V. T. Georgievsky on preservation of religious heritage: The report from 1917

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of preservation of religious heritage in Russia in 1917. The focus of the attention is a report on this topic, prepared by a prominent expert in the field of medieval Russian art V. T. Georgievsky (1861–1923). The report was prepared as part of the works of the Commission on the creation of the Ministry of Arts, organized with the active participation of the Institute of Art History (Petrograd). The article analyzes the relationship of V. T. Georgievsky with this Institute and his participation in the development of measures to protect religious heritage at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries. In his report V. T. Georgievsky gives a detailed description of the history of the protection of church heritage in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, the measures that were proposed and implemented in this area. The author of the report characterizes not only the results of these measures, but also the circumstances of their discussion and implementation. He also lists the most significant collections of ecclesiastical objects from the late imperial period. This is important for understanding what the network of such meetings was like on the eve of revolutionary upheavals. Finally, at the end of the report, he proposes some measures aimed at improving the protection of church heritage in Russia. This part of the report is succinct, but it is of particular importance. The main idea of V. T. Georgievsky is the centralization of the protection of monuments throughout the country. This is important for understanding the connection between the projects of the late imperial period and the policy in the field of monument protection and museum works in the early Soviet period. For the first time, the full text of the report from the archival fund of the Institute is published.