than 170 000 exhibits: icons, medieval manuscripts and old printed books, monuments of icon  and ornamental embroidery, jewelry art, paintings, drawings,  specimens of folk and modern decorative and applied art. The most remarkable  items are displayed  at the permanent  and temporary  exhibitions, housed  in four Museum complexes  in the center of the town: the Sacristy (on the territory of the Trinity- St. Sergius Lavra);  the Historical and Architectural complex "Konny Dvor" – ul. 1-oi Udarnoi  Armii, 2a (folk and decorative and applied art, archeology, history); Local History Department – Ovrazhny per.  9a; the Main Building - Prospect Krasnoi Armii,  144 (exhibition halls).