ACTIVITY OF CHURCH MUSEUMS OF SIBERIA FOR CONSERVATION OF HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE

At present, the global museum activities are concentrated on searching and developing new techniques related to renovation ("revival") of the museums and their exhibitions. One of the conceptual examples of "living museum" was Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, presented and justified by Pavel Floren-sky. Due to ideology dominating in 1920s, this conception was not embodied but the basic principles of the "live museum" have survived until the beginning of the 21st century. Intensifying development of the churches' museums network raises an acute issue of museumification and actualization of the items preserved by the Church - these items could be housed by the traditional exhibitions, but, what is more relevant, we might apply here the ideas of the "living museum". There are nine major church museums on the territory of Siberia, at diocesan administrations and religious educational institutions. We should note that the museum workers do not set the goal of implementing these ideas into their work but we can observe the basic concepts of the "living museum" being embodied into their practice. Due to being located at archbishop's residences and the territory of the temple and monastery complexes, the church museums are the logical continuation of the temple space, where the "spiritual doings" can take place, i.e. conciliar or private prayer. Thus, applying environment approach by the Museum of the Altai religious mission history enhances the actualization of the material and non-material heritage. Kemerovo diocesan museum demonstrates the experience of using the temple space imitation or allusions within the museum. This approach helps a visitor to be thoroughly acquainted with the structure of the church and the Orthodox iconography. Siberian church museums also actively practice various forms of museum and communicative activity, among them funding, research, educational, interacting with the public, liturgical and missionary. When not only museum workers, but students and scientists, too, take part in studying museum items, they are actively involved into scientific and cultural rotation. The educational activity of the Siberian church museums, e.g. organizing exhibition projects on the museum site and at secular institutions, music and literature lounges, lectures, museum festivals, workshops, etc., is also missionary oriented. Thus, the main kinds of activity observed in the work of Siberian church museums, allow suggesting a synthesis of church, ritual and secular life. Museums contribute not only to a superficial acquaintance of the public with the basics of Orthodoxy, but encourage people to immerse in the liturgical life of the Church itself, which, in turn, meets the basic concepts of the "living museum".