May 18, 2014 to June 3, 2018

The exhibition illustrates medieval, imperial, and contemporary Russian history through the lens of one hundred and eighty rare artifacts from our rich museum, library, and archival collections. Featuring manuscripts, documents, print materials, photographs, and three-dimensional objects, the exhibition focuses on eleven distinct periods: the Muscovite Tsardom, Petrine Russia, Catherine the Great, Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander II, Alexander III, Nicholas II, Civil War, Exodus, and Russia Abroad.

With cultural objects to help contextualize the story, the exhibition traces the modest beginnings of sixteenth-century Russian ecclesiastical publishing to the glorious accomplishments of print culture in the nineteenth century. The struggle of anti-Bolshevik forces during the Russian Civil War, and the fate of Russian émigrés who left Soviet Russia is also examined. The exhibit culminates with the New World, where centuries-old traditions were resurrected and preserved in new lands and surroundings. Tracing the origins of Holy Trinity Monastery to the Pochaev Lavra in Ukraine, we ultimately come full circle to the beginning of ecclesiastical publishing and these living traditions.