ST. PETERSBURG, January 22. /TASS/. The first monastery museum of modern St. Petersburg will be opened on Sunday in St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra - one of the most famous Russian monasteries founded by the decree of Peter the Great. The monastery presents a collection of icons and antiquities illustrating its history.

"The new museum of antiquities will continue traditions of the old one founded in 1909," head of communications sector of St. Petersburg metropolia of the Russian Orthodox Church Natalia Romodanova told TASS. "Employees of the State Hermitage, the State Russian Museum and the Military Medical Museum provided consultative aid to Lavra museum of antiquities on their own initiative. The State Museum of Religious History provided great help," she added.

The monastery museum will display rare exhibits illustrating tri-centenary history of the St. Alexander Nevsky Monastery, icons, canonic dresses and liturgical utensils, archive photographs and documents.