10/03/08“The Unfailing Light”. The Exhibition Dedicated to the 850th Anniversary of the Assumption Cathedral and the 600th Anniversary of the Frescoes by Andrei Rublyov
 One of the oldest Russian churches built in the 12th century in Vladimir, the Cathedral of the Assumption is the sacred shrine of the Russian Orthodox Church, the witness of the most important historical events, the largest necropolis for grand princes, the depository of unique ancient paintings, the only church, which preserves the frescoes by St Andrei Rublyov, the renowned iconographer.
 At present the cathedral is both the main church of the Vladimir Diocese and the Old-Russian architectural monument which belongs to the Vladimir and Suzdal Museum. In the year 1992 the cathedral was inscribed into the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
In 2008 the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the 850th anniversary of the Assumption Cathedral (1158) and the 600th anniversary of the wall paintings by Andrei Rublyov and Daniil Chyorny (1408). The museum created the exhibition, dedicated to these dates on the request of the Vladimir Diocese.
  
The museum keeps some precious rarities, which came from the cathedral and were saved by museum workers during religious repressions: a censer of the 17th century given to the Assumption Cathedral by Tsar Mikhail in 1634; a ladle of the 17th century, the gift of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich to Andrei Plemyannikov; pectoral crosses and other silver and gold objects of church use.
Among rare exhibits are water-color copies made in 1882 by a Palekh painter Nikolai Safonov from the Rublyov’s frescoes. Here one can see some compositions which now are almost lost: for example, “The Earth and the Sea Are Returning Their Dead”, and “The Trumpeting Angels”.
Documents relating to the restoration in the 19th century are on display. Pictures showing changes in the appearance of the cathedral for a period of centuries, the objects of its historical interior, plans of all the buildings in the former cathedral ensemble can be seen in the show-cases of the exhibition. A small showroom contains much of the meaningful history of the ancient Assumption Cathedral.
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