On October 16, 2015 the One-Pillar Chamber of the Patriarch's Palace and the exhibition hall of the Assumption Belfry will host the opening of the exhibition "Boris Godunov. From a Courtier to the Sovereign of All Russia". Visitors will see more than 150 unique objects dating back to XVI-XVII centuries, associated with extraordinary and tragic fate of Boris Godunov – the first elected Russian tsar.
The exhibition "Boris Godunov. From a courtier to the Sovereign of All Russia" caries on the tradition of projects dedicated to the medieval Russia rulers. In a row of the exhibitions devoted to Ivan the Terrible and Ivan III (in 2007 and 2013 respectively), the Moscow Kremlin Museums for the first time turns to the personality of Boris Godunov, one of the most controversial historical figures, whose name has for centuries been associated with many myths and legends.
The exhibition’s core is unique icons, illuminated books, ecclesiastical embroidery, jewelry and arms and armour that are part of the Treasury of the Medieval Russian art. Many of these pieces were ordered by Boris Godunov and members of his family. Some other outmost important objects on display are manuscripts, rare books, the memoirs of the eyewitnesses of the events happened back then, proving the grandeur of his personality. "Curiously enough, after him we had other bright tzars, but their minds were nothing but a shadow compared to his", – was written about Boris Godunov in the "Annals" by clerk Ivan Timofeev.
"It is no secret that the personality of Boris Godunov was interpreted in different ways by his contemporaries and followers, depending on the alignment of political forces. What is also important, is that the number of sources telling about that era is very limited: no reliable intra-vitam image of Boris Godunov does exist, very few of his personal belongings have survived, sets of artifacts associated with his rule are stored in different museums. By having gathered in the Moscow Kremlin Museums everything that is somehow related to his personality, we want to introduce Godunov as a remarkable strategist and politician, open to all possible innovations, and as the sovereign, who initiated a series of major reforms, founded cities strategically important to Russia, whose foreign policy was successful. I hope that the visitors will have no doubts that Boris Godunov is fairly considered to be one of the most famous leaders of the Russian state ", - says Elena Gagarina, General Director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums.
The exhibition includes objects from the leading Russian museums (the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the State Historical Museum, State Hermitage Museum and others), major libraries and the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts.
The exhibition is accompanied by extensive program of events. Some of them are a Music festival "Ambassadorial gifts", where the music of the era of Boris Godunov is performed, and lectures on art, architecture, icon painting masterpieces of Godunov’s time, as well as interactive programs "The Undiscovered Godunov" and "Tour around the Kremlin through the Literature". For primary school students we have prepared creative activities on the subject of "Boris Godunov - the first elected tsar". Moreover, on November 11-12, there will be a scientific conference entitled "The Moscow Kremlin and the era of Boris Godunov."